Pennsylvania Property Records: How to Search Deeds, Liens, and Title Statewide
Find Owners · Deeds · Liens · Title Search · Preliminary Reports
Pennsylvania property records are public and recorded by the Recorder of Deeds in each of the state’s 67 counties, while judgments are entered with the Prothonotary. This guide explains how to find deeds, mortgages, liens, owners, and title information in Pennsylvania, in person, online, or through a professional report. For a complete title search, lien search, certified deed copy, or preliminary title report on any Pennsylvania property, U.S. Title Records delivers an abstractor-prepared report by email, from $29, with no subscription.
How to Access Pennsylvania Property Records
Pennsylvania property records are public documents recorded and maintained by the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property is located, and there are three ways to access them: in person at the Recorder of Deeds, online through the county’s index, or through a professional title search. Pennsylvania has 67 counties, each with a Recorder of Deeds that records deeds, mortgages, and other land documents, while a separate office, the Prothonotary, maintains the judgment and lien index for the county’s Court of Common Pleas, the county assessment office holds the assessed value, and delinquent taxes proceed through a two-stage tax sale. That split between the Recorder of Deeds and the Prothonotary is central: deeds and mortgages sit with the Recorder, but money judgments that become liens sit with the Prothonotary.
In person: visit the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property sits and search the grantor-grantee index, and check the Prothonotary for judgments. Online: most counties offer an online index of recorded deeds and mortgages, though the depth of older records varies by county, and judgments sit with the Prothonotary while assessment sits with the county assessment office. Professional report: for a complete picture across the Recorder of Deeds, the Prothonotary, and the county assessment office in one document, a title search compiles ownership, the chain of title, mortgages, liens, judgments, and tax status without an in-person visit.
U.S. Title Records performs Pennsylvania property records research for any of the 67 counties, delivering a title search, lien search, deed copy, or preliminary title report by email, from $29, with no account or subscription. For the rest of the country, see our property records by state directory.
Recorder of Deeds and Prothonotary
Each of the 67 Pennsylvania counties records deeds and mortgages through the Recorder of Deeds, while the Prothonotary maintains the judgment and lien index, and a docketed judgment becomes a county lien. A complete search reads both offices plus the county assessment office. We cover every Pennsylvania county at the same price.
Two-Stage Tax Sales and Municipal Claims
Pennsylvania sells delinquent-tax property through an upset tax sale, subject to existing liens, and then a judicial tax sale, free and clear. Unpaid taxes, water, and sewer also become municipal claims. Our reports flag tax-sale exposure and municipal claims. Lien search from $95.
Mortgage and Judicial Foreclosure
Pennsylvania secures loans with a mortgage, and foreclosure is judicial, handled through the Court of Common Pleas with Act 6 and Act 91 homeowner notices and a sheriff’s sale. Our reports flag open mortgages and foreclosure status. Title search from $29.
Common Level Ratio and Transfer Tax
Pennsylvania counties reassess infrequently and apply a common level ratio, so assessed values can be far from market, and the state charges a realty transfer tax split between the state and the local municipality and school district. Our $29 report shows the parcel, assessed value, and tax status.
Pennsylvania Property Records at a Glance
The key facts and figures behind a Pennsylvania property records search, from the recording office to the statewide market and tax picture
Figures are approximate statewide medians (U.S. Census American Community Survey; Tax Foundation, roughly 1.26 percent; Pennsylvania Department of Revenue) and vary widely by county, from about 0.83 percent in Philadelphia to about 1.72 percent in Delaware County. Pennsylvania records deeds and mortgages with the Recorder of Deeds and enters judgments with the Prothonotary, counties reassess infrequently and apply a common level ratio, loans are secured by a mortgage with judicial foreclosure and a sheriff’s sale, and delinquent taxes proceed through an upset tax sale and a judicial tax sale. Pennsylvania property is identified by a parcel number and a legal description. For exact figures on a specific property, order a Property Detail Report ($29).
