Northumberland County, PA Property Records

    Northumberland County's economy peaked sometime in the 19th century. The first Shamokin coal reached the market in 1814, and for the following hundred years, the anthracite industry organized most of what happened in the county's northern townships, who moved there, who stayed, and what they built. When the mines closed, they took the rationale for much of that activity with them, leaving behind a housing stock that is old, abundant, and cheap.

    The county's 90,000 residents rank it 32nd among Pennsylvania's 67 counties, a position it has occupied with remarkable stability; growth is essentially zero. The typical home value stands at $135,459, up a brisk 9.1% over the past year, but still roughly 53% below the Pennsylvania statewide average of $286,351. That price appreciation has come at a pace, with median sale prices climbing 22% year-on-year, while homes go pending in just 11 days. This is a reminder that affordability, however relative, still attracts buyers.

    The tension between cheap housing and modest incomes, however, is not benign. With a median household income of approximately $57,948, one of the lower figures among Pennsylvania counties, an estimated 29–32% of households are cost-burdened by Federal Reserve Economic Data measures, spending 30% or more of their income on housing.

    Property records are maintained at the county level by the Recorder of Deeds, with assessments and tax data administered through separate county offices.

    Who Keeps the Official Land Records

    The official custodian of all land records in Northumberland County is the Northumberland County Register & Recorder, a combined office serving as Register of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, and Clerk of Orphans' Court (5th-class county). The elected official is Christina A. Mertz, who has worked in the county since 1994 and in the Register/Recorder office since 2002.

    The office is located at the Northumberland County Courthouse, 201 Market Street, 1st Floor, Sunbury, PA 17801.

    Online deed records are accessible through Landex. E-recording is available through CSC and Simplifile. A free Record Alert system is available via Landex.

    What Northumberland County Property Records Include

    The Recorder of Deeds' function maintains all instruments affecting real property within the county. Recorded document types include: deeds (taxable and nontaxable, quitclaim, corrective), mortgages, assignments of rents and leases, termination of rents and leases, mortgage assignments, releases, satisfactions, easements and rights of way, right-of-way agreements, ordinances and restrictions, powers of attorney (real estate), UCC financing statements, articles of incorporation, notary bonds and commissions, and other instruments affecting real estate. Military service discharges (DD-214) are also recorded.

    Pennsylvania uses a recorded land title system statewide. Documents are indexed by grantor/grantee name and book and page reference. Base fees cover 4 pages, 4 names, and 1 tract; overages are charged per additional page ($2.00), name ($0.50), or tract ($0.50; except mortgages, where additional tracts are $0.50 each).

    A $2.00 marginal notation fee applies to the notation of any information in the margins of recorded documents. E-recording is available for deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, releases of mortgage, UCC filings, and powers of attorney.

    Northumberland County's eastern municipalities (Shamokin, Mt. Carmel, and Coal Township) carry a legacy of anthracite coal ownership instruments. Title chains for properties in these communities often include coal company conveyances, mine surface rights instruments, subsidence easements, and historical severances of coal interests from surface title. Research on eastern county parcels should account for these additional instrument types in the chain.

    How to Access Northumberland County Property Records

    Records can be accessed online via Landex, in person at the courthouse, by phone, by mail, or via e-recording.

    Online Access

    Northumberland County uses Landex for online deed and land record access. The Landex Webstore (Document Publishing Service) at landex.com/webstore allows pay-per-document access without a subscription, using book and page reference numbers or name-based searches. A subscription-based Landex Remote Web option.

    In Person

    • Address: 201 Market Street, 1st Floor, Sunbury, PA 17801, Hours: Monday 9:00 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; Tuesday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m. Note the earlier closing on Tuesday–Friday (4:15 p.m., not 4:30). Copies: Contact the office for current copy fees.

    By Phone

    Call (570) 988-4143 for recording fees and recording inquiries. General office: (570) 988-4310.

    By Mail

    Mail documents and payment to Northumberland County Register & Recorder, 201 Market Street, 1st Floor, Sunbury, PA 17801. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for all mail returns. Exact payment required; overpayments result in document rejection.

    E-Recording

    E-recording is available for deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, releases of mortgage, UCC filings, and powers of attorney through two vendors: CSC (866-652-0111, erecording.com) and Simplifile (800-460-5657, simplifile.com). See the county e-recording.

