Franklin County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Franklin County, Ohio - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.2%
- ≈ $800 on a $400,000 home
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $5,394
- median of 12,127 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Franklin County compared with Ohio counties
In the verified Ohio county records we have, Franklin County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #7 of 9 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $800, which is $400 above the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #7 of 9
- within verified Ohio county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $800
- state baseline $400
- HMDA fee sample
- 12,127
- purchase loans in 2023
Franklin County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Franklin County
Ohio's real property conveyance fee totals $3.00 per $1,000 of sale price in Franklin County = $1.00/$1,000 mandatory state portion (0.001) PLUS a $2.00/$1,000 county permissive fee set by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners (0.002, last updated Aug 2019); combined effective rate 0.003. Customarily paid by the seller (grantor). Homestead-recipient grantors get the permissive portion halved to $1/$1,000 (total $2/$1,000). No major city (including Columbus) levies a separate municipal real estate transfer/documentary tax. The county_transfer_tax_rate reported here (0.002) is the county permissive portion ON TOP of the 0.001 state rate.
Recording fees in Franklin County
Deed/mortgage recording: $34.00 for the first two pages, $8.00 for each additional page. Non-conforming document (does not meet Ohio formatting standards): additional $20.00. Certified copies: $2.00 per page. Releases/assignments same as standard ($34 first two pages, $8 each additional). Payment by cash, certified check, or money order; personal checks not accepted.
Official recorder: Franklin County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Franklin County
Across 12,127 home-purchase mortgages originated in Franklin County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $5,394, of which about $2,370 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 39049, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Franklin County closing costs
Pre-set to Ohio. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Franklin County?
Franklin County (Ohio): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.2%. Ohio's real property conveyance fee totals $3.00 per $1,000 of sale price in Franklin County = $1.00/$1,000 mandatory state portion (0.001) PLUS a $2.00/$1,000 county permissive fee set by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners (0.002, last updated Aug 2019); combined effective rate 0.003. Customarily paid by the seller (grantor). Homestead-recipient grantors get the permissive portion halved to $1/$1,000 (total $2/$1,000). No major city (including Columbus) levies a separate municipal real estate transfer/documentary tax. The county_transfer_tax_rate reported here (0.002) is the county permissive portion ON TOP of the 0.001 state rate.
What are recording fees in Franklin County?
Deed/mortgage recording: $34.00 for the first two pages, $8.00 for each additional page. Non-conforming document (does not meet Ohio formatting standards): additional $20.00. Certified copies: $2.00 per page. Releases/assignments same as standard ($34 first two pages, $8 each additional). Payment by cash, certified check, or money order; personal checks not accepted.
How much are closing costs in Franklin County?
Closing costs in Franklin County follow Ohio'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 Franklin County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 12,127 home-purchase mortgages in Franklin County were about $5,394, of which roughly $2,370 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 Ohio county comparisons
Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.