Types of Pennsylvania Property Records
Pennsylvania property records cover every recorded document that affects a parcel, and knowing the main types makes any search faster, with one structural feature to keep in mind: deeds and mortgages sit with the Recorder of Deeds, but judgments sit with the Prothonotary. The records you will encounter most are deeds and mortgages, judgments and liens, and the assessment and tax records.
Deeds and mortgages. A deed conveys ownership, and Pennsylvania commonly uses the general warranty deed (the grantor warrants title against all claims), the special warranty deed (warranting only against the grantor’s own acts, common in Pennsylvania for both residential and commercial transfers), and the quitclaim deed (conveying whatever interest the grantor has, without warranty). A mortgage is different: it is the instrument that secures a loan, creating a lien on the property, and because a defaulted Pennsylvania mortgage is foreclosed through the courts, the recorded mortgage and any assignment are central records.
Judgments and liens. Liens are voluntary (the mortgage you give a lender) or involuntary. In Pennsylvania, a money judgment is entered and indexed with the Prothonotary, and once entered it becomes a lien on the debtor’s real property in that county, so the Prothonotary’s judgment index is a separate and essential search. Other involuntary liens include federal and state tax liens, a mechanics’ lien claim filed by a contractor or supplier, and municipal claims under the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act for unpaid taxes, water, and sewer charges.
Assessment, taxes, and tax sales. The county assessment office holds the assessed value, and because most Pennsylvania counties reassess infrequently, the state uses a common level ratio to relate old assessments to current market value. When taxes go unpaid, the county tax claim bureau can sell the property, first at an upset tax sale subject to liens and later at a judicial tax sale free and clear. A reliable Pennsylvania search reads the Recorder of Deeds, the Prothonotary, and the county assessment and tax claim records together.
Pennsylvania Title Search
A Pennsylvania title search examines the recorded history of a property to establish who owns it and what claims are attached to it, reading the Recorder of Deeds, the Prothonotary, and the county assessment and tax records together. A complete property title search reads the chain of recorded deeds in the Recorder of Deeds grantor-grantee index to confirm current ownership and how title is held, identifies every open mortgage, searches the Prothonotary for docketed judgments that have become county liens, checks for mechanics’ lien claims and municipal claims under the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act, reviews the county assessment and tax claim records for delinquencies and any upset or judicial tax-sale exposure, and confirms federal and state tax liens. Because Pennsylvania splits recording between the Recorder of Deeds and the Prothonotary, because delinquent taxes proceed through a two-stage tax sale, and because municipal claims can attach quietly, a reliable title search reconciles all of these sources rather than reading the deed index alone.
U.S. Title Records performs Pennsylvania title searches for buyers, sellers, investors, attorneys, and lenders without an in-person county visit, in Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, Bucks, and every other county. A Title Search by Name ($95) locates property tied to a person or entity, while the Full Owner Lien Report ($195) and the Expanded Title Search ($375) deliver a comprehensive examination. Learn more about our real estate title search service.
What a Pennsylvania Title Search Reveals
Current owner and the chain of conveyance, how title is held, open mortgages, docketed judgments with the Prothonotary, federal and state tax liens, mechanics’ lien claims, municipal claims, delinquent-tax and tax-sale exposure, and easements. The examination covers the Recorder of Deeds, the Prothonotary, and the county assessment and tax claim records together.
Why Use a Professional Search
Records are public, but the split between the Recorder of Deeds and the Prothonotary, the municipal claims, and the two-stage tax sale make a self-search easy to get wrong, and Pennsylvania has 67 counties. A professional search compiles it into one report. From $29.