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

    The Register of Wills (probate, estate records, inheritance tax, wills) and the Clerk of Orphans' Court (guardianships, adoptions) are handled by the same combined elected office under Christina A. Mertz at 201 Market Street. Note that probate appointments are now required, so contact the office in advance.

    Property assessments are administered by the Northumberland County Assessment Office. Delinquent taxes are handled by the Tax Claims Bureau. The Prothonotary maintains civil court records, liens, and judgments. Zoning is administered at the municipal level; the county Planning Department can provide additional land use guidance. For statewide financial data, consult the Pennsylvania DCED.

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

    Northumberland County uses Landex for online deed access:

    • Go to the Landex Webstore at landex.com/webstore. Select Pennsylvania, then Northumberland County.

    • Search by grantor/grantee name, book/page reference, date range, or instrument number.

    • Review index results and purchase document images as needed.

    • Note all book and page references for deed, mortgage, release, and other instruments in the chain, including coal company instruments for eastern county parcels.

    • For parcel identification, contact the Assessment Office at (570) 988-4310 or through the county website.

    • For certified copies or in-office research, call (570) 988-4143 or visit 201 Market Street. Note: Tuesday–Friday closing at 4:15 p.m.

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

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

    • County Seat or City: Sunbury.

    • Other City: Shamokin.

    • City of Milton: Milton.

    • Key Boroughs: Mt. Carmel, Northumberland Borough, Danville Borough, and others.

    • Selected Townships: Coal Township, Delaware, East Cameron, Jackson, Lewis, Little Mahanoy, Lower Augusta, Lower Mahanoy, Rockefeller, Rush, Shamokin, Turbot, Upper Augusta, Upper Mahanoy, Washington, and others.

    Full municipality list at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumberland_County,_Pennsylvania.

    City/Town Resources for Assessments & Taxes

    Property assessments are administered at the county level by the Northumberland County Assessment Office. The Tax Claims Bureau handles delinquent tax proceedings. Current-year tax collection is administered at the municipal level.

    Zoning is administered by individual municipalities; the county Planning Department can provide general zoning and land use information for unincorporated or county-regulated areas.

    Northumberland County-Specific Nuances

    • Asymmetric hours: Monday closes at 4:45 p.m.; Tuesday–Friday closes at 4:15 p.m. Northumberland County's Register & Recorder's Office keeps different hours depending on the day of the week: Monday 9:00 a.m.–4:45 p.m. and Tuesday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m. The earlier Tuesday–Friday closing (4:15 p.m.) is the earliest standard closing time. Practitioners accustomed to 4:30 p.m. closings must plan submissions for same-day recording to arrive before 4:15 p.m. on non-Monday weekdays.

    • Overpayment rejection (same as underpayment). Northumberland County's deed recording requirements state that “correct recording fees are required, or the document will be rejected (even if the fees are over).” This is one of the few counties where submitting too much money results in the same outcome as submitting too little, outright rejection. Calculate recording fees exactly before submitting.

    • Separate checks are NOT required for taxable deeds, one check covers all. The county's own deed recording requirements page states that separate checks are not required for taxable deeds (the 1% state transfer tax, 1% local transfer tax, and recording fee may all be on one check).

    • No blanket assignments or satisfaction pieces accepted. Northumberland County does not accept blanket mortgage assignments or blanket satisfaction pieces. Each assignment or satisfaction must identify a specific individual mortgage instrument and cannot be in blanket form covering multiple mortgages.

    • Probate appointments required. The Register of Wills function within the combined office now requires appointments for probate. This applies to estate matters, not to deed recording. Contact the office in advance for any probate or estate-related needs.

    • E-recording is limited to specific document types. Northumberland County's e-recording is available for a specific set of listed document types: deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, releases of mortgage, UCC filings, and powers of attorney.

    Other document types not on this list must be submitted in person or by mail. Contact the office or e-recording vendors (CSC or Simplifile) to confirm current document-type eligibility before submitting via e-recording.

