Lancaster County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 1%
- ≈ $4,000 on a $400,000 home
- City transfer tax
- 1%
- where the city levies its own
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $6,848
- median of 3,695 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Lancaster County compared with Pennsylvania counties
In the verified Pennsylvania county records we have, Lancaster County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #3 of 11 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $4,000, which is the same as the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #3 of 11
- within verified Pennsylvania county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $4,000
- state baseline $4,000
- HMDA fee sample
- 3,695
- purchase loans in 2023
Lancaster County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Lancaster County
Lancaster County itself levies NO county real-estate transfer tax. The standard PA realty transfer tax of 2% applies on the value transferred: 1% to the Commonwealth of PA and 1% local, split between the municipality and the school district. In the City of Lancaster the local 1% is shared between the City and the School District of Lancaster (no elevated city rate like Philadelphia/Pittsburgh). By custom the transfer tax is typically split 50/50 between buyer and seller (negotiable). The Recorder of Deeds collects the tax at recording.
Recording fees in Lancaster County
Deed (and mortgage) recording: $71.25 base for up to 4 pages, plus $2.00 per additional page after 4. The Statement of Value counts as an additional page. Other-document base fees: $59.75 (with JCP fee: assignments, releases, satisfactions, installment sales agreements, easements) and $58.75 (agreements, terminations, modifications, subordinations) for up to 4 pages; miscellaneous (POA, deputations) $18.50. Certification $10; copies $0.25/page. Source: Lancaster County Office of Recorder of Deeds fee schedule (lancasterdeeds.com).
Official recorder: Lancaster County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Lancaster County
Across 3,695 home-purchase mortgages originated in Lancaster County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $6,848, of which about $2,799 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 42071, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Lancaster County closing costs
Pre-set to Pennsylvania. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Lancaster County?
Lancaster County (Pennsylvania): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 1%, before any additional city tax. Lancaster County itself levies NO county real-estate transfer tax. The standard PA realty transfer tax of 2% applies on the value transferred: 1% to the Commonwealth of PA and 1% local, split between the municipality and the school district. In the City of Lancaster the local 1% is shared between the City and the School District of Lancaster (no elevated city rate like Philadelphia/Pittsburgh). By custom the transfer tax is typically split 50/50 between buyer and seller (negotiable). The Recorder of Deeds collects the tax at recording.
What are recording fees in Lancaster County?
Deed (and mortgage) recording: $71.25 base for up to 4 pages, plus $2.00 per additional page after 4. The Statement of Value counts as an additional page. Other-document base fees: $59.75 (with JCP fee: assignments, releases, satisfactions, installment sales agreements, easements) and $58.75 (agreements, terminations, modifications, subordinations) for up to 4 pages; miscellaneous (POA, deputations) $18.50. Certification $10; copies $0.25/page. Source: Lancaster County Office of Recorder of Deeds fee schedule (lancasterdeeds.com).
How much are closing costs in Lancaster County?
Closing costs in Lancaster County follow Pennsylvania'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 Lancaster County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 3,695 home-purchase mortgages in Lancaster County were about $6,848, of which roughly $2,799 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 Pennsylvania county comparisons
Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.