Transaction Coordination · Pennsylvania

Transaction Coordinator in Centre County, PA.

Precision Leverage Solutions coordinates real estate transactions in Centre County for Keller Williams agents, from ratified contract through settlement. Realty transfer tax here is 2.0% in most municipalities, up to 3.0%, deeds record through the Centre County Recorder of Deeds, and we handle the county and municipal steps that decide whether your file closes on time. Billed per file, no retainer.

Centre CountyEvery Pennsylvania county covered

At a glanceCentre County, PA

Transfer tax2.0–3.0%varies: 2.0% in most municipalities, up to 3.0%

Recording fee$71.25for a deed of up to four pages and four names

PLS, per file$400contract to close, billed per file with no retainer

Figures from the sections below. Confirm with the issuing office before relying on one for a live file.

What we handle on a Centre County file

Centre County lists 35 municipalities in its municipal directory, and three of them break the usual 2 percent transfer tax: State College Borough is 3 percent, Ferguson Township is 2.87 percent, and Taylor Township is 1.5 percent. For an investor buying near Penn State the bigger issue is the rental permit: rental housing in State College, Bellefonte, and College, Ferguson, Harris, and Patton Townships runs through one regional office, Centre Region Code Administration, with a 15 day notice clock after settlement. The county side has its own gate: no deed records in Bellefonte without a Uniform Parcel Identifier stamped by the Assessment Office first. Once your deal is ratified, PLS builds and manages the file in KW Command, tracks every deadline and contingency, routes documents for signature, and coordinates with lender, title, attorneys, and the co-op agent. See the full transaction coordination service for the complete scope, and the Pennsylvania overview for statewide notes.

On every Centre County fileFrom ratified contract through settlement

KW Command fileBuilds and manages the file in KW Command.
Every deadlineTracks every deadline and contingency.
SignaturesRoutes documents for signature.
Every partyCoordinates with lender, title, attorneys, and the co-op agent.

Realty transfer tax in Centre County: 2.0% in most municipalities, up to 3.0%

The Commonwealth takes 1 percent everywhere. In 32 of the 35 municipalities the local side is 0.5 percent municipal plus 0.5 percent school district, for 2.0 percent. Three municipalities differ, and the Recorder of Deeds publishes all three on its Realty Transfer Tax Rates table, with the PA DCED 2026 local tax register showing the same local figures. State College Borough is 3.0 percent: 1 percent state, 1.5 percent borough under Borough Code section 17-402, and 0.5 percent State College Area School District. Ferguson Township is 2.87 percent: 1 percent state, 1.37 percent township, and 0.5 percent school district. The Recorder rate table shows the 1.37 percent township rate and the DCED register gives it an effective date of January 1, 2025. Two official pages have not caught up: the Recorder FAQ and the 2019 fee calculator linked from the fee bill page still say 2.75 percent, and section 24-202 of the online township code still reads 1.25 percent. Use 2.87 percent, and if a title company figure comes back at 2.75 percent, call the Recorder at 814-355-6801 before the settlement statement is final. Taylor Township is 1.5 percent: 1 percent state and 0.5 percent township, with no school district share. On a $400,000 sale the difference between a State College address and a College or Patton Township address is $4,000 of transfer tax, so take the municipality from the deed or the tax parcel, not from the mailing address. A REV-183 Statement of Value must accompany any deed claiming an exemption other than by family relationship and any deed with property in more than one municipality, and it must state the reason for the exemption or the division of the local tax in dollar amounts.

Total transfer taxState plus local, by where the property sits

Most municipalities2%
Highest rate in the county3%

Figures from this section. Confirm the municipality before quoting a rate.

