McLennan County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for McLennan County, Texas - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- none
- ≈ $0 on a $400,000 home
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $7,069
- median of 2,110 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
McLennan County compared with Texas counties
In the verified Texas county records we have, McLennan 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
- 2,110
- purchase loans in 2023
McLennan County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in McLennan County
Texas has NO real estate transfer/excise/deed tax at the state, county, or city level. The Texas Constitution (Art. VIII Sec. 29, adopted Nov 2015) prohibits the imposition of any new real estate transfer tax. Therefore county_transfer_tax_rate = null and city_transfer_tax_rate = null (Waco, the major city/county seat, levies none). The only county-level cost at closing is the County Clerk recording fee. WHO PAYS: by custom in Texas the seller pays for the deed preparation and the buyer typically pays the deed recording fee, though this is negotiable per contract (TREC one-to-four family contract leaves recording costs to the party incurring them). Quirks: $25 penalty fee if grantee mailing address is missing on a deed/deed of trust; $0.25 per name over five grantors/grantees. NOTE on data hygiene: third-party sites (deedclaim, deeds.com, levelset) list the first page as $16 or $26 — those figures are stale/inflated; the official county PDF (eff. 2024-01-01) states $15 first page + $4 each additional. County Clerk office: 215 N 5th Street, Room 223 (A&B), Waco, TX 76701; phone 254-757-5078.
Recording fees in McLennan County
Deed recording fee (Official Public Records): $15.00 for the 1st page + $4.00 for each additional page. Additional $0.25 fee for each grantor/grantee in excess of five per document. Attachments/riders: $4.00 (one rider per page; second rider on same page $8.00). Pages exceeding 8.5 x 14 require double fee per page. PENALTY: $25.00 added if grantee's mailing address is omitted on a deed or deed of trust. Source: McLennan County Clerk Recording Fee Schedule, effective 01-01-2024 (official mclennan.gov PDF).
Official recorder: McLennan County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in McLennan County
Across 2,110 home-purchase mortgages originated in McLennan County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $7,069, of which about $3,115 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 48309, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your McLennan County closing costs
Pre-set to Texas. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in McLennan County?
McLennan County (Texas): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about none. Texas has NO real estate transfer/excise/deed tax at the state, county, or city level. The Texas Constitution (Art. VIII Sec. 29, adopted Nov 2015) prohibits the imposition of any new real estate transfer tax. Therefore county_transfer_tax_rate = null and city_transfer_tax_rate = null (Waco, the major city/county seat, levies none). The only county-level cost at closing is the County Clerk recording fee. WHO PAYS: by custom in Texas the seller pays for the deed preparation and the buyer typically pays the deed recording fee, though this is negotiable per contract (TREC one-to-four family contract leaves recording costs to the party incurring them). Quirks: $25 penalty fee if grantee mailing address is missing on a deed/deed of trust; $0.25 per name over five grantors/grantees. NOTE on data hygiene: third-party sites (deedclaim, deeds.com, levelset) list the first page as $16 or $26 — those figures are stale/inflated; the official county PDF (eff. 2024-01-01) states $15 first page + $4 each additional. County Clerk office: 215 N 5th Street, Room 223 (A&B), Waco, TX 76701; phone 254-757-5078.
What are recording fees in McLennan County?
Deed recording fee (Official Public Records): $15.00 for the 1st page + $4.00 for each additional page. Additional $0.25 fee for each grantor/grantee in excess of five per document. Attachments/riders: $4.00 (one rider per page; second rider on same page $8.00). Pages exceeding 8.5 x 14 require double fee per page. PENALTY: $25.00 added if grantee's mailing address is omitted on a deed or deed of trust. Source: McLennan County Clerk Recording Fee Schedule, effective 01-01-2024 (official mclennan.gov PDF).
How much are closing costs in McLennan County?
Closing costs in McLennan 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 McLennan County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 2,110 home-purchase mortgages in McLennan County were about $7,069, of which roughly $3,115 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.