Transaction Coordinator in Passaic County, NJ.

What we handle on a Passaic County file

Passaic County has 16 municipalities and runs from the cities of Paterson, Passaic, and Clifton along the Passaic River to West Milford, home of Bearfort Mountain, the county's highest point at 1,484 feet. That spread shows up on a transaction timeline. Clifton requires a dwelling inspection before title transfers and prices it on a notice ladder that reaches $300 per unit, the City of Passaic makes it a violation for an owner or the owner's agent to sell without an occupancy certificate, and Wayne will not start its 15 business day clock until every open permit is closed. West Milford requires no resale certificate of occupancy at all, but the county sits on the Private Well Testing Act uranium list. Every deed records at the Registry Division in Paterson, which takes realty transfer fees only in trust account funds, certified funds, or cash. 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 New Jersey overview for statewide notes.

• 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.

Transfer tax in Passaic County

New Jersey's Realty Transfer Fee is imposed on the seller and runs on two mutually exclusive schedules, which must never be blended. At total consideration of $350,000 or less it is $2.00 per $500 up to $150,000, $3.35 per $500 from $150,000 to $200,000, and $3.90 per $500 from $200,000 to $350,000. Above $350,000 a different schedule applies to the whole amount: $2.90 per $500 up to $150,000, $4.25 per $500 to $200,000, $4.80 per $500 to $550,000, $5.30 per $500 to $850,000, $5.80 per $500 to $1,000,000, and $6.05 per $500 above that. Reduced schedules exist for senior, blind, disabled, and low and moderate income sellers, and a notarized Form RTF-1 must be annexed to the deed to claim one. Consideration over $1,000,000 also triggers the Graduated Percent Fee that replaced the old 1 percent mansion tax on July 10, 2025 under P.L. 2025 c. 69: 1 percent above $1,000,000, 2 percent above $2,000,000, 2.5 percent above $2,500,000, 3 percent above $3,000,000, and 3.5 percent above $3,500,000, charged as a straight percentage of the entire consideration rather than as brackets. Liability for it shifted from the buyer to the seller, and the Division of Taxation is explicit that the operative date is when the deed is submitted for recording, not the closing date. Form RTF-1EE must be annexed to every deed over $1,000,000 and to every commercial transfer. There is no separate Passaic County transfer tax. The Passaic County Registry accepts the fee only by attorney trust account check, title agency trust account check, certified check, or cash.

Recording a deed in Passaic County

The Passaic County Clerk, Registry Division sits at 401 Grand Street, Room 113, Paterson, New Jersey 07505, 973-881-4777. The current recording fee is $45 for the first page of a deed, plus $10 for each additional page. Easements and assignments of rents and leases are also $45 for the first page plus $10 per page. Mortgages and powers of attorney are $35 for the first page plus $10 per page. A discharge of mortgage is $45 first page plus $10 per page, with $10 more for a second book and page, and an assignment of mortgage is $40 first page plus $10 per page on the same terms. A mortgage cancellation is $25, a notice of settlement is $20 for two parties and $40 for three, and certified copies are $10 for the first page plus $2 per page. The Registry is open weekdays 8:30 to 4:15. The Clerk's office states that appointments are not required, but customers with appointments are prioritized over walk ins. Checks are payable to Passaic County Clerk, must have the name and address printed on them, are refused if dated more than 90 days earlier, and must be certified or a money order at $10,000 or more. The Realty Transfer Fee may be paid only by attorney trust account check, title agency trust account check, certified check, or cash.

The GIT/REP form is absolute: Form GIT/REP-3 states that if it is not completed in its entirety, or the settlement agent does not submit the original with the deed, the county will not record the deed. Form RTF-1 must accompany any deed claiming a full or partial Realty Transfer Fee exemption, and Form RTF-1EE must be annexed to every deed over $1,000,000 and every commercial transfer. The Registry requires the official county cover sheet on every document or charges an additional $20 per document without one. Its recording procedures add county level conditions: every instrument must be in English, legible, and properly acknowledged, every signature must be original with the name printed underneath, every deed must carry the words Prepared by followed by the name of the drafter, the tax block, lot, and consideration must be shown, and a record and return address is required. The Registry lists the Affidavit of Consideration (buyer and seller versions), the nonresident seller tax declaration, the seller residency certification or exemption, and the waiver of seller's filing requirement among its most common errors. It does not record surveys and does not perform title searches.

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

Pricing

Transaction coordination in New Jersey is billed per file, not as a monthly retainer. Contract to close is $450 per transaction, and the full rate card including dual agency, unrepresented party (FSBO or URB), 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.