Recording Requirements

State Requirements

Certain document standards are requested by all recorders who are members of the Pennsylvania Recorder of Deeds Association. The following is a list of requirements that will help reduce the number of documents returned:

• Documents presented for recording must be original documents.
• Acknowledgment date cannot predate document date.
• Acknowledgment should include the following: county, state, date, person or corporate officer's names and titles of persons appearing, notary signature, seal, and expiration date. Learn more about acknowledgments. Review the Pennsylvania Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts for short form certificates for notarial acts.
• Deeds and mortgages should indicate the property's municipality, county, and state.
• Numerical amount must match written amount on deeds and mortgages.
• Book and page numbers of mortgages must appear on all documents associated with the original mortgage.
• Transfer taxes or a Statements of Value form must accompany all transfers. The Department of Revenue requires the statement of value form to be fully completed; instructions may be found on the Statement of Value form. The realty transfer tax is 2 percent. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue has a new Realty Statement of Value Transfer Tax Form (REV-183).  Click here to access the form. You must use the current form.
  
• Multiple documents constituting one transaction must clearly indicate on each document the order of recording.
• Deed with transfer tax in more than one municipality must stipulate division of transfer taxes or percentage paid.
• Deeds and mortgages and assignments must have certified grantee / mortgagee address; certifications should be signed.
• All checks must include the account holder's address.
• The recording and tax checks must be two separate checks, each payable to the "Recorder of Deeds."
• Paper documents and eRecorded document images should be legible for recording, indexing and reproduction purposes.

NOTE: A stamped, self-addressed envelope of sufficient size to accommodate documents must be included with every recording or request.

Additional County Requirements

In addition to the Recorder of Deeds requirements above Montgomery County requires:

• A Parcel Identification Number (PIN) number must be on all documents. This is a 12-digit number in Montgomery County.
• All documents - paper recording and eRecording - MUST be registered by the Montgomery County Board of Assessments prior to being recorded.
• eRecorded documents are received by the Montgomery County Board of Assessment queue prior to being sent to the Recorder of Deeds queue for recording.
• If you are recording in person, the Montgomery County Board of Assessments is located directly across the hall from the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds Office on the third floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, Norristown.
• The Montgomery County Board of Assessments will reject a document if it does not match ownership, it is missing a Parcel Identification Number, it has the wrong Parcel Identification Number or for other reasons. Please consult the Montgomery County Board of Assessments for all questions regarding ownership and registration and mapping of Parcel Identification Numbers.

Providing Deed to Municipality for Registration

Pre-Registration of Deeds was rescinded as of December 9, 2008; however, some boroughs and townships still require registration of deeds after recording.

It is the submitter's responsibility to take the deed to the municipality to be registered after it is returned to them from the Recorder of Deeds Office.

The following is a list of the boroughs and townships that currently require registration.

 Note: The boroughs and townships requiring registration and/or the fee may have changed, so please contact the borough or township for their current regulation and fee.