Jefferson County, PA Property Records

    Jefferson County has 43,864 residents, and its county seat is Brookville Borough, a small community at the confluence of the North Fork and Sandy Lick creeks in the western part of the county.

    The county's most widely recognized identity is as the home of Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog whose annual February 2 emergence on Groundhog Day draws national media attention and tens of thousands of visitors to Punxsutawney each year. Punxsutawney, with a population of roughly 5,800, is the county's largest community and its commercial center.

    The American Community Survey estimates a median home value of approximately $105,500 for the county, with a median household income of $58,686. The market is characterized by a mix of rural residential land, small-borough housing stock, and recreational and timberland parcels. Title chains in Jefferson County frequently include oil and gas lease instruments and timber rights, reflecting the county's historical involvement in the Pennsylvania petroleum and lumber industries.

    Who Keeps the Official Land Records

    The official custodian of all land records in Jefferson County is the Jefferson County Register of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, and Clerk of Orphans' Court, a triple-function combined office. The elected official is Brianna Bullers. The office is located on the second floor of the Jefferson County Courthouse, 200 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825.

    Online records are accessible through Infocon County Access. E-recording is available through CSC (the office's sole e-recording vendor). The county office also holds birth and death records from 1893 through 1906; records after 1906 are filed with the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records.

    What Jefferson County Property Records Include

    The Recorder of Deeds function within the Register & Recorder office maintains all instruments affecting real property in the county. Document types recorded include deeds (warranty, quitclaim, correction, trustee, personal representative, and mineral deeds), mortgages, mortgage satisfactions and releases, assignments, easements and rights-of-way, installment land contracts, memoranda of agreement, powers of attorney, agricultural security area documents, subdivision maps and plans, UCC financing statements, and notary commissions.

    Pennsylvania uses a recorded land title system statewide. Documents are indexed by grantor/grantee name, instrument number, and book and page reference upon recording. The Uniform Parcel Identifier (UPI) number must appear on all documents submitted for recording. For assistance with UPI numbers, contact the County Mapping Department.

    Jefferson County's historical economy in oil, gas, and timber means that mineral deed severances, oil and gas leases, and timber rights instruments are common in county title chains, particularly in the rural townships of the eastern and central parts of the county.

    Researching a rural Jefferson County parcel may require tracing these instruments separately from the surface deed chain. The office also holds birth and death records from 1893 through 1906, which can be relevant to estate and chain-of-title research involving decedents from that era.

    How to Access Jefferson County Property Records

    Records can be accessed online via Infocon County Access, in person at the courthouse, by phone, by mail, or via e-recording through CSC.

    Online Access

    Jefferson County uses Infocon County Access for remote deed and land record searches. Infocon is a subscription-based service; users register for an account and are billed based on usage. Searches can be performed by grantor or grantee name, instrument number, book and page reference, and other indexed fields. Infocon is the same platform used by Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Forest, Fulton, and Huntingdon counties.

    In Person

    • Address: 200 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Brookville, PA 15825. Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (closed holidays). Public terminals are available in the office for on-site searching. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of recorded documents.

    By Phone

    Call (814) 849-1610 during office hours (Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.). The same office handles Register of Wills and Orphans' Court matters.

    By Mail

    Mail documents to Jefferson County Register & Recorder, 200 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Brookville, PA 15825. Include all required fees and a self-addressed stamped return envelope.

    E-Recording

    E-recording is available exclusively through CSC (Corporation Service Company), the county's sole e-recording vendor. Contact CSC at (866) 652-0111, erecording@cscglobal.com, erecording.com. Jefferson County's acceptance of only one e-recording vendor (CSC) distinguishes it from many PA counties that accept two or more vendors, so confirm your submitter account is set up with CSC specifically before electronic submission.

    What's Not at the Recorder's Office (But Matters for Property Research)

    The Register & Recorder maintains recorded title instruments only. Property assessment values, parcel data, and GIS mapping are administered by the Jefferson County Assessment Tax Claim Office at the courthouse. UPI numbers are assigned through the County Mapping Department, also at the courthouse.

    Jefferson County does not maintain a county-wide zoning ordinance. Zoning is administered entirely at the municipal level in Jefferson County. To verify zoning for a specific parcel, contact the township or borough where the property is located. For statewide tax and financial data, consult the Pennsylvania DCED.

    Delinquent property taxes are handled by the Jefferson County Tax Claim Bureau, also at the courthouse. Court-filed liens, judgments, and other judicial encumbrances are maintained by the Prothonotary's Office at the courthouse separately from the Register & Recorder.

    Step-by-Step: How to Pull a Deed Online

    Jefferson County uses Infocon County Access for online deed searches. Here are the steps:

    • Go to infoconcountyaccess.com and create or log in to an Infocon account.

    • Select Jefferson County from the county list.

    • Search by grantor or grantee name, instrument number, or book and page reference.