Recording a deed in Centre County

The Centre County Recorder of Deeds sits at Willowbank Office Building, 414 Holmes Street, Suite 1, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6801. The current recording fee is $71.25 for a deed of up to four pages and four names, plus a $10.00 UPI stamp. That is the figure on the county Recorder of Deeds Fee Bill page. The page prints no effective date, but $71.25 is $1.00 above the $70.25 in the 2019 Fee Bill Calculator spreadsheet still linked from the same page, which matches the $1.00 increase on deeds and mortgages that took effect statewide on November 17, 2025 under Act 45 of 2025. Do not use the calculator: it still carries the old deed fee and the old 2.75 percent Ferguson Township rate. Confirm the total with the office at 814-355-6801 before cutting a check. Additional pages are $2.00 each and additional names are $0.50 each. Cash, check, and credit cards are accepted for recording fees, with a card fee of $3.99 or 2.95%, whichever is higher. Separate checks for state and local transfer tax are not required, and checks are payable to the Centre County Recorder of Deeds, but the UPI fee takes its own check payable to the County of Centre. The office is open weekdays 8:30 to 5:00 and accepts documents for recording as close to 5:00 as practical. E-recording is available through Simplifile and CSC. Originals usually come back in one to two days, and mailed submissions need a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope. The Recorder posts the current common level ratio factor, 6.10 as of July 1, 2026.

Recording officeWhere the deed goes

OfficeCentre County Recorder of Deeds
AddressWillowbank Office Building, 414 Holmes Street, Suite 1, Bellefonte, PA 16823
Phone814-355-6801
Deed recording fee$71.25 for a deed of up to four pages and four names, plus a $10.00 UPI stamp

Every deed must carry a Uniform Parcel Identifier assigned by the Centre County Assessment Office before it reaches the Recorder. County Ordinance No. 2 of 2002, effective July 1, 2002, states that the Recorder shall not accept deeds or other applicable instruments unless accompanied by a properly assigned UPI, makes it the obligation of the seller, grantor, or their agent to obtain it prior to the transfer, and sets the fee at $10.00 for each description. The ordinance gives Assessment one business day to assign the number, and each page of the legal description needs one and one-half inches of clear space for the stamp. Assessment is at 814-355-6721, in Suite 301 at 420 Holmes Street. The Recorder also requires a grantee address signed by a responsible party on all deeds, the municipality stated on the document, an acknowledgment date that does not predate the document date, and room on the first page for a recording stamp one inch tall by three inches wide that cannot cover any text.

Recording fees and transfer tax rates for every county we coordinate in are collected side by side on our recording fee and transfer tax reference.

What actually holds up a closing here

Rental permits in the Centre Region run on a 15 day notice after closing

Rental housing in State College and Bellefonte Boroughs and in College, Ferguson, Harris, and Patton Townships is permitted through Centre Region Code Administration, and its 2026 application packet makes it imperative to notify the municipality and the Code Administration of any change in ownership or property management within 15 calendar days of the property transfer. Permits are transferable on a change of ownership provided the permitted use has not changed, with one exception: the packet states that College Township zoning permits are not transferable and that College Township will process a change of ownership as a new rental, with a separate application for each unit and a township fee of $35 per long-term unit or $165 per short-term unit. The packet also sets a $75.00 Code Administration application fee for all new rental housing permit applications effective January 1, 2026, and it does not say whether that fee attaches to a College Township change of ownership, so ask the rental housing office before the buyer budgets for it. The application goes to the municipal zoning office first, never straight to the Code Administration. Municipal application fees on a change of ownership are $25 per tax parcel in State College, $50 per tax parcel in Bellefonte, $25 per tax parcel in Harris, and $30 per unit in Patton, and Ferguson charges none for a long-term rental. Where the prior owner already paid the annual permit fee, the Code Administration mails a copy of the permit to the property manager named on the application; where it was not, an invoice goes to that contact. A permit is required whenever the stay is one consecutive day or more, an owner living more than 25 air miles away must name a person in charge within 25 air miles who is at least 25 years old, and every rental is inspected at least once every 36 months. Annual permit fees effective January 1, 2026 for a house, apartment, townhouse, or duplex are $77 in State College, $57 in Bellefonte and College, $55 in Ferguson and Patton, and $52 in Harris. The rental housing office is at 814-234-3812.