Pennsylvania Lien Search
A Pennsylvania lien search identifies every recorded claim against a property or an owner, and in Pennsylvania that means reading the Recorder of Deeds for mortgages, the Prothonotary for judgments, and the tax claim bureau for delinquent taxes. Liens attach to Pennsylvania real property from many directions: a mortgage securing a loan, a money judgment entered with the Prothonotary, a federal or state tax lien, a mechanics’ lien claim filed by a contractor or supplier, and municipal claims under the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act for unpaid taxes, water, or sewer. Two Pennsylvania features matter to a lien picture. First, a money judgment does not become a lien from the deed records but from the Prothonotary’s judgment index, where it attaches to the debtor’s real property in that county, so the judgment index is a separate essential search. Second, municipal claims, which are common in Philadelphia and other cities, can carry high interest and, along with unpaid taxes, can lead to an upset or judicial tax sale. A complete search reads the Recorder of Deeds, the Prothonotary, and the county tax claim records together.
Our lien search options scale to the need. The Lien Report ($95) covers recorded property liens, the Full Owner Lien Report ($195) adds judgments, tax, UCC, and bankruptcy against the owner, and a UCC lien search covers business filings.
Liens We Search
Mortgages and assignments, docketed judgments with the Prothonotary, state and federal (IRS) tax liens, mechanics’ lien claims, municipal claims for taxes, water, and sewer, and UCC financing statements.
Prothonotary Judgments and Municipal Claims
A judgment entered with the Prothonotary, or a municipal claim that survives an upset tax sale, can cloud title and survive a careless purchase. Our $195 report identifies open mortgages, judgments, and which liens are actually attached.
Pennsylvania Deed Copies and Deed Search
A deed is the recorded instrument that conveys Pennsylvania real property, and a deed copy from the Recorder of Deeds is often needed to confirm ownership, prepare a transfer, or resolve a title question. Pennsylvania conveyances run through the general warranty deed (the strongest protection, warranting against all claims), the special warranty deed (warranting only against the grantor’s own acts, and common in Pennsylvania), and the quitclaim deed (conveying whatever interest the grantor has, without warranty). A Pennsylvania deed must be signed, acknowledged before a notary, and recorded with the Recorder of Deeds to give notice, and it is indexed by grantor and grantee names and by parcel. Pennsylvania also charges a realty transfer tax when the deed is recorded, split between the state and the local municipality and school district, so recording a deed carries a tax that varies by location. A mortgage, by contrast with a deed, is not a conveyance of ownership but a lien securing a loan.
U.S. Title Records retrieves recorded Pennsylvania deeds and supporting documents. A Deed Copy ($45) delivers the recorded vesting deed, and the Property Detail Report ($29) confirms the current owner, the parcel, and how title is held. For the full conveyance history, the Chain of Title ($375) assembles every deed in order.
Pennsylvania Preliminary Title Reports
A preliminary title report sets out the condition of title before a transaction closes, so a buyer, lender, or investor knows the ownership, the liens, and the exceptions in advance. A preliminary report identifies the current owner and how title is held, the open mortgages and other monetary liens, the docketed judgments with the Prothonotary and tax liens, the mechanics’ lien claims and municipal claims, any delinquent-tax or tax-sale exposure, the easements and restrictions, and any other matters of record that affect the title. In Pennsylvania it is where an unsatisfied mortgage, a Prothonotary judgment, a municipal claim, or a pending tax-sale first comes to light, and it is the standard due-diligence document at the front of a Pennsylvania transaction.
U.S. Title Records prepares preliminary title search reports as a records-based examination of the recorded chain, the mortgages and liens, the Prothonotary judgments, the municipal claims, and the assessment and tax data. This is a property records and title search product, not title insurance or a commitment to insure, and it gives buyers, investors, attorneys, and lenders a clear pre-closing picture at a fraction of the cost and delay of a full underwriting file. The Chain of Title ($375) and the Expanded Title Search ($375) serve this preliminary-report purpose. See the full schedule of fees.
What a Preliminary Report Shows
Current owner and how title is held, open mortgages and monetary liens, docketed judgments with the Prothonotary and tax liens, mechanics’ lien claims and municipal claims, tax-sale exposure, easements, and restrictions. It is the pre-closing due-diligence picture for a Pennsylvania property.
