Potter County, PA Property Records

With roughly 16,000 residents, Potter County is Pennsylvania's 63rd most populous county and is shrinking at a rate of 0.3% annually. The county seat of Coudersport itself has shed more than a fifth of its population since 2019.

The housing market is so thin that statistics require caution. With approximately 17,000 housing units serving 16,000 residents, vacancy is substantial, and a significant share of the stock consists of hunting cabins and seasonal dwellings. The typical home value stands at approximately $152,000, down 2.0% over the past year and roughly 47% below the Pennsylvania statewide average of $286,351. Homes average around 148 days on the market before sale.

According to Federal Reserve Economic Data, an estimated 28–31% of households are cost-burdened. With a median household income of approximately $57,300, modest incomes are at least partially offset by the state's lowest property values.

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

Who Keeps the Official Land Records

The official custodian of all land records in Potter County is the Potter County Register and Recorder, a combined office serving as Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds (8th-class county; same structure as Cameron, Forest, Fulton, and Montour counties). The elected official is Nicole Larsen. The office is located at the Gunzburger Building, One North Main Street, 1st Floor, Coudersport, PA 16915.

Online deed records are accessible through Landex (Remote and Webstore). E-recording is available through three vendors: CSC, Simplifile, and Indecomm. A free Record Alert system (name and tax parcel ID, via Landex) alerts registrants by email or text message.

What Potter County Property Records Include

The Recorder of Deeds maintains all instruments affecting real property within the county. Recorded document types include deeds (warranty, quitclaim, corrective, and others), mortgages, mortgage releases, mortgage assignments, easements and rights of way, agreements, leases, maps and plans, powers of attorney, notary bonds and commissions, and other instruments affecting real estate. Courthouse records date from approximately 1804.

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 and 4 names; additional pages: $2.00 each; additional names: $0.50 each; additional parcels: $0.50 each. Always verify fees against the county's current 2026 fee schedule, available from the Recorder's office or Register and Recorder.

Potter County's extremely low population and land-use character mean that a substantial proportion of recorded instruments involve timber rights, mineral rights, agricultural easements, and hunting/fishing lease instruments.

Susquehannock State Forest occupies a large portion of the county, and oil and gas leases, timber leases, and game land boundary instruments appear regularly in the recording index. Researchers conducting due diligence on Potter County land should routinely search for these instrument types in addition to the standard deed and mortgage chain.

How to Access Potter County Property Records

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

Online Access

Potter County uses Landex for online access to property records. Two options: Landex Remote subscription-based, account required, time-and-page billed, for frequent professional users; and Landex Webstore pay-per-document, no subscription required. The county is one of 30 PA counties offering Landex remote access.

In Person

Address: Gunzburger Building, One North Main Street, 1st Floor, Coudersport, PA 16915, Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Copies: $0.50/page (public self-service); $1.00/page (staff-made copies); $1.00/page mailed with $3.00 minimum. Scanned map copies by mail or email: $7.00 each.

By Phone

Call (814) 274-8370 Ext. 262 (Nicole Larsen) or the main line at (814) 274-8370 during regular office hours.

By Mail

Mail documents and payment to Potter County Register and Recorder, One North Main Street, 1st Floor, Coudersport, PA 16915. Contact the office to confirm SASE requirements and the current fee schedule before mailing.

E-Recording

E-recording is available through three vendors: CSC (erecording.com), Simplifile (simplifile.com), and Indecomm.

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

The Register of Wills (probate, estate records, inheritance tax) is handled by the same combined office under Nicole Larsen at the Gunzburger Building. Estate records are integrated into the same Landex system as deed records.

Property assessments are administered by the Potter County Tax Claim and Assessment Office. The county's GIS / Mapping department provides parcel mapping. Zoning is administered at the municipal level; there is no county-wide zoning ordinance. The Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts at the courthouse maintains civil court records, judgments, and, notably for researchers, an enormous volume of no-fault divorce proceedings filed by out-of-county residents. For statewide data, consult the Pennsylvania DCED.

