Transaction Coordinator in Lancaster County, PA.

What we handle on a Lancaster County file

Lancaster County records over 90 percent of its documents electronically, so the recording step itself is usually fast. The friction sits upstream, in the municipalities. Manheim Township wants a Certificate of Use and Occupancy before a sale, and on a septic or well property that certificate turns into a multi-week item, so the file has to be worked from the municipal side 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.

Realty transfer tax in Lancaster County: 2.0%

The Commonwealth takes 1 percent and the local side takes 1 percent, shared between the municipality and the school district. Manheim Township states the 2 percent total on its own FAQ, and the City of Lancaster publishes a 1 percent local rate with half going to the school district. The Recorder of Deeds does not publish a countywide municipal rate breakdown. For any municipality other than Manheim Township and the City of Lancaster, confirm the rate with the Recorder at 717-299-8238 before you draft the settlement statement.

Recording a deed in Lancaster County

The Lancaster County Office of Recorder of Deeds sits at 150 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA, 717-299-8238. The current recording fee is $71.25 for a deed of up to four pages. Each additional page is $2.00 and a certification is $10.00. E-recording runs through Simplifile, CSC, and EPN, and the county has accepted electronic submissions since 2002. Personal checks are not accepted over $75 and are never accepted for transfer tax. The office is open 8:30 to 5:00, but all recordings conclude at 4:30.

Lancaster publishes no single pre-recording certification step comparable to the UPI requirement in Cumberland, Lebanon, or York. What does gate a Lancaster file is the municipal side: on a Manheim Township property the Certificate of Use and Occupancy has to be in hand before the sale, and on septic or well properties that certificate depends on test results nobody controls.

What actually holds up a closing here

Manheim Township Certificate of Use and Occupancy

Administrative Order 2017-2, effective June 19, 2017 and revised August 7, 2019, states that all residential and commercial structures, both new and existing, require Certificates of Use and Occupancy, and the Township directs sellers to obtain the certificate prior to the sale of the property. The residential checklist has seven items: street numbers at least 2 and three quarter inches, no double-cylinder keyed deadbolt on the main egress door, smoke alarms on every level including the basement, carbon monoxide alarms, openable bedroom windows or basement egress, no unsafe conditions, and a passing PSMA report on any on-lot septic plus a passing potability test on any private well. The fee for an existing one or two family dwelling or townhouse is $50 per unit, with a $50 re-inspection. Code Compliance is at 717-569-6406.

A failed septic or well test is a substantial violation in Manheim Township

The Township classifies a failing or missing PSMA septic report and a failing well potability test as substantial violations, which blocks the occupancy permit outright. Manheim Township implements the full Act 133 three-tier structure, so a substantial violation yields a temporary access certificate under which the buyer may not occupy, and that certificate runs 12 months for the cure. On any Manheim Township property with septic or a private well, order the PSMA at contract rather than at the two-week mark. This is the single most common cause of a delayed closing in that municipality.

East Hempfield septic pumping records have to be on file with the township

Since January 1, 2010, every on-lot system in East Hempfield Township must be pumped and inspected every three years by a township-approved pumper, and a copy of the inspection form must be filed with the Township, not just kept by the owner. The Township publishes a registered pumper-hauler list, and only listed haulers count. Ask the seller for the last filed inspection form early, because a missing filing means scheduling a pump-out and getting the paperwork in before anyone is comfortable at the table.

Clean and Green carries a 30-day advance notice the seller usually misses

Lancaster County states that an owner enrolled in Clean and Green is legally obligated to report any change to the property 30 days in advance of the proposed change. That is a hard seller-side deadline that lands well before settlement and is routinely missed. On transfer, the buyer must sign an Acknowledgement of Continuation of Preferential Assessment to keep the reduced assessment, which averages roughly a 50 percent reduction. The rollback appeal window is 40 days. The Clean and Green office is at 717-299-8398.

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, 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.

• Manheim Township transfer tax FAQ
• City of Lancaster tax rates
• Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds fee schedule
• Manheim Township Certificate of Use and Occupancy
• Lancaster County Clean and Green Program
• PA Department of Revenue, Realty Transfer Tax