Records-Based, Not Insurance
Our preliminary title report is a comprehensive search of the public record, not a policy of title insurance or a commitment to insure. It gives buyers, lenders, and investors a fast, professional read on title before they commit. Reports from $375.
Upset Tax Sale vs Judicial Tax Sale in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania sells delinquent-tax property in two stages, and what a buyer takes, subject to liens or free and clear, depends entirely on which sale it was
Sold subject to liens
- What it is: the first sale by the county tax claim bureau to collect delinquent taxes.
- What survives: the buyer takes subject to existing mortgages, liens, and encumbrances that are not divested.
- Upset price: a minimum price covering the delinquent taxes, municipal claims, and costs must be met.
- The risk: a buyer can inherit a mortgage or lien that survives the sale.
- Due diligence: confirming what survives is essential before bidding.
Sold free and clear
- What it is: a later sale ordered by the Court of Common Pleas after the county petitions.
- What is divested: most liens and encumbrances are cleared by the court order.
- No upset price: there is generally no minimum upset price.
- The catch: the sale is valid only if proper notice was given to the owner and lienholders.
- The result: a buyer generally takes clear title, subject to the notice requirements.
Because what survives a Pennsylvania tax sale depends on which sale it was, confirming the sale type and the surviving liens before bidding is essential. Our $195 report identifies open mortgages, Prothonotary judgments, and municipal claims.
Pennsylvania Title Search and Records Reports
One pricing schedule in every Pennsylvania county, from a quick ownership check to a full title examination, with no subscription
Property Detail Report ($29)
Ownership, parcel, and tax data for any Pennsylvania property.
- Current owner
- Parcel number and legal description
- How title is held
- Assessed value and tax status
- Open mortgages of record
- Most recent recorded sale
Full Owner Lien Report ($195)
Comprehensive property AND owner lien and title search.
- Everything in the $29 report
- All recorded mortgages and assignments
- Docketed judgments with the Prothonotary
- Mechanics’ lien claims and municipal claims
- Federal and state tax liens
- UCC financing statements and bankruptcy
Expanded Title Search ($375)
The most comprehensive Pennsylvania examination and preliminary report.
- Everything in the $195 report
- Complete recorded chain of title
- Mortgage satisfaction verification
- Easement and restriction research
- Preliminary title report scope
Full ladder: Property Detail $29 | Deed Copy $45 | Title Search by Name $95 | Lien Report $95 | Full Owner Lien $195 | Chain of Title $375 | Expanded $375 | Schedule of fees
Pennsylvania Property Records by County
Professional title, lien, and deed searches in all 67 Pennsylvania counties at the same statewide pricing, recorded by each Recorder of Deeds
Philadelphia County
The city and county of Philadelphia, recorded through the Department of Records, with aggressive municipal claims and annual assessment at market value. Full title, lien, and deed search.
Allegheny County
Pittsburgh and the second-largest Pennsylvania county, with active transactions and a common level ratio well below one. $195 recommended for due diligence. Full title, lien, and deed search.
Montgomery & Bucks
The affluent Philadelphia suburbs, among the highest median tax bills in the state, with active residential markets. $375 Expanded for full chain and satisfaction verification. Same pricing statewide.
Delaware & Chester
Delaware County (among the highest effective rates in the state) and Chester County, each with its own Recorder of Deeds and Prothonotary. Deed and title search with lien review. Same pricing statewide.
Lancaster & York
South-central Pennsylvania, with active residential and agricultural transactions and their own recording offices. Title, lien, and deed retrieval. Same pricing statewide.
Lehigh, Northampton & Berks
The Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem) and Reading, with growing markets and active construction-lien risk. Title, lien, and deed retrieval. Same pricing statewide.
