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Welcome To The Recorder of Deeds Office

Welcome To The Recorder of Deeds Office

Fraud Protection

The Berks County Recorder of Deeds Office offers a tool to Berks County property owners to become involved in combating fraud.   This tool is named FraudSleuth, with more details listed under the category of FraudSleuth Fraud Protection.  

Purpose

Responsibilities of the Recorder of Deeds Office include:

  • Official County Recorder of all County deeds, mortgages, and real estate transactions
  • Record all Notary Public Commissions, renewals, changes, and also swear in all Notary Publics
  • Record and maintain military discharge (DD-214) papers and issues an official Veterans Identification card
  • Record subdivision, land development plans, and highway maps.
  • Collect local and state Real Estate Transfer taxes, affordable housing fees, judicial fees and redeterminations
  • Record real estate related UCC liens
  • Record and maintain commissions and bonds for all County officials
  • Maintain records of the following documents which are no longer newly recorded: Charters of corporations, Charters of non-profit organizations and Chattel Mortgages.

News / Announcements

General Announcements

Veterans Discharge recording and Veterans I.D. Card
Our office offers free recording of your military discharge papers (DD 214). If you have not previously recorded your discharge with us, you will need to bring in your ORIGINAL discharge papers. 
General Recording Announcement
We accept documents via e-recording, in-person, or by mail. When filing documents in-person or by mail, please provide a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for the return of the document.
Notary commissions
Notary commissions accepted in the Recorder of Deeds Office Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Prothonotary registers Notary signatures until 3:45 p.m. prompt.
Payment Announcement
We no longer accept cash or personal checks for transfer tax.

News

Fee Schedule
Effective March 1, 2024, the Fee Schedule has been updated. Click on Fee Schedule for further details.
Common Level Ratio
Effective July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, the common level ratio is 2.51%
The Computer Research Area
The Research Center is open. Please call 610-478-3380 with questions or click link below.
Email Us

Featured Information

Curious Historic Documents

Curious Historic Documents

For a sampling of various Curious Historic Documents, please log into our search website by clicking on "Search Records on-Line (Register/Login)" from the menu to the left. Once you have logged in choose the Names search, in the name block type in:   Curious Historic Documents. This will give you a list of documents that you can choose and view, click on the + sign to reveal names and topics for each document. 


To search our records on-line please begin by clicking the second menu button to the left "search records on-line (register / login)". Every document ever recorded in our office since the birth of our County in 1752 is contained as a computerized image and index on this website. However, we have preserved all original record books of handwritten and typed transcriptions from the years 1752 to 1953.  From 1953 through 2004 the original records were retained on microfilm, and after that by scanned image backed up on microfilm.  From 2004 to present day, our records are retained digitally with electronic backup.

The Evolution of the Recording Process
The Evolution of the Recording Process
Click here for the video

Information and Resources

Forms

(Link to State Webpage and multiple other forms)
After clicking on the above link, please choose form "rev-183 fillin.pdf" to open Pennsylvania Statement of Value form. For your convenience, this form can be completed and printed.

View Form
Realty Transfer Tax (form only)
Form can be completed and/or printed.

View Form
Berks County Parcel Search/Viewer, Flood Plain Viewer, and Historic Resources Viewer

View Forms

FAQs

Methods for payment of document copies
Certified copies online are $10.00 per document
Regular copies from our website are 50 cents a page
Copies made in our office other than your own home's deed are 50 cents per page
Credit Card / Privacy Policy, click here
 
You may pay for certified copies of documents on our website by credit card. Please note there is a sliding rate transaction fee added to all credit card purchases.  This fee is added by our credit card processor and is not a County fee.
 
The fee will be charged based on the amount of your sale ranging from $1.75 for sales up to $50.00, $2 between $50.01 and $75, $3.75 between $75.01 and $100, $5.75 between $100.01 and $150, $7.75 between $150.01 and $200 and for sales above $200 an additional fee of $2 for every $50 increment.  This same incremental fee will be added to all escrow account deposits funded by a credit card.
  
If you would like to establish an escrow account to pay for copies please e-mail the following information to: recorder@berkspa.gov
1. Your name or business / organization name,
2. Address
3. Contact person name if business or organization,
4. Phone number,
5. E-mail address,
6. The user name(s) you created and authorize to access your account balance.
 
We will open your account once we receive a check from you for your initial deposit, mail your check made payable to, Berks County Recorder of Deeds to:
Berks County Recorder of Deeds
Berks County Services Center, Third Floor
633 Court St.
Reading PA 19601
Generally, our office records all documents received by 3:30 pm the same day. We typically hold those documents until the second day after they were recorded and then return them to the submitter or to the address the submitter supplied. For example, a Deed that was received in our office on Monday prior to 3:30 pm would be returned to the submitter or mailed on Wednesday.
This is determined by the submitter of the document. We require submitters to supply our office with a postage paid, addressed envelope with each document. Some submitters such as Title Insurance Companies or Attorneys address those to themselves and they will forward the documents. Other submitters address the envelopes directly to the new purchaser of a property.
 
A few local submitters physically pick up the documents they submitted for recording.
First check with the Title Company or Attorney that conducted your closing, they may have received it and did not yet send it to you. If they cannot help you then it may be possible that the document was lost in the mail or an improper address was supplied to us.
 
If you cannot track down the location of your document you may obtain a copy of it from us. A certified copy is just as good as an original document. You may obtain a copy in our office in person, or send us a request with the appropriate fee for copying and/or certification along with a self addressed stamped envelope. You may also obtain a document copy from the on-line search on our web-site.
You will not receive a new deed. After you have paid off your mortgage, your lender must file a satisfaction of mortgage document in our office within 60 days of them receiving your final payment. Lenders do not hold deeds in PA, you will not receive a new deed after paying off your mortgage. Your lender should send you the recorded "Satisfaction Piece" as your proof that they have removed the lien from our records. Often lenders forget to record the Satisfaction or they record it and never send you a copy. You can do a search under your name to see if the satisfaction has been recorded. If it has not then contact your lender immediately and check back with us to make sure they follow through and record the Satisfaction. If you have further questions about the return of recorded documents please give our office a call at 610-478-3380.