    • Anthracite coal is mined in the eastern counties of the title chain. Properties in Shamokin, Mt. Carmel, and Coal Township frequently have title chains that include coal company conveyances, mineral rights severances, mine subsidence easements, and surface rights instruments dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    • Joseph Priestley Museum and American Chemical Society history: Northumberland Borough is home to the Joseph Priestley House, a National Historic Landmark where the discoverer of oxygen lived from 1796 until he died in 1804. A colloquium of chemists held at the house in 1874 is considered the founding event of the American Chemical Society.

    Researchers working on Northumberland Borough parcels in the vicinity of the Priestley House should be aware that the property and adjacent parcels have been under various institutional and historical society ownerships, creating a nuanced title history.

    Typical Contents of a Northumberland County Property Record

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

    • Deeds:

      • Grantor and grantee names (consistent throughout document).

      • Complete legal description, including municipality and county.

      • Consideration amount or Statement of Value ($2.00 fee, submitted in duplicate).

      • Certificate of Residence for the grantee.

      • Notarial acknowledgment (acknowledgment date on or after execution date).

      • For multi-municipality deeds: percentage transfer tax per municipality.

      • For eastern county parcels: potential coal company instruments and mineral rights instruments in the chain.

    • Mortgages and Related:

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

      • Assignments, releases, and satisfactions (no blanket forms accepted).

    • Other Common Instruments:

      • Easements, rights of way, right-of-way agreements.

      • Assignments of rents and leases (no extra tract charge).

      • Termination of rents and leases.

      • Ordinances and restrictions.

      • UCC financing statements.

      • Notary bonds and commissions.

      • Powers of attorney (real estate).

      • Military service discharges (DD-214).

      • Marginal notations ($2.00 each).

    Recording Changes to Property Titles

    All new deeds, mortgages, easements, and other instruments affecting real property in Northumberland County must be recorded with the Register & Recorder. Submissions may be made in person (before 4:15 p.m. Tuesday–Friday; before 4:45 p.m. Monday), by mail, or via e-recording.

    Payment must be in the exact amount; both underpayment and overpayment result in rejection. A single check may cover the state transfer tax (1%), the local transfer tax (1%), and the recording fees combined. Include a SASE for mail submissions. Include a Statement of Value in duplicate for deeds without stated consideration, gift deeds, or exemption claims ($2.00 fee, one copy charged). Do not use blanket assignments or satisfaction forms.

    The base deed recording fee is $85.25. Each additional page: $2.00. Each additional name: $0.50. Each additional tract is $0.50. Statement of Value: $2.00 (one copy charged). Marginal notation: $2.00. Mortgage: $85.25. Right of Way Easement: $58.75.

    Practical Research Flow (Checklist)

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

    • Search online via Landex Webstore. Go to landex.com/webstore. Select Pennsylvania, then Northumberland County. Search by name or book/page.

    • For eastern county parcels, search for coal instruments. In Shamokin, Mt. Carmel, Coal Township, and adjacent eastern communities, look for coal company deeds, mineral severances, and subsidence easements in the chain.

    • Note all book/page references. Collect deed, mortgage, release, and other instrument references.

    • Look up parcel data. Contact the Assessment Office at (570) 988-4310 for parcel identification.

    • Sign up for Record Alert. Free at landex.com/recordalert/northumberland. Name-based email alerts.

    • Verify zoning. Contact the specific municipality. County Planning can assist with additional guidance.

    • Check delinquent taxes. Contact the Tax Claims Bureau through the county website.

    • Prepare recording documents. Exact payment only, one check can cover all taxes and recording fees; SASE for mail, Tuesday–Friday deadline 4:15 p.m. (Monday 4:45 p.m.); no blanket assignments or satisfaction pieces; SOV $2.00 in duplicate (one copy charged); e-record eligible document types via CSC or Simplifile; probate appointments required for estate matters.

    Appendix A: Municipalities in Northumberland County

    Northumberland County has approximately.

    • County Seat or City: Sunbury.

    • Other Cities: Shamokin.

    • Key Boroughs: Mt. Carmel, Northumberland Borough, Watsontown, and others.

    • Selected Townships: Coal Township, Delaware, East Cameron, Jackson, Lewis, Little Mahanoy, Lower Augusta, Lower Mahanoy, Rockefeller, Rush, Shamokin Township, Turbot, Upper Augusta, Upper Mahanoy, Washington, and others.

    Full list at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumberland_County,_Pennsylvania.

    Appendix B: Key Contacts & Portals

    E-Recording