Dauphin, Luzerne & Lackawanna
Harrisburg (Dauphin), Wilkes-Barre (Luzerne), Scranton (Lackawanna), and the rest of the state, recorded by each Recorder of Deeds. Title, lien, and deed retrieval.
All 67 Pennsylvania Counties
Every Pennsylvania county, recorded by its Recorder of Deeds. Search by address or parcel. BBB A+ since 2009, reports from $29, no subscription.
Pennsylvania Counties We Cover
U.S. Title Records covers all 67 Pennsylvania counties at the same pricing, including Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, Chester, Lancaster, York, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Westmoreland, Luzerne, Dauphin, Cumberland, Erie, Lackawanna, Washington, Butler, Beaver, Centre, Franklin, Cambria, Schuylkill, Monroe, and Fayette counties, along with every other county in the state. Submit any Pennsylvania address or parcel to begin.
Property Records Beyond Pennsylvania
U.S. Title Records covers Pennsylvania and every other state at the same statewide pricing
All 50 States
Nationwide property records, title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary title reports, one schedule of fees in every state. BBB A+ since 2009.
New Jersey Property Records
Neighboring New Jersey, with its County Clerk recording and judicial mortgage foreclosure. Title, lien, and deed search across every county and municipality.
New York Property Records
Neighboring New York, with its City Register and County Clerk recording and judicial foreclosure. Full title and lien search across every county and borough.
Start a Search
Enter any Pennsylvania or U.S. property address and choose a report from $29 to $375. Delivered as a PDF by email, no account or subscription required.
Property Owner Search
Find the current owner of any Pennsylvania property by address or parcel, with the recorded vesting deed and how title is held. From $29.
Deed Search
Retrieve the recorded deed or the full chain for any Pennsylvania property, with the grantor, grantee, and deed reference. From $45.
Three Pennsylvania Title Risks That Require Professional Examination
1. Pennsylvania sells delinquent-tax property in two stages, and an upset-sale buyer takes subject to surviving liens. Pennsylvania enforces unpaid property taxes through the county tax claim bureau, and it does so in two distinct stages that produce very different results. The first is the upset tax sale, where the property is sold subject to existing mortgages, liens, and encumbrances, which are not divested, so a buyer can inherit an open mortgage or lien that survives the sale. The second is the judicial tax sale, ordered later by the Court of Common Pleas, where most liens are cleared and a buyer generally takes free and clear, but only if proper notice was given. On top of the tax sales, unpaid taxes, water, and sewer become municipal claims under the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act, which are common and can be aggressive in Philadelphia and other cities. For a buyer or a researcher, knowing which sale a property went through, and what survives, is decisive. U.S. Title Records checks tax-sale exposure and municipal claims in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report.
2. Deeds and mortgages sit with the Recorder of Deeds, but judgments sit with the Prothonotary, and a judgment there becomes a county lien. Pennsylvania splits its property records between two county offices, and missing one is a common and costly error. The Recorder of Deeds records deeds, mortgages, easements, and other land documents, but money judgments are entered and indexed with the Prothonotary, the clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, and once entered a judgment becomes a lien on the debtor’s real property in that county. A searcher who reads only the deed records will miss docketed judgments, and will also miss mechanics’ lien claims and the federal and state tax liens that can attach. Because a Pennsylvania title picture depends on reconciling the Recorder of Deeds and the Prothonotary, a reliable search reads both offices, plus the county tax records. U.S. Title Records searches the docketed judgments and recorded liens against the property and the owner in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report.
3. Pennsylvania forecloses through the courts, and infrequent reassessment makes assessed values unreliable. A Pennsylvania home loan is secured by a mortgage, and the state forecloses judicially: after the required Act 6 and Act 91 homeowner notices, the lender files a mortgage foreclosure action in the Court of Common Pleas, obtains a judgment, and the property is sold at a sheriff’s sale. Catching a pending foreclosure and the recorded mortgage before closing is essential. Separately, because most Pennsylvania counties reassess property only rarely, the assessed value on the tax record can be far from current market value, and the state uses a common level ratio to bridge the gap, so an assessed value should not be mistaken for market value. Pennsylvania has 67 counties, each with its own recording office, assessment schedule, and tax claim bureau, so a thorough search is county-specific. U.S. Title Records confirms open mortgages, foreclosure status, and assessment data in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report and the $375 Expanded Title Search.