    • Review the index results. Infocon's billing is usage-based; charges apply when viewing document images.

    • Note the book and page number for any document of interest. This reference is used in subsequent searches for related instruments (releases, assignments, satisfactions).

    • For documents not available online, or for certified copies, contact the office at (814) 849-1610 or visit in person during office hours.

    Cities & Towns in Jefferson County (and Their Record Custodians)

    All recorded property documents for every municipality in Jefferson County are maintained by the single Jefferson County Register & Recorder in Brookville.

    • County Seat Borough: Western Pennsylvania Laurel Festival.

    • Largest Borough: home of Punxsutawney Phil; annual Groundhog Day ceremony at Gobbler's Knob in adjacent Mahoning Township.

    • Other Boroughs: Brockway, Corsica, Falls Creek, Reynoldsville, Ringgold, Rose, Summerville, Sykesville, Timblin, Worthville. Verify the complete current list with the county office.

    • Townships: Barnett, Bell, Clover, Eldred, Gaskill, Heath, Henderson, Knox, McCalmont, Mahoning, Oliver, Perry, Pine Creek, Polk, Porter, Ringgold, Rose, Snyder, Union, Winslow, Warsaw, Washington, and others. Verify the complete list with the county office.

    Municipality list per county, from the county websites and Wikipedia. Confirm the full list at jeffersoncountypa.gov/departments/municipalities/.

    City/Town Resources for Assessments & Taxes

    Property assessments are administered at the county level by the Jefferson County Assessment/Tax Claim Office at the courthouse. The Jefferson County GIS Department provides GIS and parcel mapping services. The Jefferson County Tax Claim Bureau handles delinquent tax proceedings. For statewide data, consult the PA DCED.

    Note: Falls Creek Borough straddles the Jefferson–Clearfield county line. Properties in Falls Creek may be recorded at either Jefferson County's or Clearfield County's Recorder of Deeds, depending on which side of the boundary the specific parcel falls. Always confirm the county of record before ordering documents or preparing a recording for a Falls Creek property.

    Zoning in Jefferson County is administered entirely at the municipal level. There is no county zoning ordinance. Contact the individual township or borough for zoning, land use, and building permit questions.

    Jefferson County-Specific Nuances

    • CSC is the sole e-recording vendor, no Simplifile or other alternatives. The Jefferson County Register & Recorder accepts e-recording only through CSC. Unlike most PA counties that accept both CSC and Simplifile (and sometimes EPN or Indecomm as well), Jefferson County has a single e-recording vendor. If your organization uses a different e-recording platform, you will need to set up a CSC account or submit by mail or in person.

    • Jefferson County's online records use Infocon County Access, the same subscription-based platform as Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Forest, Fulton, and Huntingdon counties. A single Infocon account grants access to all participating counties. Billing is usage-based (per session or per document, depending on the plan).

    • Self-addressed stamped envelope required with all mail recordings. The office explicitly requires a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to be included with any mail-in recording submission. Documents submitted without a return envelope will not be processed until the omission is corrected.

    • Statement of Value: Provide the original and a copy if required. For deed recordings where a Statement of Value (SOV) is required, such as where consideration is not stated in the deed, or where a transfer tax exemption is claimed, the Jefferson County office requires both the original SOV and one copy. The SOV page also counts toward the total page count for recording fee calculation purposes.

    • UPI number required on all documents; confirm the fee with the office. A Uniform Parcel Identifier number is required on all documents submitted for recording. The UPI fee amount is not prominently published online. Contact the office at (814) 849-1610 to confirm the current per-parcel UPI fee before submitting. UPI assistance is available from the County Mapping Department at the courthouse.

    • No county-wide zoning; all zoning is municipal. Jefferson County has no county zoning ordinance. Every zoning question must be directed to the specific municipality (township or borough) where the property is located. This is different from counties such as Indiana County, where the county maintains a separate zoning framework for unincorporated areas.

    • Oil, gas, and timber instruments are common in Jefferson County title chains. Jefferson County was part of the original Pennsylvania oil belt, and logging drove much of the 19th-century economy. A thorough title search for rural land in Jefferson County should trace not only the surface deed chain but also any mineral deed severances, oil and gas lease memoranda, and timber rights conveyances that may have been recorded. These instruments can affect surface use rights and marketability.

    • Birth and death records (1893–1906) are held in this office. The Register & Recorder holds original birth and death records from 1893 through 1906. These records are sometimes relevant to chain-of-title research when tracing ownership through estates and inheritances involving decedents from that period. Records after 1906 are maintained by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records.

    • Punxsutawney Borough is larger than the county seat. Researchers should not assume that the county seat (Brookville) is the largest or most commercially active community. Punxsutawney, with roughly 5,800 residents, is the county's largest borough and has its own active real estate market.

