Pennsylvania property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Pennsylvania's differ from its neighbours in ways that decide whether your document records or comes back. Here is the whole picture: which deeds exist here, how they have to be signed, what the recorder wants on the page, and what it costs.
- Recording office
- Recorder of Deeds
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- 1% state
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$65 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
Deeds Pennsylvania recognizes
| Deed | What it does | Available? |
|---|---|---|
| Quitclaim deed | Transfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title. | Yes |
| General warranty deed | Transfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows. | Yes |
| Special warranty deed | Transfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it. | Yes |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Names who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive. | No |
| Lady bird deed | An enhanced life estate deed: you keep total control for life, and the property passes automatically at death. | No |
| Life estate deed | You keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you. | Yes, less common |
| Gift deed | Transfers property to someone as an outright gift, for no payment. | Yes, less common |
Pennsylvania does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds and lady bird deeds. Recording one here wouldn't achieve what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Notarization | Required for every signature |
| Witnesses | None |
| Preparer statement | Customary, not required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Required |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | Not generally required |
Pennsylvania document formatting rules
Recorders of deeds in Pennsylvania expect 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 1-inch margins elsewhere. Type must be at least 10 point. That top margin is the recorder's stamp area. Writing into it is the most common formatting rejection there is.
Pennsylvania transfer tax and recording fees
Pennsylvania charges Realty transfer tax at 1% state, plus local (typically 1%, but Philadelphia's combined rate is about 4.278% and Pittsburgh's about 5%). Customarily paid by the negotiated. Pennsylvania's family exemptions are unusually broad. Parent/child, grandparent/grandchild, and sibling transfers are all exempt.
Common exemptions: transfers between spouses, transfers between parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, or siblings, transfers to or from a revocable living trust, and gifts within the exempt family relationships.
A form has to travel with the deed
Pennsylvania requires Statement of Value (Form REV-183) for non-arm's-length transfers with most recorded deeds, including gifts and other exempt transfers. Recorders reject packages that are missing it.
Recording fees run about $65 for the first page. Typical figure. Counties set their own fees. Confirm with your recorder before mailing.
How to hold title in Pennsylvania
- Sole ownership. One person owns everything.
- Tenancy in common. Separate, divisible shares with no survivorship. A deceased owner's share goes to their heirs.
- Joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Equal shares; the survivor takes the whole property automatically.
- Tenancy by the entirety. Married couples only, with automatic survivorship and, in most states that allow it, protection from one spouse's creditors.
What the law presumes for married couples
A conveyance to a married couple in Pennsylvania creates a tenancy by the entirety by default.
Where to record a deed in Pennsylvania
Deeds are recorded with the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property is located. Pennsylvania has 67 counties. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
Philadelphia · Allegheny · Montgomery · Bucks · Delaware · Lancaster · Chester · York · Berks · Westmoreland. all Pennsylvania recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania's family exemptions from realty transfer tax are among the broadest anywhere: spouse, parent/child, grandparent/grandchild, and sibling transfers are all exempt. A Statement of Value (REV-183) claims the exemption.
- Philadelphia's combined realty transfer tax is about 4.278% and Pittsburgh's is about 5%, far above the 2% typical elsewhere in the state.
- Pennsylvania does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds.
- A conveyance to a married couple creates a tenancy by the entirety automatically, which is strong creditor protection.
From $39. Every Pennsylvania rule above is applied automatically, and you read the finished document before you pay.
Common questions
You sign a deed, have it notarized, and record it with the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property sits. Which deed depends on what you're doing: a quitclaim for family transfers and adding or removing a name, a warranty deed for a sale, and a living trust for probate avoidance.
No. Pennsylvania does not require an attorney to prepare or record a deed. Use one when ownership is disputed, when the owner has died and the estate has not been probated, when the estate is large enough to owe tax, or when Medicaid planning is involved.
About $65 for the first page. Pennsylvania also charges realty transfer tax at 1% state, plus local (typically 1%, but Philadelphia's combined rate is about 4.278% and Pittsburgh's about 5%).
No. Pennsylvania is not among the 32 states plus DC that authorise a transfer-on-death deed. The usual alternatives here are a revocable living trust or survivorship titling.
Keep reading
- Pennsylvania quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Pennsylvania general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Pennsylvania special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Pennsylvania life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- Pennsylvania recording officesWhere to file in each county, with fees and contact details.
- Compare all 51 jurisdictionsWitness rules, transfer taxes, and recording fees side by side.
Deedly is not a law firm
We provide self-help software and state-specific statutory 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.