State College is 3 percent, Ferguson 2.87 percent, and Taylor 1.5 percent

The transfer tax on a State College Borough deed totals 3 percent of the consideration: 1 percent to the Commonwealth, 1.5 percent to the Borough under Code section 17-402, and 0.5 percent to the State College Area School District. The Recorder of Deeds rate table lists Ferguson Township at 2.87 percent, built from a 1.37 percent township rate, and Taylor Township at 1.5 percent because no school district share is collected there. Every other municipality on the table is 2 percent. The trap is the address. A State College mailing address does not establish that a property is inside the Borough, so the municipality has to come from the deed or the tax parcel, not from the listing. The Ferguson rate is the one that gets drafted wrong, because the Recorder FAQ and the fee calculator linked from the fee bill page still show the older 2.75 percent total and the online township code still shows the older 1.25 percent township rate, while the Recorder rate table and the state register, which dates the 1.37 percent rate to January 1, 2025, show the current figure. The Recorder is at 814-355-6801.

State College Student Home Licenses transfer, but only by application

A Student Home in State College Borough is a one-family dwelling, a one-family dwelling with an accessory apartment, or a two-family dwelling occupied by more than one unrelated student, and it needs a Student Home License under Borough Ordinance 2029, adopted in November 2013. An existing license is eligible to be transferred on a change of ownership, but the new owner must submit a transfer application and a $25 fee before the Borough issues a license in the new name. The license must be renewed every year to maintain both the license and the use, with a $25 renewal fee and a 2026 deadline of October 15, 2026, and the Borough treats annual renewal as the owner's statement of intent not to abandon the use. That matters because a new Student Home costs $1,000 for the initial license plus a $50 change of use zoning permit, and in the R-1, R-2, and R-3 districts it must also meet spacing requirements from existing Student Homes. On any one or two family purchase marketed as a student rental, confirm the license on the Borough Student Homes Dashboard during the contingency period and put the transfer application in the closing package. Questions go to studenthomes@statecollegepa.us.

A seller rent-back in State College is exempt from the rental permit for 180 days

State College Borough requires a rental housing permit for any dwelling rented for one consecutive day or more, which on its face would catch a seller who stays on after settlement. Borough Code section 4-504, which sets out the Borough amendments to the Centre Region Rental Housing and Building Safety Code, 2023 Edition, carves out that case in its amendment to Section 802.1 of the regional code. The exception reads: when as part of a property sales agreement, the owner of an owner-occupied single-family residential property negotiates a post-settlement agreement to stay in the property after the transfer of ownership to the purchaser, for a maximum of 180 days, the property is not required to have a rental housing permit. Each condition matters. The property has to be owner-occupied and single-family, the occupancy has to be negotiated as part of the sales agreement, and the stay cannot exceed 180 days. Keep the post-settlement occupancy addendum inside that window and tied to the agreement of sale, because an arrangement outside those terms is not covered by the exception. This text is the State College amendment; do not assume the same exception in the townships or in Bellefonte without checking that municipality's code.

UAJA sewer charges are a lien on the property and are billed in arrears

The University Area Joint Authority bills sewer rental quarterly at $121.00 per equivalent dwelling unit under its rate resolution revised December 11, 2025, and it bills in arrears, after the quarter ends. Authority rules require bills to go to the owner of record and not to a tenant, and the property owner is always ultimately responsible for payment. Section 5.1 of the rate resolution makes wastewater rates and other charges a lien on the improved property, and delinquent charges are filed as a lien and collected as municipal claims. A late bill picks up an additional 10 percent, and at a delinquency of $150.00 or more the Authority starts a certified letter and water shut-off posting process. Because the quarter in which settlement falls has not been billed yet, get a final figure from the Authority for the settlement statement rather than relying on the last paid bill. The Authority is at 814-238-5361.

