Shelby County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Shelby County, Tennessee - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.37%
- ≈ $1,480 on a $400,000 home
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $6,057
- median of 6,132 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Shelby County compared with Tennessee counties
In the verified Tennessee county records we have, Shelby County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #1 of 5 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $1,480, which is the same as the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #1 of 5
- within verified Tennessee county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $1,480
- state baseline $1,480
- HMDA fee sample
- 6,132
- purchase loans in 2023
Shelby County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Shelby County
Tennessee levies a STATE realty transfer tax of $0.37 per $100 of the greater of consideration or value (TCA §67-4-409), uniform across all 95 counties and collected locally by the Register of Deeds — it is NOT a county tax, so county_transfer_tax_rate is null. By local custom the seller typically pays the transfer tax. There is no separate Shelby County transfer tax and no City of Memphis transfer tax. Quitclaim deeds are taxed on consideration only; mortgage/recordation tax on indebtedness is $0.115 per $100 over the first $2,000.
Recording fees in Shelby County
Deed (warranty, trust, quit-claim) recording: $12.00 for first 2 pages, $5.00 each additional page. Plat maps $17.00; UCC/fixture filings $15.00; certified copies $1.00/page (per Shelby County Register of Deeds official fee schedule).
Official recorder: Shelby County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Shelby County
Across 6,132 home-purchase mortgages originated in Shelby County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $6,057, of which about $2,169 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 47157, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Shelby County closing costs
Pre-set to Tennessee. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Shelby County?
Shelby County (Tennessee): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.37%. Tennessee levies a STATE realty transfer tax of $0.37 per $100 of the greater of consideration or value (TCA §67-4-409), uniform across all 95 counties and collected locally by the Register of Deeds — it is NOT a county tax, so county_transfer_tax_rate is null. By local custom the seller typically pays the transfer tax. There is no separate Shelby County transfer tax and no City of Memphis transfer tax. Quitclaim deeds are taxed on consideration only; mortgage/recordation tax on indebtedness is $0.115 per $100 over the first $2,000.
What are recording fees in Shelby County?
Deed (warranty, trust, quit-claim) recording: $12.00 for first 2 pages, $5.00 each additional page. Plat maps $17.00; UCC/fixture filings $15.00; certified copies $1.00/page (per Shelby County Register of Deeds official fee schedule).
How much are closing costs in Shelby County?
Closing costs in Shelby County follow Tennessee'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 Shelby County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 6,132 home-purchase mortgages in Shelby County were about $6,057, of which roughly $2,169 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 Tennessee county comparisons
Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.