Somerset County, PA Property Records

Somerset County is a rural county in the Allegheny Plateau of southwestern Pennsylvania. About 73,000 people live there, making it the 37th most populous of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. The population has been declining at roughly 0.4% per year and is down by more than 2% since 2019. There is no large city, no university, and no obvious engine of growth. Healthcare, manufacturing, and retail employ most people. The county is probably best known beyond its borders for Shanksville, site of the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Houses are cheap. The typical home value is $171,508, up 2.4% over the past year but still about 40% below the Pennsylvania statewide average of $286,351. Median monthly housing costs run to around $722, one of the lowest figures in this series. Homes sell after roughly 46 days on the market.

According to Federal Reserve Economic Data, an estimated 28–31% of households are cost-burdened, spending 30% or more of their income on housing. With a median household income of approximately $61,400, ranking 58th among Pennsylvania's 67 counties, low housing costs provide some relief, though not enough to make the county prosperous.

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 Somerset County is the Somerset County Recorder of Deeds, a standalone elected office (6th-class county). The elected official is Patricia A. Peifer. The office is located at the Somerset County Courthouse, 300 North Center Avenue, Suite 400, Somerset, PA 15501.

Online deed records are accessible through Landex (Remote and Webstore) and through the county's own real estate search portal. The current fee schedule is effective November 14, 2025, per Act 45 of 2025.

What Somerset County Property Records Include

The Recorder of Deeds maintains more than 50 types of documents relating to real property within the county. These include deeds, mortgages, easement agreements, powers of attorney, property options, oaths of office, charters of non-profit organizations, leases, highway and subdivision plans, mine maps, agreements of sale, UCC financing statements, declarations of taking, condemnation proceedings, awards of realty, deed-redeterminations, mortgage amendments, and various agricultural and environmental instruments (Clean & Green Act 319 enrollments and cancellations, Act 287 underground right-of-way agreements).

Pennsylvania uses a recorded land title system statewide. Documents are indexed by grantor/grantee name and book and page reference. The fee schedule is effective November 14, 2025, per Act 45 of 2025, a notably different effective date and act from the December 1, 2025, JCS increase used by most other PA counties. The county processes approximately 12,000 recorded documents per year.

Somerset County's deep coal mining and natural gas heritage means title chains often include mine maps, mineral rights severances, mining permits, and deed-redeterminations. The Recorder's office maintains a dedicated mine map fee class ($8.00 for the first sheet, $1.00 for each additional sheet). Minor land development plans for wind turbines and towers follow their own county recording policy (see the county website for current requirements).

How to Access Somerset County Property Records

Records can be accessed online via Landex or the county's own search portal, in person at Suite 400, by phone, by mail, or via e-recording.

Online Access

Somerset County uses Landex for online deed access: Landex Remote subscription-based, for frequent users; and Landex Webstore pay-per-document, no subscription required. The county also provides a free Real Estate Search portal for assessed values, sales history, and property lookup.

In Person

Address: Somerset County Courthouse, 300 North Center Avenue, Suite 400, Somerset, PA 15501. Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Copies: $0.50/page (in-office); $3.00 first page + $0.50 additional page (mail); $3.00 first page + $1.00/additional page (fax). Certification: +$1.50/document.

By Phone

Call (814) 445-1547 during regular office hours. Email: peiferp@co.somerset.pa.us.

By Mail

Mail documents and payment to Somerset County Recorder of Deeds, 300 North Center Avenue, Suite 400, Somerset, PA 15501. Contact the office to confirm current SASE requirements and e-recording options.

E-Recording

E-recording options are available. Contact the office at (814) 445-1547 to confirm current vendors. The county website links to Landex Remote instructions and references e-recording capabilities.

What's Not at the Recorder's Office

The Register of Wills is a separate office at the courthouse handling probate, estate records, and inheritance tax. The Prothonotary maintains civil court records, judgments, and liens. Property assessments are administered by the Somerset County Assessment Office, with assessed values and sales history available at the county's real estate search portal (last updated 3/23/2026).

Zoning is administered by individual municipalities. The Somerset County Planning Commission (814-445-1544; Suite 540, same courthouse building) maintains zoning regulations and land subdivision guidelines for the county. The Tax Claim Bureau handles delinquent taxes. For statewide data, consult the Pennsylvania DCED. The Flight 93 National Memorial (NPS) holds recorded easements and federal land instruments for the memorial corridor, including properties adjacent to the memorial site near Shanksville.

