Washington County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Washington County, Minnesota - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.33%
- ≈ $1,320 on a $400,000 home
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $5,989
- median of 3,050 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Washington County compared with Minnesota counties
In the verified Minnesota county records we have, Washington County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #1 of 5 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $1,320, which is the same as the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #1 of 5
- within verified Minnesota county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $1,320
- state baseline $1,320
- HMDA fee sample
- 3,050
- purchase loans in 2023
Washington County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Washington County
MN has NO county transfer tax. Minnesota levies a STATE Deed Tax of 0.0033 (0.33%) of net consideration ($3.30 per $1,000), minimum $1.65 for transactions <= $3,000 — collected by the county but set/administered at the state level (MN Statute ch. 287, Dept. of Revenue). Only Hennepin & Ramsey counties add a 0.0001 county-level Environmental Response Fund (ERF) tax; Washington County does NOT, so the county transfer-tax rate is null. By Minnesota custom the SELLER (grantor) typically pays the state deed tax, though it is negotiable. Recording fees are paid by the party recording (usually the buyer for the deed). No municipal/city transfer tax exists in Minnesota. Mortgage Registry Tax (paid by buyer/borrower) is a separate state tax of 0.0023 (0.0024 in Hennepin/Ramsey) on mortgage debt.
Recording fees in Washington County
Deed recording fee: $46.00 (abstract or Torrens, flat — no per-page charge). Mortgage recording: $46.00. Well disclosure certificate: $54.00 (abstract) / $56.00 (Torrens), or $50.00 standalone. Plat: $56.00. Certified copy: $10.00; attested copy: $2.00. NOTE: deeds qualifying for deed tax also incur a $5.00 Agricultural Conservation/Preservation fee (Washington is a participating county). Source: Washington County Land Records & Recording (washingtoncountymn.gov) and MN Statute 357.18.
Official recorder: Washington County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Washington County
Across 3,050 home-purchase mortgages originated in Washington County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $5,989, of which about $3,268 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 27163, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Washington County closing costs
Pre-set to Minnesota. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Washington County?
Washington County (Minnesota): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.33%. MN has NO county transfer tax. Minnesota levies a STATE Deed Tax of 0.0033 (0.33%) of net consideration ($3.30 per $1,000), minimum $1.65 for transactions <= $3,000 — collected by the county but set/administered at the state level (MN Statute ch. 287, Dept. of Revenue). Only Hennepin & Ramsey counties add a 0.0001 county-level Environmental Response Fund (ERF) tax; Washington County does NOT, so the county transfer-tax rate is null. By Minnesota custom the SELLER (grantor) typically pays the state deed tax, though it is negotiable. Recording fees are paid by the party recording (usually the buyer for the deed). No municipal/city transfer tax exists in Minnesota. Mortgage Registry Tax (paid by buyer/borrower) is a separate state tax of 0.0023 (0.0024 in Hennepin/Ramsey) on mortgage debt.
What are recording fees in Washington County?
Deed recording fee: $46.00 (abstract or Torrens, flat — no per-page charge). Mortgage recording: $46.00. Well disclosure certificate: $54.00 (abstract) / $56.00 (Torrens), or $50.00 standalone. Plat: $56.00. Certified copy: $10.00; attested copy: $2.00. NOTE: deeds qualifying for deed tax also incur a $5.00 Agricultural Conservation/Preservation fee (Washington is a participating county). Source: Washington County Land Records & Recording (washingtoncountymn.gov) and MN Statute 357.18.
How much are closing costs in Washington County?
Closing costs in Washington County follow Minnesota'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 Washington County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 3,050 home-purchase mortgages in Washington County were about $5,989, of which roughly $3,268 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 Minnesota county comparisons
Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.