Transaction Coordinator in Kent County, DE.

What we handle on a Kent County file

Kent County publishes the newest and most detailed recording schedule of Delaware's three counties, along with a separate written standards document, and it charges real money for documents that do not conform. It is also the most generous county in the state for first time buyers, waiving its entire 1.5 percent local tax for a qualifying grantee. Many Kent properties run on on site septic, and state regulation requires the system to be pumped out and inspected before the sale is completed, which is a scheduling item rather than a recording item. 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 Delaware overview for statewide notes.

Realty transfer tax in Kent County: 4 percent in most of the county, split evenly between seller and buyer

Under 30 Del. C. § 5402(a) the state takes 2.5 percent where the full 1.5 percent local tax has been enacted, and the tax is apportioned equally between grantor and grantee, which the Division of Revenue's RTT-TAX instructions restate as 4 percent split evenly, or 2 percent each. Kent County Code § 191-24(A) likewise splits the county's 1.5 percent equally absent an agreement to the contrary. Kent County Code § 191-24(D) imposes no county tax at all on a transfer where all grantees qualify as first time home buyers, which is on top of the state's 0.5 percent reduction capped at $2,000 under § 5402(c). Hartly, Kenton and Woodside levy only 1 percent locally, so the state share in those towns remains 3 percent under the § 5402(a) fallback.

Recording a deed in Kent County

The Kent County Recorder of Deeds sits at 555 Bay Road, Dover, Delaware 19901, 302-744-2314. The current recording fee is $10 per page for a deed plus a $36 document fee, on schedule KCROD-12.0 effective October 28, 2025. The $36 document fee is made up of the $30 state fee, $1 county fee and $5 technology fee, the per page charge includes the first page, and deeds carry $5 per tax parcel. A satisfaction adds $10, a notation is $7, certified copies are $7 per page and postage is $5 plus prevailing rates. E-recording is available through Simplifile, CSC and ePN. The office is open 8 am to 5 pm but records only from 8 am to 3 pm, with an exterior drop box for after hours delivery.

Under 30 Del. C. § 5408 no deed can be recorded without proof that the realty transfer tax has been paid. Kent publishes its Standards for Recording as KCROD-15.0 dated 2/17/2026 and charges $40 for a non conforming document plus $20 for a rejection, so a formatting problem is a billable event rather than a courtesy fix. Transfer tax for Bowers, Dover, Harrington, Hartly and Magnolia is not collected at the Recorder's office and must be handled with the town directly.

What actually holds up a closing here

Who actually pays the four percent

Both. 30 Del. C. § 5402(a) sets the state rate at 2.5 percent where the full local 1.5 percent applies and directs that the tax be apportioned equally between grantor and grantee, and the Division of Revenue's RTT-TAX instructions describe the same 4 percent total split equally, 2 percent per side. Kent County Code § 191-24(A) applies the same equal split to the county's own 1.5 percent absent a contrary agreement. Section 5412 contains an older default putting the burden on the grantor absent agreement, but the operative Division of Revenue and county forms all use 50/50, so do not publish that the seller pays all of it. In Hartly, Kenton and Woodside the local levy is only 1 percent and the state share stays at 3 percent, so the total is still 4 percent but the split between the two governments differs.

The county waives its whole 1.5 percent for first time buyers

Kent County Code § 191-24(D) states that no tax is imposed on transfers where all grantees qualify as first time home buyers, so the entire county 1.5 percent falls away rather than being reduced. The state reduction under 30 Del. C. § 5402(c) is separate and smaller: 0.5 percent off the buyer's portion, calculated on the lesser of value or $400,000, so at most $2,000, and it does not relieve the seller. The two definitions do not match. The state test at § 5401(2) is never having held any direct legal interest in residential real estate anywhere, while Kent's § 191-22 test asks whether the buyer has held an interest in residential real estate that was occupied as a principal residence, so a prior investment property can disqualify under the state rule but not necessarily under the county rule. Kent also measures its 90 day occupancy requirement from recordation, while the state measures from the transaction. The Recorder's municipal table also lists Milford as exempt and Dover and Felton as exempt at one half, but the mechanics of that half exemption are not published, so verify with the town before quoting a figure.

Non conforming documents are billed, not fixed

Kent publishes its formatting rules separately as Standards for Recording KCROD-15.0, dated 2/17/2026, and its fee schedule charges $40 for a non conforming document and $20 for a rejection. Those are on top of the $36 document fee, $10 per page including the first and $5 per tax parcel on a deed. Recording is accepted only from 8 am to 3 pm even though the office is open until 5 pm, so an afternoon closing that misses the window records the next day. E-recording through Simplifile, CSC or ePN avoids the counter but not the standards.

Pricing

Transaction coordination in Delaware is billed per file, not as a monthly retainer. Contract to close is $450 per transaction, and the full rate card including dual agency, transaction licensee, FSBO, and listing management is published on our pricing page. No 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.

• 30 Del. C. Chapter 54, realty transfer tax
• Kent County Recorder of Deeds
• DNREC, septic systems at transfer
• Delaware seller disclosure statute, 6 Del. C. §§ 2570 to 2578
• DREC Seller's Disclosure of Real Property Condition Report, effective 7/1/2023
• Delaware State Bar Association, Real and Personal Property Section