Transaction Coordination · Pennsylvania

Transaction Coordinator in Columbia County, PA.

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

Columbia CountyEvery Pennsylvania county covered

At a glanceColumbia County, PA

Transfer tax2.0%realty transfer tax

Recording fee$87.75for a deed

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 Columbia County file

Columbia County has 33 municipalities on the county Assessment Office list: the Town of Bloomsburg, eight boroughs, and 24 townships. Recording in Bloomsburg is simple once you know the Recorder wants the realty transfer tax on two separate checks. The real work is on investor files, because the Town of Bloomsburg licenses student rentals and non-student rentals under two different parts of its housing code, and Berwick, Montour Township, and Scott Township each run their own rental or short-term rental licence. Montour Township here is a Columbia County township next to Bloomsburg, not Montour County. 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County: 2.0%

Realty transfer tax in Columbia County is 1% to the Commonwealth, 0.5% to the municipality, and 0.5% to the school district. The 2026 PA DCED tax register shows 0.5% municipal and 0.5% school district in 32 of the 33 municipalities. It prints Catawissa Township at 1% and 1%, but that township appears on two rows because it is split between the Bloomsburg Area and Southern Columbia Area school districts, its earned income tax figures are doubled on those rows in the same way, and the Recorder of Deeds collects the same amount everywhere: its written policy requires two separate checks, each for 1% of the consideration or fair market value. Use 2.0% in Catawissa Township as well and confirm with the Recorder at 570-389-5632 if a Catawissa Township file is large. A completed REV-183 Statement of Value is required whenever the full tax is not being paid or an exemption is claimed, and the reason for the exemption must be stated on it.

Where the 2% goesRealty transfer tax split, as described here

1%Commonwealth

0.5%Municipality

0.5%School district

Commonwealth1%
Municipality0.5%
School district0.5%

Recording a deed in Columbia County

The Columbia County Register and Recorder sits at 35 West Main Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815, 570-389-5632. The current recording fee is $87.75 for a deed, effective November 17, 2025. This is the current schedule, revised November 17, 2025 for the Act 45 state surcharge increase. A mortgage is also $87.75, and an assignment, release, or satisfaction of mortgage is $59.75. On deeds and mortgages each name over four is $1.00, each tract after the first is $1.00, and each page over four is $4.00. Exceptions and reservations do not count as tracts. Documents mailed back for correction carry a $2.00 service charge. The maximum page size is 8.5 by 14 inches, and the office attaches its own cover sheet, so there are no margin requirements. Mailed recordings need a stamped, self-addressed envelope. County courthouse offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Records are searchable remotely through Landex.

Recording officeWhere the deed goes

OfficeColumbia County Register and Recorder
Address35 West Main Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815
Phone570-389-5632
Deed recording fee$87.75 for a deed, effective November 17, 2025

Paperwork named hereWhat this office looks for

Cover sheet
Statement of Value
UPI certification

When each one applies is explained in the requirements below.

Realty transfer tax must arrive as two separate checks, each for 1%, or the deed needs a fully completed Statement of Value. Every deed must carry a Certificate of Residence or precise address of the grantee with an original ink signature. The consideration must be stated in full, with the written amount matching the numerals, or it must be on the Statement of Value. A deed covering more than one municipality must state the percentage of transfer tax due to each. The acknowledgement date cannot be earlier than the document date. The Recorder's published list, which it describes as a partial list, does not mention a UPI or parcel certification step by the Assessment Office.

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

Town of Bloomsburg rental licences on an investor purchase

The Town of Bloomsburg licenses rentals under two parts of Chapter 11 of its code, and a sale is handled differently under each. A non-student apartment house or rental home is licensed under Part 2, and section 11-206 (Ord. 949, adopted February 25, 2013) makes that licence transferable on application to the Code Enforcement Officer and payment of the transfer fee by the prospective owner. The licence terminates if the transfer application is not made within 30 days after the transfer of ownership. The Town fee resolution sets the licence transfer and new owner registration fee at $50.00, and a new regular licence at $150.00 plus $40.00 per dwelling unit per structure. A student rental is a regulated rental unit under Part 1, licensed per unit on an annual term running September 15 through September 14 under section 11-104, at $40.00 per occupant. Section 11-107 requires each owner of a regulated rental unit to notify the Code Enforcement Officer in writing of any change in ownership. Put the licence type, the licence number, and the 30 day transfer deadline in the file at contract on any Bloomsburg rental.

Student housing in Bloomsburg is a zoning use, and the licence states the occupant count

Student housing is permitted only in the zoning districts that the Town of Bloomsburg Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 27, specifies. The Town defines student housing as a building with a dwelling unit occupied by two or more students who are not related to each other, and the number of students allowed in a unit is determined only after a review of site plans and floor plans. A new student rental needs a zoning permit first and then an occupancy licence before any rental agreement is signed. Under section 11-104 each licence indicates the maximum number of occupants, and no licence is issued unless the unit complies with all applicable codes. An owner who does not live within the local calling area of the Town must designate a manager who does, under section 11-102. Applications are handled by the Code Enforcement and Zoning Office on the second floor of Town Hall, 301 East Second Street. A buyer underwriting a purchase on student rents should see the current licence and its occupant limit before the due diligence period ends.

