Transaction Coordinator in Philadelphia County, PA.

What we handle on a Philadelphia County file

Philadelphia is a city and a county at the same time, so one recorder, one transfer tax authority, and one code department govern the entire file. The transfer tax is the highest of any municipality in the five-county Philadelphia region, and the city publishes contradictory rates on its own website. There is no resale occupancy inspection here, but there is a certification the seller must buy that takes five business days, and that sets the floor on how fast a Philadelphia file can move. Once your deal is ratified, PLS builds and manages the file in your brokerage's transaction platform, 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.

• Brokerage fileBuilds and manages the file in your brokerage's platform.
• 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 Philadelphia County: 4.578%

Philadelphia charges 3.578 percent and the Commonwealth charges 1 percent, applied to the actual consideration. The tax is due when the deed is presented for recording. Section 19-1403 of the Philadelphia Code makes it payable at the earlier of presentation for recording or 30 days from acceptance of the document, and the City's own page describes the 30 days two different ways, so the safe practice is payment in full at closing. Custom splits the tax evenly between buyer and seller, but that is custom and not law: the City may collect the entire amount from either party. The tax also reaches long-term leases of 30 years or more, easements, life estates, and entity transfers, and penalties run as high as 50 percent of the tax due. Property that is willed is exempt; property purchased from an estate is not.

• City of Philadelphia3.578%
• Commonwealth1%

Recording a deed in Philadelphia County

The Philadelphia Department of Records sits at City Hall, Room 111, 1400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 215-686-2290. The current recording fee is $278.75 for a deed, per the Department of Records fee schedule. Other common lines are a deed for a deceased spouse or partner at $43.75, a miscellaneous deed at $263.75, a mortgage at $248.75, a release or satisfaction at $231.75, and an environmental search at $80. E-recording is open to businesses only, through Simplifile, CSC eRecording, and ePN, and the Department publishes no turnaround commitment. Recording in person hands the original back at the counter, but three or more documents must be dropped off for later pickup. Counter hours are 8:00 to 3:30.

• OfficePhiladelphia Department of Records
• AddressCity Hall, Room 111, 1400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
• Phone215-686-2290
• Deed recording fee$278.75 for a deed, per the Department of Records fee schedule

Philadelphia has no elected Recorder of Deeds: the Department of Records performs recording, and recording in person requires an appointment. Fees and taxes must be on separate checks, with the state tax payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the city tax plus recording fees payable to City of Philadelphia. No personal checks are accepted and cards carry a 3.5 percent convenience fee. Formatting is enforced: white 8.5 by 11 paper, 10 point black type, single sided, a 3 inch top margin on page one and 1 inch elsewhere, metes and bounds plus street address, a certified grantee address, and the city transfer tax certificate in duplicate.

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.

Municipality-level notes: Philadelphia city guide. These cover the city, borough and township steps that sit under the county requirements above.

What actually holds up a closing here

Pricing

Transaction coordination in Pennsylvania 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, 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.