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

Potter County uses Landex for online deed access:

Go to the Landex Webstore. Select Pennsylvania, then Potter County.
Search by grantor or grantee name, book and page, date range, or document type.
Note all book and page references for deed, mortgage, release, and other instruments in the chain. For rural and timber mineral parcels, search also for oil and gas leases, timber rights instruments, and agricultural easements.
For parcel data and tax parcel IDs, contact the Tax Claim and Assessment Office.
For certified copies or in-office research, visit the Gunzburger Building, Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Staff copies: $1.00 per page.

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

All recorded property documents for every municipality in Potter County are maintained by the single Potter County Register and Recorder in Coudersport.

County Seat: Coudersport Borough.
Key Boroughs: Galeton, Austin, Shinglehouse, Roulette, Ulysses, Genesee, and the Westfield area.
Selected Townships: Allegany, Hector, Bingham, Clara, Eulalia, Homer, Keating, Pike, Pleasant Valley, Sharon, Stewardson, Sweden, Sylvania, West Branch, Wharton, and others.

Full list at pottercountypa.gov/municipalities/.

City/Town Resources for Assessments & Taxes

Property assessments are administered at the county level by the Potter County Tax Claim and Assessment Office (accessible through the county website). Parcel identification numbers and the county GIS mapping system are available.

Zoning is administered by individual municipalities, with no county-wide ordinance. The county's Planning Commission can provide guidance for unincorporated or planning-regulated areas.

Potter County-Specific Nuances

8th class county combined Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds. Potter County's small population makes it an 8th-class county, the smallest class in Pennsylvania's classification system, with Nicole Larsen serving both the Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds functions under a single elected office. This is the same combined structure seen in Cameron, Forest, Fulton, and Montour counties.
Hector and Allegany townships require the school district to be stated in the deed. Deeds for property located in Hector Township or Allegany Township must include the school district in the deed. This requirement is unique to these two townships and appears to relate to transfer tax allocation between multiple school district jurisdictions.

Omitting the school district from a deed in these townships will likely result in rejection. Verify with the office at (814) 274-8370 which school district applies to the specific parcel.

Multiple-municipality conveyances must state the consideration percentage per municipality. When a deed conveys property located in more than one municipality, the percentage of the purchase consideration allocated to each municipality must be stated in the deed.

This is the standard PA requirement for local transfer tax allocation, but it is especially relevant in Potter County, where large parcels routinely straddle township lines across this large, lightly parceled county.

Three e-recording vendors, including Indecomm. Potter County accepts e-recording through CSC, Simplifile, and Indecomm. Indecomm is not a commonly listed vendor; it joins Cambria County as one of the few PA counties offering it. Any of the three vendors may be used.
Record Alert available by name AND tax parcel ID email or text: The Recorder's free Record Alert system (via Landex) notifies registrants when any document associated with their name or tax parcel ID is filed.

Notifications are sent via email and text message (user's choice) and can be set up for multiple name spellings and parcel IDs. The county website notes this helps landowners recognize fraud and track documents such as deeds, rights of way, leases, and mortgages.

Timber, mineral rights, and natural resource leases in title chains. Potter County's economy has historically centered on timber and natural resources, and a large portion of the county is covered by the Susquehannock State Forest. Title chains for rural parcels frequently include oil and gas leases, timber rights instruments, agricultural easements, and state game land boundary instruments.

A complete chain of title for Potter County land requires searching not just deeds and mortgages but also lease instruments and easements. Many historic timber-era conveyances severed surface rights from subsurface rights; always check for mineral rights severances.

Divorce filing venue: 6,000 plus non-resident filings per year. Potter County's Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts office receives more than 6,000 divorce filings per year from non-residents, generated by Pennsylvania's no-fault divorce venue rules. This does not affect deed recording, but it does mean the courthouse processes an unusually high volume of civil filings relative to its population. The resulting revenues support county government functions.

Researchers should not mistake the high Prothonotary volume for real estate activity recording volume; at the Recorder of Deeds is modest, consistent with the low population and slow market.

