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Denton County closing costs

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

Denton County county closing-cost photography
Source-verified · 2026-Q2FIPS 48121 Official source ↗
Effective transfer tax
none
≈ $0 on a $400,000 home
Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
$8,461
median of 16,800 purchase loans · HMDA 2023

Denton County compared with Texas counties

In the verified Texas county records we have, Denton County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #1 of 21 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $0, which is the same as the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.

County rank
#1 of 21
within verified Texas county pages
Tax at $400,000
$0
state baseline $0
HMDA fee sample
16,800
purchase loans in 2023

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

Transfer tax in Denton County

Texas constitutionally prohibits real estate transfer/excise taxes (statewide Proposition 1, approved 2015), so there is NO state, county, or city transfer tax in Denton County or any of its cities (Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Frisco, Carrollton, Little Elm). Closing costs are limited to flat recording fees plus title/escrow charges. The deed recording fee is a flat per-document/per-page fee, not value-based; payment of recording fees is typically negotiated but commonly paid by the party recording (buyer for the deed).

Recording fees in Denton County

Deeds/real property documents: approximately $25.13 for the first page (includes Records Management & Preservation Fee, Courthouse Security Fee, Records Archive Fee, and statutory recording fee) plus a required Recording Information Page ($4) and $4 for each additional page; $0.25 for each additional name to be indexed in excess of 5. Practitioner summaries often state this as ~$26 first page (bundling the recording-information page) + $4/additional page. Certified copies: $5 clerk's certificate + $1/page. Source: Denton County Clerk Real Property Recording Fee Schedule (dentoncounty.gov/322).

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

What lenders actually charge in Denton County

Across 16,800 home-purchase mortgages originated in Denton County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $8,461, of which about $3,519 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 48121, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.

Estimate your Denton County closing costs

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

$
%

Estimated closing costs

$9,102

≈ 2.28% of the home price · excludes your down payment

Cash to close

$89,102

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 $30
Owner's title insurance verified source $2,262
Lender's title insurance verified source $100
Lender fees (origination, underwriting, processing) $2,350
Appraisal $550
Credit report & flood cert $70
Home inspection $450
Homeowners insurance (first year) $1,800
Property-tax escrow (~3 months) estimate $1,490

Frequently asked questions

What is the transfer tax in Denton County?

Denton County (Texas): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about none. Texas constitutionally prohibits real estate transfer/excise taxes (statewide Proposition 1, approved 2015), so there is NO state, county, or city transfer tax in Denton County or any of its cities (Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Frisco, Carrollton, Little Elm). Closing costs are limited to flat recording fees plus title/escrow charges. The deed recording fee is a flat per-document/per-page fee, not value-based; payment of recording fees is typically negotiated but commonly paid by the party recording (buyer for the deed).

What are recording fees in Denton County?

Deeds/real property documents: approximately $25.13 for the first page (includes Records Management & Preservation Fee, Courthouse Security Fee, Records Archive Fee, and statutory recording fee) plus a required Recording Information Page ($4) and $4 for each additional page; $0.25 for each additional name to be indexed in excess of 5. Practitioner summaries often state this as ~$26 first page (bundling the recording-information page) + $4/additional page. Certified copies: $5 clerk's certificate + $1/page. Source: Denton County Clerk Real Property Recording Fee Schedule (dentoncounty.gov/322).

How much are closing costs in Denton County?

Closing costs in Denton County follow Texas'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 Denton County?

In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 16,800 home-purchase mortgages in Denton County were about $8,461, of which roughly $3,519 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 Texas 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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