    The borough's Groundhog Day tourism economy generates a steady volume of hospitality and commercial property transactions. Gobbler's Knob, the site of the annual ceremony, is located in Mahoning Township, not within Punxsutawney Borough limits.

    Typical Contents of a Jefferson County Property Record

    When reviewing recorded instruments at the Jefferson County Register & Recorder, you will typically find:

    • Deeds:

      • Grantor and grantee names.

      • Complete legal description of the property.

      • Consideration amount or Statement of Value (original plus copy if SOV).

      • Certificate of Residence for the grantee.

      • Uniform Parcel Identifier (UPI) number.

      • Notarial acknowledgment (county, state, date, notary signature, seal, expiration).

    • Mortgages and Related:

      • Lender/borrower names, property description, and loan terms.

      • Satisfactions, releases, modifications, and assignments.

    • Other Common Instruments:

      • Easements and rights-of-way.

      • Oil and gas lease memoranda and mineral deed severances.

      • Timber rights and conveyances.

      • Installment land contracts and memoranda of agreement.

      • Agricultural security area documents.

      • Subdivision maps, plans, and plats.

      • Powers of attorney.

      • Liens and lien-related instruments.

    Recording Changes to Property Titles

    All new deeds, mortgages, easements, and other instruments affecting real property in Jefferson County must be recorded with the Register & Recorder. Submissions may be made in person, by mail, or via e-recording through CSC.

    Before submitting, obtain the UPI number for the parcel from the County Mapping Department (call (814) 849-1610 for referral) and include it on the document. Pennsylvania's 2% Realty Transfer Tax (1% state + 1% local) applies to most deed transactions. All deeds must include the true consideration or be accompanied by a Statement of Value (original plus one copy). Include a self-addressed stamped return envelope with all mail submissions.

    The base recording fee for deeds, mortgages, leases, rights of way, agreements, affidavits, agricultural security documents, memoranda, and powers of attorney is $58.75 for up to 4 pages and 4 names. Satisfactions, releases, modifications, terminations, assignments, corrective deeds, corrective mortgages, and subordinate mortgages start at $60.75. Additional pages are $2.00 each (the SOV page counts toward the total). Additional names are $0.50 each. A charge of $2.00 is added for the receipt page when a state or local transfer tax is being paid. Download the current fee schedule from the office website before preparing payment, as the JCS fee was increased by $1.00 effective December 1, 2025, per the PA state budget.

    Practical Research Flow (Checklist)

    A practical approach for researching property records in Jefferson County, PA:

    • Search online via Infocon County Access. Go to infoconcountyaccess.com, select Jefferson County, and search by grantor/grantee name, instrument number, or book and page.

    • Notebook and page references. Collect book and page numbers for all related instrument releases, satisfactions, and assignments.

    • Check for mineral, oil, and gas, and timber instruments. Rural Jefferson County parcels frequently have mineral deed severances, oil and gas lease memoranda, and timber conveyances in the title chain. Search the index for these separately.

    • Confirm the UPI number. Contact the Jefferson County Mapping Department or Assessment Tax Claim Office to verify the UPI/parcel number for the property.

    • Check assessment data. Contact the Jefferson County Assessment/Tax Claim Office for parcel value, characteristics, and current tax status.

    • Confirm zoning with the municipality. Jefferson County has no county zoning. Contact the relevant township or borough directly for zoning, land use, and building requirements.

    • Check delinquent tax status. Contact the Jefferson County Tax Claim Bureau at the courthouse.

    • For Falls Creek properties, confirm the county of record. Falls Creek Borough straddles the Jefferson–Clearfield county line. Confirm which county holds the relevant parcel before searching or recording.

    • Prepare recording documents. Include UPI number; include SASE; provide SOV original plus copy where required; e-record through CSC only; confirm current UPI fee with the office before submitting.

    Appendix A Municipalities in Jefferson County

    Jefferson County has 34 incorporated municipalities: 24 townships and 10 boroughs. There are no cities.

    • County Seat Borough: Western Pennsylvania Laurel Festival.

    • Largest Borough: home of Punxsutawney Phil; annual Groundhog Day ceremony at Gobbler's Knob in adjacent Mahoning Township.

    • Other Boroughs: Brockway, Corsica, Falls Creek, Reynoldsville, Ringgold, Rose, Summerville, Sykesville, Timblin, Worthville. Verify the complete current list with the county office.

    • Townships: Barnett, Bell, Clover, Eldred, Gaskill, Heath, Henderson, Knox, McCalmont, Mahoning, Oliver, Perry, Pine Creek, Polk, Porter, Ringgold, Rose, Snyder, Union, Winslow, Warsaw, Washington, and others. Verify the complete list with the county office.

    Municipality list per Wikipedia and county website. Confirm the full and current list at jeffersoncountypa.gov/departments/municipalities/.

    Appendix B Key Contacts & Portals