Recording a deed in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Everything you need to get a deed on file in Montgomery County. The office that records it, the formatting it checks, what it costs, and the three ways to submit.
- Recording office
- Recorder of Deeds
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- 1% state
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$87.75 per document
- E-recording
- Approved submitters
Recording a deed in Montgomery County
Deeds affecting property in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania are recorded with the Recorder of Deeds. Recording is what puts the world on notice of your ownership and fixes the priority date. An unrecorded deed can still transfer title between the parties, but it leaves you exposed to anyone who records first.
The recording rules the office applies come from 21 Pa. Stat. § 351. Deeds themselves are governed by 21 Pa. Stat. § 1.
Worth knowing
Every deed, paper or e-recorded, must be registered by the Montgomery County Board of Assessments before it is recorded. In person, the Board is directly across the hall from the Recorder of Deeds on the third floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, Norristown. The deed must carry the 12-digit Parcel Identification Number.
Worth knowing
Recording a deed in Montgomery County costs $87.75 for up to four names, four pages and one parcel, plus $4 per extra page, $1 per extra name and $15.50 per extra parcel. Two original Statements of Value add $1.50. Pay the recording fee and the transfer tax with two separate checks.
Worth knowing
Deeds with trusts cannot be e-recorded in Montgomery County. Record them by mail or in person.
What to bring
- The original signed and notarized deed. Recorders do not record photocopies handed over the counter.
- A completed notarial acknowledgment, with the date, the place where you signed, and the commission expiry all filled in.
- Realty Transfer Tax Statement of Value (Form REV-183, filed in duplicate for a gift, an exempt transfer, or a deed that does not state the full price), which Pennsylvania requires alongside the deed.
- Payment for the recording fee, about $87.75 per document. Many offices do not take personal checks.
Formatting
- Deedly's layout, which suits this office: 8.5 × 11 inch paper, a 3-inch clear space at the top of page one for the recording stamp, 1-inch margins on the other edges, and type no smaller than 10 point. Deedly formats every document this way automatically.
- A legal description. A street address alone is not enough.
- A 'when recorded, return to' block so the stamped original comes back to you.
How to file
- In personTake the original to the Recorder of Deeds in Norristown. This is the fastest route. You usually walk out with the recording information the same day.
- By mailSend the original with a check or money order for the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow one to three weeks for the stamped original to come back.
- E-recordingTitle companies, attorneys, and other approved submitters file electronically through services such as Simplifile, CSC, or ePN. Some offices accept filings from the public through those services; check the office's website. If you prepared the deed yourself, in person or by mail is usually simpler.
Confirm the address before you post anything
Offices move and hours change. Search for "Montgomery County Pennsylvania Recorder of Deeds" and use the official county website, not a directory listing, which is often years out of date.
Formatted to Pennsylvania requirements, with Montgomery County filing instructions included.
Common questions
With the Recorder of Deeds, located in Norristown. Deeds are always recorded in the county where the property sits, not where the owner lives.
Around $87.75 per document. Pennsylvania also charges realty transfer tax at 1% state, plus local (typically 1%, but Philadelphia's combined rate is 4.578% and Pittsburgh's is 5%), though transfers between spouses, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, and siblings are excluded, and a gift to anyone else is taxed on the property's computed value. Confirm current fees with the office before you mail anything; they change.
Usually only through an approved e-recording submitter, such as a title company or attorney, using a service like Simplifile, CSC, or ePN. Some offices accept filings from the public through those services; check the office's website. Otherwise, record in person or by mail.
Keep reading
Deedly is not a law firm
Its software and documents are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. We provide self-help software and state-specific deed forms; you make your own decisions about your property. Using Deedly does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing here is legal advice. If your situation is complex or contested, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.