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Fayette County closing costs

The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Fayette County, Kentucky - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.

Fayette County county closing-cost photography
Source-verified · 2026-Q2FIPS 21067 Official source ↗
Effective transfer tax
0.1%
≈ $400 on a $400,000 home
Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
$4,260
median of 2,473 purchase loans · HMDA 2023

Fayette County compared with Kentucky counties

In the verified Kentucky county records we have, Fayette County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #1 of 2 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $400, which is the same as the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.

County rank
#1 of 2
within verified Kentucky county pages
Tax at $400,000
$400
state baseline $400
HMDA fee sample
2,473
purchase loans in 2023

Fayette County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.

Transfer tax in Fayette County

Kentucky levies a STATE real estate transfer tax of $0.50 per $500 of consideration (0.001 of price), imposed on the grantor (seller) under KRS 142.050 and collected by the county clerk at recording — it is a state tax, not a county levy, so the county adds nothing of its own. Kentucky counties (including Fayette, the consolidated Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government) are not statutorily authorized to impose their own additional real estate transfer tax, and Lexington has no separate city transfer tax. Recording fees are set uniformly by state statute (KRS 64.012).

Recording fees in Fayette County

Deed: $50.00 (up to 5 pages), +$3.00 per additional page over 5; +$4.00 per additional reference/notation. Mortgage: $80.00 (up to 30 pages), +$3.00 per additional page. Deed of correction / stamp-fee-exempt deed: $46.00. Power of attorney: $50.00. Deed of contract: $50.00. Fees set by KRS 64.012 (effective 1/1/2020), uniform statewide. Source: Fayette County Clerk fee schedule.

Official recorder: Fayette County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.

What lenders actually charge in Fayette County

Across 2,473 home-purchase mortgages originated in Fayette County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $4,260, of which about $1,735 was the lender’s own origination charges. That is reported loan-level data from every lender under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act — not a national average — so it reflects what buyers in this county actually paid. Lender fees vary widely, so comparing a few rate quotes is the single biggest lever on your closing total.

Source: FFIEC HMDA Data Browser ↗ (2023 purchase originations, FIPS 21067, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.

Estimate your Fayette County closing costs

Pre-set to Kentucky. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.

$
%

Estimated closing costs

$7,592

≈ 1.9% of the home price · excludes your down payment

Cash to close

$87,592

incl. down payment

0 of 3 line items settled

Based on dataset June 2026. View rule changes

Get notified when this dataset is revised

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Line-by-line breakdown

Transfer tax (buyer share) verified source $0
Deed & mortgage recording fees verified source $50
Owner's title insurance estimate $1,200
Lender's title insurance estimate $672
Lender fees (origination, underwriting, processing) $2,300
Appraisal $550
Credit report & flood cert $70
Home inspection $450
Homeowners insurance (first year) $1,800
Property-tax escrow (~2 months) estimate $500

Frequently asked questions

What is the transfer tax in Fayette County?

Fayette County (Kentucky): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.1%. Kentucky levies a STATE real estate transfer tax of $0.50 per $500 of consideration (0.001 of price), imposed on the grantor (seller) under KRS 142.050 and collected by the county clerk at recording — it is a state tax, not a county levy, so the county adds nothing of its own. Kentucky counties (including Fayette, the consolidated Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government) are not statutorily authorized to impose their own additional real estate transfer tax, and Lexington has no separate city transfer tax. Recording fees are set uniformly by state statute (KRS 64.012).

What are recording fees in Fayette County?

Deed: $50.00 (up to 5 pages), +$3.00 per additional page over 5; +$4.00 per additional reference/notation. Mortgage: $80.00 (up to 30 pages), +$3.00 per additional page. Deed of correction / stamp-fee-exempt deed: $46.00. Power of attorney: $50.00. Deed of contract: $50.00. Fees set by KRS 64.012 (effective 1/1/2020), uniform statewide. Source: Fayette County Clerk fee schedule.

How much are closing costs in Fayette County?

Closing costs in Fayette County follow Kentucky's structure plus this county's specific transfer-tax and recording fees. Use the calculator below for an estimate; for the exact recording schedule, the county recorder is the authoritative source.

What do lenders charge in fees in Fayette County?

In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 2,473 home-purchase mortgages in Fayette County were about $4,260, of which roughly $1,735 was the lender's own origination charges. This is reported loan-level data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; actual fees vary by lender, so comparing quotes matters.

Closest Kentucky county comparisons

Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.

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