Montour Township landlord registration has a 72 hour notice for the buyer

Montour Township, the Columbia County township beside Bloomsburg, has a Landlord Registration Ordinance at Chapter 11 of its code that puts duties on both sides of a sale. Section 11-104(6)(C) makes the grantee, including the grantee's attorney or title company, responsible for notifying the Township within 72 hours of any purchase or transfer of a rental unit. Where the rental units have been found to be in noncompliance, section 11-104(13)(G) requires the seller to tell the purchasers in writing before the sale and to notify the Code Enforcement Officer in writing within 30 days prior to closing, and under section 11-104(13)(F) the parcel stays in noncompliance after it is sold until the original two year period, or 12 months under the new owner, passes with no violations. Every residential rental unit needs a licence under section 11-106, with an annual term of January 1 through December 31. The code sets the initial fee at $30 for each rental unit or apartment, payable by January 10 of each year, and lets the Board of Supervisors change it by resolution. The Code Enforcement Officer inspects units on a bi-yearly basis, and each reinspection costs $25. An owner who does not live within 15 miles of the Township boundaries must designate a manager. Calendar the 72 hour notice for the day of settlement and ask the seller in writing whether the property has been found in noncompliance.

Berwick requires an occupancy licence for every rental unit

Berwick Borough states on its Landlord License Registration Application that an occupancy licence is required for each residential rental unit within the Borough. The application linked on the Borough Codes and Zoning page asks for $40 per unit, payable to Berwick Borough and returned to Code Enforcement at City Hall, 1800 North Market Street. The Codes fee schedule on the same page, effective January 16, 2023, still prints the residential rental licence fee at $30.00 per unit, so confirm the amount before a check is written. Floor plans with room dimensions must be submitted with an initial registration, so a buyer taking over a rental should plan on producing them. The Borough also uses a Tenant Registration form that requires two forms of identification from tenants. The Code of the Borough of Berwick is not available online, and the Borough states that specific ordinances are available by request, so ask Code Enforcement at 570-752-2723 for the ordinance text and the status of any unit the Borough has deemed in non-compliance.

A Scott Township short-term rental licence does not pass to the buyer

Scott Township adopted Chapter 113, Short-Term Rentals, on March 20, 2024 by Ordinance No. 3-20-24A. Section 113-6 requires a short-term rental licence before a dwelling unit is rented out, and section 113-6I states that the licence is personal to the owner identified in the application and does not run with the property. If ownership changes by sale or deed transfer, the new owner must apply for a licence before renting the property as a short-term rental. The Township fee schedule, Resolution 4-16-25, sets the licence at $350.00 and says it is good for two calendar years, a renewal at $200.00, a transfer fee at $100.00, and additional inspections at $75.00, with a $75.00 penalty fee for renting before the licence is issued. The code itself is not consistent on the term: sections 113-6C and 113-8B say the licence must be renewed annually, while section 113-6F says every two years, and the fee schedule lists a transfer fee although the code says the licence does not transfer, so ask the Township which applies to the buyer. A licence is issued only for stays of five consecutive days or more, and section 113-10 limits overnight occupancy to an average of two persons per bedroom plus four additional persons per residence. The Township office is at 350 Tenny Street, Bloomsburg, 570-784-9114.

Tax certifications come from three different desks

Delinquent real estate taxes are certified by the Columbia County Tax Claim Bureau at 11 West Main Street, Bloomsburg, on its Request for Lien Certificate form. The fee is $15.00 per parcel, effective April 1, 2024. The request must state the date the taxes will be paid so the payoff can be figured, and must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope, because the Bureau does not fax the certificate back. The Bureau number on the form is 570-389-5648. Current year taxes are certified by each local tax collector. The Town of Bloomsburg fee resolution sets the tax collector fee for tax certifications and duplicate bills at $20.00 per bill, and Catawissa Borough Ordinance 01-2022 authorizes its tax collector to charge $15.00. Order the county certificate by mail early, since it comes back by post.

Catawissa Borough puts the sewer lateral on the owner

Catawissa Borough Ordinance 04-2017, adopted August 7, 2017, makes the owner of the property served responsible for installing, replacing, repairing, and maintaining the sewer lateral between the structure and the street curb line, and also between the curb line and the sewer main. On the stretch between the curb line and the main, the owner is relieved only where the replacement or repair results from a defective installation made by the Borough, damage from use of the street, or other activity of the Borough. The Borough is not responsible for damage or blockage caused by tree roots. That makes a sewer camera inspection a reasonable buyer request on an older Catawissa house. On rentals, Ordinance 02-2022, adopted September 12, 2022, terminated the Borough ordinances that had set up residential rental registration, licensing, and occupancy, although the Borough permits page still offers scheduling for residential rental property inspections. Confirm the current rental requirement with the Borough office at 570-356-2561.

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.

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FAQ

Columbia County questions.

Do you provide transaction coordination in Columbia County, PA?

Yes. Precision Leverage Solutions works exclusively with Keller Williams agents and coordinates transactions throughout Columbia 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 Columbia County?

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

$87.75 for a deed, effective November 17, 2025, through the Columbia County Register and Recorder. This is the current schedule, revised November 17, 2025 for the Act 45 state surcharge increase. A mortgage is also $87.75, and an assignment, release, or satisfaction of mortgage is $59.75. On deeds and mortgages each name over four is $1.00, each tract after the first is $1.00, and each page over four is $4.00. Exceptions and reservations do not count as tracts. Documents mailed back for correction carry a $2.00 service charge. The maximum page size is 8.5 by 14 inches, and the office attaches its own cover sheet, so there are no margin requirements. Mailed recordings need a stamped, self-addressed envelope. County courthouse offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Records are searchable remotely through Landex.

How much does a transaction coordinator cost in Columbia 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 happens to a Bloomsburg rental licence when the property is sold?

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