HB 1658 — An Act amending the act of April 8, 1982 (P.L.310, No.87), referred to as the Recorder of Deeds Fee Law, further providing for title of act; repealing provisions relating to fee schedule; providing for definitions and for fees for recordation of documents; further providing for County Records Improvement Fund and for county demolition fund; and making repeals.

PRINTER'S NO.   2016

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1658
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY CIRESI, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS, GIRAL, GUENST,
        SHUSTERMAN, WARREN, PARKER, NEILSON AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ,
        JUNE 24, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, JUNE 25, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of April 8, 1982 (P.L.310, No.87), entitled "An
 2      act establishing fees for services of recorders of deeds in
 3      counties of the second A, third, fourth, fifth, sixth,
 4      seventh and eighth classes and home rule charter counties of
 5      these classes; authorizing a special deed and mortgage
 6      recording fee in certain counties; and establishing county
 7      demolition funds," further providing for title of act;
 8      repealing provisions relating to fee schedule; providing for
 9      definitions and for fees for recordation of documents;
10      further providing for County Records Improvement Fund and for
11      county demolition fund; and making repeals.
12      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13   hereby enacts as follows:
14      Section 1.    The title of the act of April 8, 1982 (P.L.310,
15   No.87), referred to as the Recorder of Deeds Fee Law, is amended
16   to read:
17                                  AN ACT
18   Establishing [fees for services of recorders of deeds]
19      modernization of fees for recordation of documents in
20      counties of the second A, third, fourth, fifth, sixth,
21      seventh and eighth classes and home rule charter counties of
22      these classes; authorizing a special deed and mortgage
 1      recording fee in certain counties; and establishing county
 2      demolition funds.
 3      Section 2.    Section 1 of the act is repealed:
 4      [Section 1.    The fees of the recorders of deeds in counties
 5   of the second A, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth
 6   classes shall be as follows:
 7          Instrument                                    Feeup to
 8                                                    4 names and
 9                                                        4 pages
10                                               exclusive of notations
11      Adjudication, certified excerpt................              $11.50
12      Agreement......................................              11.50
13      Articles of incorporation......................              11.50
14      Amendments.....................................              11.50
15      Assignments....................................              11.50
16      Award..........................................              11.50
17      Branding.......................................              11.50
18      Charter........................................              11.50
19      Commission - district judge....................              14.50
20      Commission - notary public and bond............              14.50
21      Commission - police and oath...................              14.50
22      Condominium:
23          Code of regulations........................              11.50
24          Declaration of plans.......................              11.50
25          Plan (24 x 36).............................              25.00
26      Consent form...................................              11.50
27      Correction instrument or re-recording..........              11.50
28      Decree of court of feme sole trader............              11.50
29      Deed...........................................              11.50
30          Each additional description................                .50

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 1          Each additional parcel number..............          .50
 2      Declaration of taking or trust.................        11.50
 3      Discharge (veteran)............................         Free
 4      Distribution...................................        11.50
 5      Easements......................................        11.50
 6      Election to take...............................        11.50
 7      Extension of mortgage..........................        11.50
 8      Finance statements.............................         9.50
 9          Secured transaction........................         9.50
10                                                        on standard
11                                                              form
12          Assignment or release......................         9.50
13                                                        on standard
14                                                              form
15          Continuation...............................         9.50
16                                                        on standard
17                                                              form
18          Termination................................         9.50
19                                                        on standard
20                                                              form
21      Finance statement-nonstandard-first supplement
22   page..............................................         2.00
23          Each additional supplement page............         1.00
24      Leases.........................................        11.50
25      Mortgages......................................        11.50
26          Each additional description................          .50
27          Each additional parcel number..............          .50
28      Mortgage satisfaction..........................         5.00
29      Order of court (except to satisfy).............        11.50
30      Order to satisfy lost mortgage.................        11.50

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 1      Ordinances.....................................    11.50
 2      Power of attorney..............................    11.50
 3      Release........................................    11.50
 4      Re-recording...................................    11.50
 5      Revocation.....................................    11.50
 6      Right-of-way...................................    11.50
 7      Sheriff's deed.................................    11.50
 8      Mortgage satisfaction piece....................    11.50
 9      Termination of Federal tax lien................     9.50
10      Filing fee for Act No. 287 of 1974.............     5.00
11           Copy - each township                           2.00
12      Preferential assessments under Act No. 319 of
13   1974..............................................    11.50
14      Certification and seal.........................     1.50
15      Each name over four............................     .50
16      Each page or part over four....................     2.00
17      Each marginal notation.........................     2.00
18      State highway and/or mining plans - first page.    10.00
19           Each additional page.......................    3.00
20           Each name indexed..........................    .50
21      Subdivision plans - fee to be set by recorder of
22   deeds
23      Acknowledgments................................     2.00
24      Searches:
25      Financial statements each debtor...............     5.00
26      Additional fee for each financing statement
27   found and for each statement of assignment
28   reported therein..................................     1.00
29      Ownership......................................     5.00
30      Change of name.................................     5.00

