{"id":287039,"date":"2022-08-16T16:22:31","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T21:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/estate\/planning-an-estate\/what-is-a-lady-bird-deed.html"},"modified":"2025-09-05T12:14:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T17:14:00","slug":"what-is-a-lady-bird-deed","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/estate\/planning-an-estate\/what-is-a-lady-bird-deed.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Lady Bird Deed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What Is a Lady Bird Deed?<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By FindLaw Staff<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Aisha Success, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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A Lady Bird deed is a particular type of life estate deed used for estate planning. This deed allows a property owner to retain control over their property during their lifetime while designating a beneficiary to receive the property upon the owner’s death, bypassing probate.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

This article explains how a Lady Bird deed works. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using this type of deed to transfer real estate.<\/p>\n

Lady Bird deeds are only available in a handful of U.S. states. It is an “enhanced life estate deed” compared with a \u201ctraditional life estate deed” because the life estate holder (the owner) controls the property. This means the owner can sell or lease the property during their life.<\/p>\n

A life estate is the right to live on a property for the remainder of the life estate holder’s life. Once the life estate holder dies, the property reverts to another person named on the deed. However, people with a life estate do not have control over the property.<\/p>\n

What Does a Lady Bird Deed Do?<\/h2>\n

A Lady Bird deed allows a property owner (the grantor) to convey a life estate in a property to themselves or another person. The grantor can name someone to whom the property will revert once the life estate holder dies. The property does not have to go through probate, saving money and time. Any process that can reduce or eliminate the probate process is worth exploring.<\/p>\n

For example, a mother may want to leave her son real property. Suppose she wants to structure a property transfer to leave her son her primary residence. But she wants to limit his ownership interest. She does not want her son to have her home right now.<\/p>\n

In this case, the mother would transfer the property as a life estate. The mother would own the real property with her as the life estate tenant and the son as the\u00a0remainderman<\/a>. The mother retains control over the property until she dies. At that point, the property reverts to the son as the property owner. The remainderman’s ownership interest gives them complete control over the property after the grantor’s death.<\/p>\n

A Lady Bird deed has many advantages as a specialized estate planning tool. It can\u00a0transfer real estate<\/a>\u00a0to a beneficiary upon death and also:<\/p>\n