Records from 1804, courthouse built in 1874. The Recorder's office has deed, mortgage, and will records dating from approximately 1804, when Potter County was created. The current courthouse at 1 East Second Street, Coudersport, was completed in 1874. Genealogical records available at the courthouse include marriages from 1885 and births and deaths from 1893 to 1905. The Potter County Historical Society (308 North Main Street, Coudersport; open Mondays and Fridays 1–4 p.m.) holds additional historical and genealogical materials.
No MSA affiliation, fully independent rural market. Potter County is not part of any Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Area. It stands entirely alone as one of Pennsylvania's most remote and self-contained real estate markets. Transaction volume is low, and days on market are long, upward of 100–150 days in recent data. Pricing is primarily driven by land character, access, hunting recreation value, and proximity to Coudersport's commercial services.

Typical Contents of a Potter County Property Record

When reviewing recorded instruments at the Potter County Register and 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 (Affidavit of Value for exempt transactions).
- Certificate of Residence for the grantee.
- Uniform Parcel Identifier number.
- For Hector or Allegany Township, the school district is stated in the deed.
- For multi-municipality parcels: percentage of consideration per municipality.
- Notarial acknowledgment (county, state, date, names, notary signature, seal, expiration date).
Mortgages and Related:
- Lender borrower names, property description, and loan terms.
- Releases ($58.75) and assignments ($58.75).
Other Common Instruments:
- Easements and rights of way ($58.75).
- Oil and gas leases, timber leases, and mineral rights instruments.
- Agricultural easements and Susquehannock State Forest boundary instruments.
- Powers of attorney ($18.50).
- Notary bonds and commissions.
- Military service discharges (DD-214).

Recording Changes to Property Titles

All new deeds, mortgages, easements, and other instruments affecting real property in Potter County must be recorded with the Register and Recorder. Submissions may be made in person (Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.), by mail, or via e-recording (CSC, Simplifile, or Indecomm).

Include the UPI on all deeds. For Hector or Allegany Township deeds, state the school district. For multi-municipality deeds, state the consideration percentage per municipality. Pennsylvania's 2% Realty Transfer Tax (1% state + 1% local) applies to most deed transactions. Include an original Affidavit of Value when claiming an exemption. For corrective documents, reference the original instrument and include the reason for correction.

Base deed, mortgage recording fee is approximately $73.75 for up to 4 pages and 4 names (pre-Dec 2025 fee; verify current rate against the county's 2026 fee schedule at (814) 274-8370). Additional pages: $2.00 each. Additional names: $0.50 each. Additional parcels: $0.50 each. Mortgage Release, Assignment, Easement, ROW, $58.75 base. Copies: $0.50 per page (self-service); $1.00 page (staff); mail: $1.00 per page with a $3.00 minimum.

Practical Research Flow (Checklist)

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

Search online via Landex Webstore. Go to landex.com/webstore. Select Pennsylvania, then Potter County.
Search for the full chain: deeds, mortgages, releases, AND natural resource instruments. In Potter County, timber leases, oil and gas leases, mineral rights instruments, and agricultural easements are common parts of the chain. Search by all relevant grantor or grantee names.
Check for mineral rights severances. Many historic Potter County conveyances severed surface rights from subsurface mineral rights. Confirm whether subsurface rights were retained or separately conveyed.
Verify the Hector Allegany school district for affected parcels. Call (814) 274-8370 if unsure which school district applies to a parcel in these townships.
Verify parcel data. Contact the Tax Claim and Assessment Office.
Set up Record Alert. Free at landex.com/recordalert/?county=potter. Register by name and tax parcel ID; alerts by email or text.
Verify zoning. Contact the specific municipality. No county zoning.
Check delinquent taxes. Contact the Tax Claim and Assessment Office.
Prepare recording documents. Verify the current 2026 fee schedule at (814) 274-8370; UPI required on all deeds, school district required for Hector Allegany Township, consideration percentage per municipality for multi-municipality deeds; Affidavit of Value for exempt transactions; e-record via CSC, Simplifile, or Indecomm.

Appendix A: Municipalities in Potter County

Potter County has approximately 27 incorporated municipalities: no cities; all are boroughs or townships.

County Seat: Coudersport Borough.
Key Boroughs: Galeton, Austin, Shinglehouse, Roulette, Ulysses, Genesee, and the Westfield area.
Selected Townships: Allegany, Hector, Bingham, Clara, Eulalia, Homer, Keating, Pike, Pleasant Valley, Sharon, Stewardson, Sweden, Sylvania, West Branch, Wharton, and others.