Ferguson Township septic tanks outside the growth boundary are on a three year cycle

Ferguson Township Code section 18-508, from Ordinance 881 of January 15, 2007, requires any person owning a building served by an on-lot sewage disposal system within a sewage management district to have the septic tank pumped by a qualified pumper or hauler every three years. The Township states that all parcels located outside the adopted Regional Growth Boundary are part of a sewage management district. The pumper files a report and receipt with the Centre Region Code office within 30 days of the pumping, and section 18-514 sets fines of not less than $100 and not more than $300 plus costs. The cycle is not tied to a sale, so ask a rural Ferguson seller for the last pumper report at listing. Ferguson also charges $5 per tax certification, so a township and school district certification together cost $10, paid in advance; the Township tax office is at 814-238-4651.

Pricing

Transaction coordination in Pennsylvania is billed per file, not as a monthly retainer. Contract to close is $400 per transaction, and the full rate card including dual agency, transaction licensee, unrepresented party (FSBO or URB), and listing management is published on our pricing page. No fixed overhead, no minimum volume.

Contract to close$400per transaction, billed per file

Listing management$150per listing, from the published rate card

Retainer$0no fixed overhead, no minimum volume

Where these figures come from

The county-level figures on this page come from the official sources listed below. Municipal fees and deadlines come from each municipality's own published schedules and ordinances, which are revised more often than they are archived. We publish what we could verify and leave out what we could not. Fees and ordinances change; if you are relying on a figure here for a live file, confirm it with the issuing office, and tell us if you find a discrepancy so we can correct the page.

Keep exploring

More from PLS.

FAQ

Centre County questions.

Do you provide transaction coordination in Centre County, PA?

Yes. Precision Leverage Solutions works exclusively with Keller Williams agents and coordinates transactions throughout Centre County and the rest of Pennsylvania, from the ratified contract through settlement. We also serve KW agents in New Jersey and Delaware. Pricing is per file with no retainer.

What is the realty transfer tax in Centre County?

How much does it cost to record a deed in Centre County?

$71.25 for a deed of up to four pages and four names, plus a $10.00 UPI stamp, through the Centre County Recorder of Deeds. That is the figure on the county Recorder of Deeds Fee Bill page. The page prints no effective date, but $71.25 is $1.00 above the $70.25 in the 2019 Fee Bill Calculator spreadsheet still linked from the same page, which matches the $1.00 increase on deeds and mortgages that took effect statewide on November 17, 2025 under Act 45 of 2025. Do not use the calculator: it still carries the old deed fee and the old 2.75 percent Ferguson Township rate. Confirm the total with the office at 814-355-6801 before cutting a check. Additional pages are $2.00 each and additional names are $0.50 each. Cash, check, and credit cards are accepted for recording fees, with a card fee of $3.99 or 2.95%, whichever is higher. Separate checks for state and local transfer tax are not required, and checks are payable to the Centre County Recorder of Deeds, but the UPI fee takes its own check payable to the County of Centre. The office is open weekdays 8:30 to 5:00 and accepts documents for recording as close to 5:00 as practical. E-recording is available through Simplifile and CSC. Originals usually come back in one to two days, and mailed submissions need a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope. The Recorder posts the current common level ratio factor, 6.10 as of July 1, 2026.

How much does a transaction coordinator cost in Centre County?

Contract-to-close coordination is $400 per transaction in Pennsylvania. Dual agency, transaction licensee service, unrepresented party coordination (FSBO or URB), multi-unit transactions, and listing management are each priced separately and published in full on our pricing page. There are no monthly fees, retainers, or minimum volume requirements.

What does a buyer of a rental property in State College have to file after settlement?

Ready when you are

Hand off your
next Centre contract.

Already under contract? Reach out and we will take it from here, no forms required.

Book your discovery call