Pennsylvania Property Records: The Essentials
Pennsylvania property records are the deeds, mortgages, and land documents recorded by the Recorder of Deeds in each of the state’s 67 counties, together with the judgment and lien index maintained by the Prothonotary, the ownership and assessed-value data held by the county assessment office, and the delinquent-tax records held by the county tax claim bureau, establishing who owns a property and what claims are attached to it. Because Pennsylvania splits recording between the Recorder of Deeds and the Prothonotary, because delinquent taxes proceed through an upset and then a judicial tax sale, and because municipal claims can attach quietly, a complete property records search reads the Recorder of Deeds, the Prothonotary, and the county tax records together.
The five things people search for most in Pennsylvania are: a title search to establish ownership and encumbrances, a lien search to find claims against a property or owner, deed copies and deed records to confirm ownership, a preliminary title report for pre-closing due diligence, and the chain of title. U.S. Title Records delivers all five for every Pennsylvania county, from $29, with no subscription.
How a Pennsylvania Property Records Search Works
The same simple process for a title search, lien search, deed copy, or preliminary report
Enter the Address or Parcel
Provide the Pennsylvania property address or the parcel number through the order portal. We confirm the county, parcel, and recorded chain.
Choose Your Report
From a $29 ownership check to a $375 preliminary title examination. $195 is the recommended due-diligence report; $375 for full chain and satisfaction verification.
Multi-Source Search
Recorder of Deeds deeds and mortgages, Prothonotary judgments, county assessment and tax claim records, mechanics’ lien claims and municipal claims, UCC, and bankruptcy.
Report Compiled
Ownership and chain, how title is held, open mortgages, Prothonotary judgments, tax-sale exposure, municipal claims, assessment and tax status, deed copies, with references.
PDF Delivered
Report emailed. Email office@ustitlerecords.com with questions. Asset investigation through U.S. Asset Records.
No Courthouse Visit
No trip to the Recorder of Deeds or the Prothonotary. Full examination without in-person access. One property, one fee, no subscription. BBB A+ since 2009.
Pennsylvania Property Records Questions
Title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary reports
How Do I Search Pennsylvania Property Records Online?
Start with the county assessment office for ownership and the parcel, the Recorder of Deeds for recorded deeds and mortgages, and the Prothonotary for docketed judgments, in the county where the property sits. Most counties offer an online index, though the depth of older documents varies, and judgments sit with the Prothonotary while assessment sits with the assessment office. Free tools rarely combine the recorded chain, the Prothonotary judgments, the municipal claims, and the tax-sale exposure in one place. For a complete Pennsylvania property records search, submit the address or parcel to U.S. Title Records. From $29.
How Do I Find Out Who Owns a Property in Pennsylvania?
The county assessment office shows the owner of record by address and parcel, and the most recent recorded deed in the Recorder of Deeds confirms the vesting and how title is held, including entity or trust ownership. A Property Detail Report ($29) combines both into one report, and a Title Search by Name ($95) finds all property tied to a person or entity in Pennsylvania.
How Do I Find Liens on a Pennsylvania Property?
A Pennsylvania lien search must cover the Recorder of Deeds for mortgages, the Prothonotary for docketed judgments that become county liens, the county tax claim bureau for delinquent taxes and municipal claims, and the UCC index. Because judgments sit with the Prothonotary and municipal claims sit with the municipality, the sources are spread across offices. Our Full Owner Lien Report ($195) covers all of it against the property and the owner.
How Do I Get a Copy of a Deed in Pennsylvania?