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 1      Mortgage assignment............................              5.00
 2      Ancillary transaction..........................              5.00
 3      Copies:
 4      Per page.......................................                .50
 5      Certification..................................              1.50
 6      Where no fee is specified the fee shall be set by the
 7   recorder of deeds.]
 8      Section 3.    The act is amended by adding sections to read:
 9      Section 1.1.   The following words and phrases when used in
10   this act shall have the meanings given to them in this section
11   unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
12      "Document."    Any document or instrument, other than a veteran
13   discharge paper, delivered to a recorder of deeds which is
14   required by law or is eligible to be recorded in person, by
15   mail, electronically or in any other manner.
16      "Flat rate."   A rate that does not vary based on any factor
17   under section 1.2(b).
18      "Statutory fee."     Any fee, tax or surcharge required by
19   regulation or act of the General Assembly to be collected upon
20   recordation of a document, including, but not limited to, the
21   surcharges imposed under section 1795.1-E of the act of April 9,
22   1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code.
23      Section 1.2.   (a)   The fees of the recorders of deeds in
24   counties of the second A, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh
25   and eighth classes, or equivalent officers in home rule charter
26   counties, for the recordation of a document shall be imposed at
27   a flat rate not to exceed $50 for the first 50 pages. An
28   additional fee, at the same rate, may be imposed for every 50
29   pages thereafter. An additional fee of $1 per name in excess of
30   25 names may be imposed for a document containing more than 25

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 1   names.
 2      (b)     No fee, other than a fee established under this section
 3   or another statutory fee, shall be charged by a recorder of
 4   deeds, an equivalent officer in a home rule charter county or
 5   any other county office for the recordation of a document,
 6   regardless of the number of times rejected, or otherwise.
 7      (c)     A county shall be subject to the following:
 8            (1)   An additional fee established in accordance with 53
 9      Pa.C.S. § 6011(a) (relating to affordable housing programs
10      fee in counties) shall be imposed at a flat rate not to
11      exceed 100% of fees collected under subsection (a).
12            (2)   A recorder of deeds may charge 50¢ per page for
13      copies and $1.50 for certifications of previously recorded
14      documents.
15      (d)     The governing body of each county shall, by resolution
16   or ordinance, establish fees in accordance with subsections (a)
17   and (c)(1) and (2), to the extent that the fees are imposed by
18   the county, within 120 days of the effective date of this
19   section and may, no more frequently than every two years, adjust
20   those fees within the limitations of this section. In the
21   absence of a resolution or ordinance by the governing body of a
22   county, the flat rate fee for the recordation of a document
23   shall be $50 for the first 50 pages.
24      Section 4.    Sections 2.1(b) and 2.2(b) of the act are amended
25   to read:
26      Section 2.1.    * * *
27      (b)     In addition to the fee charged by a recorder of deeds or
28   by an equivalent officer in a home rule charter county, a flat
29   rate fee in the amount of [$5] $10 shall be charged and
30   collected for each document recorded. The fee shall be

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 1   distributed in the following manner:
 2            (1)   The amount of [$3] $6 shall be retained in a
 3      separate fund within the office of the recorder of deeds to
 4      be used, in accordance with regular county budgeting,
 5      contracting and procurement practices, to support development
 6      and improvement of office records management activities and
 7      systems in the office of the recorder of deeds or in its
 8      equivalent in a home rule charter county. Amounts in the
 9      separate fund shall not be used to substitute any allocations
10      of general revenues for the operation of the recorder's
11      office without the express consent of the recorder. The
12      separate fund shall be audited by the appropriate auditing
13      agency, and any unexpended balance, together with interest
14      earned on the separate fund, shall be left in the separate
15      fund to accumulate from year to year. Beginning with the
16      close of the fiscal year four years after the effective date
17      of this section and every four years thereafter, any
18      unencumbered funds remaining in the separate fund shall be
19      transferred to the County Records Improvement Fund.
20            (2)   The amount of [$2] $4 shall be deposited in the
21      County Records Improvement Fund for use as prescribed in
22      subsection (c).
23      * * *
24      Section 2.2.    * * *
25      (b)   In addition to the fees charged by a recorder of deeds
26   or an equivalent officer in a county, the governing body of the
27   county may, by resolution or ordinance, authorize the recorder
28   of deeds to charge and collect a flat rate fee not to exceed $15
29   for each deed and mortgage recorded. The fee shall be deposited
30   into the county demolition fund to be used exclusively for the

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 1   demolition of blighted property situate in the county.
 2      * * *
 3      Section 5.      Repeals are as follows:
 4          (1)     The General Assembly declares that the repeals under
 5      paragraph (2) are necessary to effectuate the provisions of
 6      this act.
 7          (2)     The following acts and parts of acts are repealed:
 8                (i)    The act of December 17, 1986 (P.L.1685, No.197),
 9          relating to recorder of deeds - charges for accepting
10          documents.
11                (ii)    53 Pa.C.S. § 6011(b).
12      Section 6.      This act shall take effect immediately.




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