Pennsylvania Quitclaim Deed
Transfer your interest in a Pennsylvania property — between family, into a trust or LLC, or after a divorce — and download a print-ready PDF with Pennsylvania’s signing rules built in. Free, no signup.
Maintained by Rapi Stack · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified 2026 · Not legal advice.
Pennsylvania deed rules · as of 2026
- Witnesses (besides notary)
- None — notary only
- Where to record
- Recorder of Deeds
- Transfer tax
- Yes — see below
Source: 21 P.S. § 42 · verify ↗. A deed moves real property — have someone qualified review it before you sign, and record it promptly.
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Pennsylvania signing & recording
No — in Pennsylvania the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (21 P.S. § 42, as of 2026). 21 P.S. § 42 — before recording, the grantor must acknowledge the deed (or, alternatively, two or more witnesses to its execution may prove it); 21 P.S. § 444 directs that deeds be acknowledged/proved and recorded in the county where the land lies within 90 days Record the signed deed with the Recorder of Deeds. Transfer tax: Realty Transfer Tax, 72 P.S. § 8102-C: state tax of 1% of value plus local realty transfer tax (typically another 1%; ~3.278% total in Philadelphia); transfers between spouses, parent/child, siblings, grandparent/grandchild for no or nominal consideration are excluded (72 P.S. § 8102-C.3(6)), with a 1-year lookback on re-transfer Check the current Pennsylvania deed rules before recording.
Married? If the property is (or may be) your homestead, your spouse may need to sign the deed even if they are not on title — several states require it, and a deed missing that signature can be rejected for recording or invalid. Use the “Co-grantor / spouse” field above to add their signature line, and check your state’s rule before recording.
Existing mortgage? Transferring mortgaged property can trigger the loan’s “due-on-sale” clause. Federal law (12 U.S.C. §1701j-3(d), the Garn–St Germain Act) bars lenders from enforcing it for several transfers of residential property with fewer than five dwelling units — including a transfer to the borrower’s spouse or children, a transfer resulting from a divorce decree, and a transfer into an inter vivos (living) trust in which the borrower is and remains a beneficiary. The loan itself stays in place either way — nobody is released until it is refinanced. Read the statute ↗
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania require witnesses on a quitclaim deed?
No — in Pennsylvania the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (21 P.S. § 42, as of 2026). 21 P.S. § 42 — before recording, the grantor must acknowledge the deed (or, alternatively, two or more witnesses to its execution may prove it); 21 P.S. § 444 directs that deeds be acknowledged/proved and recorded in the county where the land lies within 90 days
Where do I record the deed in Pennsylvania?
With the Recorder of Deeds where the property is located. Recording is what makes the transfer visible to the world — an unrecorded deed can be valid between the parties but lose to a later buyer or lender who records first. Take the original signed deed, pay the recording fee, and keep the returned stamped copy.
Is there a transfer tax in Pennsylvania?
Realty Transfer Tax, 72 P.S. § 8102-C: state tax of 1% of value plus local realty transfer tax (typically another 1%; ~3.278% total in Philadelphia); transfers between spouses, parent/child, siblings, grandparent/grandchild for no or nominal consideration are excluded (72 P.S. § 8102-C.3(6)), with a 1-year lookback on re-transfer Check the current rate and exemptions before recording — the recorder will not accept the deed without the required tax forms or stamps.
How does Pennsylvania compare? See the deed witness requirements in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Pennsylvania compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Pennsylvania: 21 P.S. § 42 ↗.
- Pennsylvania is one of 38 of 51 jurisdictions that charge a transfer or documentary tax when a deed is recorded (13 charge no state transfer tax on deeds).
- Witnesses required (beyond the notary)
Witnesses required (beyond the notary): 0, exactly the national median.
This is the most common figure nationally — shared by 45 other states.
Witnesses required (beyond the notary) in neighboring states — Delaware (0), Maryland (0), New Jersey (0), New York (0), Ohio (0), West Virginia (0). Every neighboring state with a rule matches Pennsylvania.
The rest of what Pennsylvania requires
The figures below are Pennsylvania's, not national averages — each one is the value we verified for this state, with the statute it comes from. Follow a row to the full Pennsylvania page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- 2 months' rent (1st year; 1 month thereafter) 68 Pa. Stat. §250.511a & §250.512 ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 30 days after move-out 68 Pa. Stat. §250.511a & §250.512 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 15 days 68 Pa. Stat. §250.511a & §250.512 ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 10 days to pay or quit 68 Pa. Stat. § 250.501(b) ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $12,000 42 Pa.C.S. § 1515(a)(3); 42 Pa.C.S. § 1123(a)(4) (Philadelphia) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Magisterial District Court (Philadelphia: Municipal Court) · filing fee Statutory base tiers in 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725.1(a): $30 (≤$500), $40 ($500–$2,000), $50 ($2,000–$4,000), $75 ($4,000–$12,000) — adjusted for CPI since 1994, so actual current MDJ filing costs run roughly $70–$180 by claim size, plus constable/sheriff service per defendant 42 Pa.C.S. § 1515(a)(3); 42 Pa.C.S. § 1123(a)(4) (Philadelphia) ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- No statutory limit Pennsylvania Statutes ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Pennsylvania PennDOT ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization required · 2 witnesses 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. §5601 ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules 15 Pa.C.S. § 8812 (definition); § 8815 (scope) ↗
Quitclaim deed in other states
More Pennsylvania legal forms
Different state? See quitclaim deeds by state →