Recorded deeds are public, held by the Recorder of Deeds. Pennsylvania uses the general warranty deed, the special warranty deed (common in the state), and the quitclaim deed, recorded after acknowledgment before a notary and indexed by grantor, grantee, and parcel. A mortgage, by contrast, is a lien securing a loan, not a conveyance to a buyer. We retrieve a recorded deed by address or parcel. A Deed Copy is $45.
What Does a Pennsylvania Preliminary Title Report Show?
It shows the condition of title before closing: the current owner and how title is held, the open mortgages and other liens, docketed judgments with the Prothonotary and tax liens, mechanics’ lien claims and municipal claims, tax-sale exposure, easements, and restrictions. Our preliminary title report is a records-based examination, not title insurance, giving buyers, lenders, and investors a fast pre-closing read. The Chain of Title ($375) and Expanded ($375) serve this purpose.
How Much Does a Pennsylvania Title Search Cost?
Property Detail $29, Deed Copy $45, Name Search $95, Lien Report $95, Full Owner Lien $195, Chain of Title $375, Expanded $375. One fee per property, no subscription. Schedule of fees.
Pennsylvania Property Records FAQ
Are Pennsylvania property records public?
Yes. Pennsylvania property records are public documents. Deeds, mortgages, and other land documents are recorded with and maintained by the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property is located, and anyone may search the grantor-grantee index or obtain a copy, in person, online through the county, or through a professional report. Ownership and assessed-value information is public and is held by the county assessment office, and money judgments that can affect title are entered with the Prothonotary, the clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. The main practical points are that judgments sit with the Prothonotary rather than the Recorder of Deeds, that municipal claims and delinquent taxes are held by the municipality and county, and that delinquent taxes can proceed to an upset or judicial tax sale. U.S. Title Records compiles the public record into one report from $29.
How do I find out who owns a property in Pennsylvania?
The fastest way to find the current owner of a Pennsylvania property is the county assessment office for the county where the property sits, which lists the owner of record by address along with the parcel and the assessed value. To confirm legal ownership and how title is held, the most recent recorded deed in the Recorder of Deeds is the controlling record, and it will show whether the property is held by an individual, a married couple, a trust, or an entity such as an LLC. The assessment office owner and the recorded deed can occasionally differ after a recent sale, so a reliable answer reads both. A Property Detail Report ($29) combines the assessment owner with the recorded vesting deed, and a Title Search by Name ($95) finds every property tied to a given person or entity across Pennsylvania. Property owner search.
How do I do a title search in Pennsylvania?
A Pennsylvania title search reads the chain of recorded deeds in the Recorder of Deeds to confirm ownership and how title is held, identifies open mortgages, searches the Prothonotary for docketed judgments that have become county liens, checks for mechanics’ lien claims and municipal claims, reviews the county assessment and tax claim records for delinquencies and tax-sale exposure, and confirms federal and state tax liens. Because Pennsylvania splits recording between the Recorder of Deeds and the Prothonotary, delinquent taxes proceed through a two-stage tax sale, and municipal claims can attach quietly, a reliable search reconciles the Recorder of Deeds, the Prothonotary, and the county tax records. You can do much of this yourself through the county offices, but the Prothonotary judgment search, the municipal-claim check, and the cross-source reconciliation are where a professional search earns its keep. U.S. Title Records performs the full examination from $29, with the Expanded Title Search ($375) as the most comprehensive option.
What is the difference between an upset tax sale and a judicial tax sale in Pennsylvania?
They are the two stages of a Pennsylvania delinquent-tax sale, and the difference is critical to what a buyer receives. When property taxes go unpaid, the county tax claim bureau first holds an upset tax sale, where the property is sold subject to existing mortgages, liens, and encumbrances, which are not divested, and a minimum upset price covering the delinquent taxes, municipal claims, and costs must be met. A buyer at an upset sale can therefore inherit an open mortgage or lien that survives. If the property does not sell at the upset sale, the county may petition the Court of Common Pleas for a judicial tax sale, where the court orders the property sold free and clear of most liens and encumbrances, so a buyer generally takes clear title, and there is usually no minimum upset price, but the sale is valid only if proper notice was given to the owner and lienholders. For a buyer or a researcher, the practical rule is that what survives depends on which sale it was, so confirming the sale type and the surviving liens is essential. U.S. Title Records checks tax-sale exposure and surviving liens in the Full Owner Lien Report ($195).
Where are judgments recorded in Pennsylvania, and how does foreclosure work?
In Pennsylvania, deeds and mortgages are recorded with the Recorder of Deeds, but money judgments are entered and indexed with the Prothonotary, the clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, and a judgment entered there becomes a lien on the debtor’s real property in that county. That split means a complete search reads both offices, because a judgment lien will not appear in the deed index. Foreclosure in Pennsylvania is judicial: because a home loan is secured by a mortgage and the state does not allow a private power-of-sale foreclosure, the lender must first send the required Act 6 and Act 91 homeowner notices, then file a mortgage foreclosure action in the Court of Common Pleas, obtain a judgment, and the property is sold at a sheriff’s sale. For a buyer or a researcher, the documents that matter are the recorded mortgage, the Prothonotary judgments, and the sheriff’s sale, and catching a pending foreclosure before closing is essential. U.S. Title Records searches the Prothonotary judgments and flags open mortgages and foreclosure status in the Full Owner Lien Report ($195).
What is the difference between a deed and a title in Pennsylvania?
A deed and a title are related but not the same. A deed is a physical, recorded document that transfers ownership of real property from a grantor to a grantee, and Pennsylvania commonly uses the general warranty deed, the special warranty deed, and the quitclaim deed depending on how much the grantor warrants. Title, by contrast, is the legal concept of ownership itself, the bundle of rights to possess, use, and dispose of the property; it is not a single document but a status established by the chain of recorded deeds. You take title to a property by receiving and recording a deed, and a title search examines the full chain of deeds and other recorded instruments, and in Pennsylvania also the Prothonotary judgments, to ensure the seller holds clear title. In short, the deed is the instrument; the title is the ownership it conveys. U.S. Title Records retrieves the deed in the Deed Copy ($45) and examines the title in a title search.
How much does a Pennsylvania title search or report cost?
Pricing is the same in every Pennsylvania county: Property Detail Report $29, Deed Copy $45, Title Search by Name $75, Lien Report $95, Full Owner Lien Report $195, Chain of Title $275, and Expanded Title Search $375. The $29 report is the quick ownership, parcel, and value check, the $195 report is the recommended due-diligence search that includes Prothonotary judgments, municipal claims, and tax-sale exposure, and the $375 Expanded is the full title examination with chain and satisfaction verification. There is no account, subscription, or recurring charge, one flat fee per property, delivered as a PDF by email. See the full schedule of fees. BBB A+ since 2009.
How far back does a Pennsylvania title search go?
A standard Pennsylvania title search typically examines the chain of title back about 40 to 60 years, which is generally enough to establish a marketable chain and surface the mortgages, judgments, liens, and defects that matter for a current transaction. A full chain of title can go back much further, to the original warrant and patent from the Commonwealth, and is assembled when a transaction or a legal matter requires it, such as a quiet-title action, an estate, a boundary or easement dispute, or a property with a complicated history. How far the records reach in practice depends on the county; Pennsylvania Recorder of Deeds records can extend back well over two centuries, though older documents are more likely to require retrieval from physical deed books. U.S. Title Records traces the full conveyance history in the Chain of Title ($375).
Search Pennsylvania Property Records
Professional title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary title reports for any property in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, from Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks to every rural county. Recorder of Deeds and Prothonotary records, mortgage and judicial-foreclosure analysis, upset and judicial tax-sale review, municipal claim and Prothonotary judgment checks, and full chain of title. Reports from $29, delivered by email, no subscription.