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

Somerset County uses Landex for online deed access, supplemented by the county's own real estate search portal:

Go to the county's Real Estate Search portal for assessed value, ownership, and sales history, a useful starting point before moving to document images.
Go to the Landex Webstore. Select Pennsylvania, then Somerset County. Search by name or book/page.
Note all book and page references. For coal-area parcels, check for mine maps, mineral rights severances, and deed-redeterminations in the chain.
For wind turbine corridor parcels, check for tower and turbine minor land development plans and related easements.
For certified copies, contact the Recorder at (814) 445-1547. Certification: +$1.50 document.

Cities & Towns in Somerset County

All recorded property documents for every municipality in Somerset County are maintained by the single Somerset County Recorder of Deeds in Somerset. The county has numerous municipalities, approximately 79 total, all boroughs or townships; no cities.

County Seat: Somerset Borough.
Key Boroughs: Windber, Meyersdale, Boswell, Rockwood, Confluence, Garrett, Berlin, and Friedens.
Key Communities: Shanksville, Jennerstown, Stoystown, Listie, Quecreek area.
Selected Townships: Elk Lick, Milford, Addison, Allegheny, Brothersvalley, Conemaugh, Elk Lick, Fairhope, Greenville, Jefferson, Jenner, Larimer, Lincoln, Lower Turkeyfoot, Middlecreek, Milford, Northampton, Paint, Quemahoning, Shade, Somerset, Southampton, Stony Creek, Summit, Turkeyfoot, Upper Turkeyfoot, and others.

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

City/Town Resources for Assessments & Taxes

Property assessments are administered at the county level by the Somerset County Assessment Office. Assessed values, ownership, and sales history are searchable at the county's free real estate portal. Delinquent taxes are handled by the Tax Claim Bureau. Zoning: contact the specific municipality or the Somerset County Planning Commission at (814) 445-1544 (Suite 540, same courthouse building as the Recorder).

Somerset County-Specific Nuances

Fee schedule effective November 14, 2025, per Act 45 of 2025, earlier than most PA counties. Somerset County's current fee schedule is effective November 14, 2025, under Act 45 of 2025, a different act citation and a slightly earlier effective date than the December 1, 2025, JCS increase used by most other PA counties. This matters because it means Somerset County's fees were updated slightly before many neighbors. The base deed/mortgage fee under the current schedule is $83.75.
Mine maps are a distinct fee-class document, $8.00 for the first sheet. Somerset County's recording fee schedule includes a dedicated mine map category: $8.00 for the first sheet and $1.00 for each additional sheet. This fee class, unique among counties, reflects the county's deep coal-mining heritage.

Title researchers should routinely search the index for recorded mine maps when examining parcels in eastern and central Somerset County, where historical coal seams and active or former mining operations may have generated recorded mine maps that affect surface or subsurface rights.

Military discharge (DD-214) is recorded free of charge. Somerset County records DD-214 military discharge documents at no charge. This is consistent with the county's published fee schedule (“Military Discharge $0.00”) and is a courtesy extended by the office to honor veterans.
Wind turbine and tower minor land development plan recording policy. Somerset County has an active wind energy sector, with turbine farms on its highland ridges. The county has adopted a specific recording policy for Wind Turbine and Tower Minor Land Development Plans, applicable until formal amendments to the county's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance are adopted. These plans must include a Surveyor's seal certifying setback distances, among other requirements. Researchers examining parcels in wind farm corridors should look for these development plan recordings and associated easements and landowner consent instruments.
Clean & Green Act 319 instruments. Somerset County's agricultural character means that Act 319 Clean & Green preferential assessment enrollments and cancellations are regularly recorded. These instruments ($18.50 fee each) affect a parcel's assessed value and development status. Title chains for rural parcels should check for active Clean & Green enrollments, which may restrict the property's use or trigger rollback taxes upon certain changes.
Flight 93 National Memorial and NPS instruments in title chains near Shanksville. The Flight 93 National Memorial (near the village of Shanksville in Stonycreek Township) is administered by the National Park Service. The NPS has acquired numerous parcels and easements in the memorial corridor through condemnation and voluntary purchase.

Title chains for properties adjacent to the memorial or within the broader memorial boundary may include NPS declarations of taking, condemnation instruments, scenic easements, and boundary agreements. The county's recording fee schedule includes a category for Condemnation-Declaration of Taking ($68.75), reflecting the regularity of these instruments.

Deed-Redetermination is a distinct fee-class instrument ($68.75). The fee schedule lists Deed-Redetermination as a separate category at $68.75. This instrument type, associated with boundary adjustments and property line redetermination surveys, appears more prominently in Somerset County than in most counties, likely reflecting the complexity of large, rural, and forested parcels that require periodic boundary resurveying and legal description updates.
The County Real Estate Search portal provides free assessed value and sales data. The county's own real estate search provides free access to assessed values and sales history for all parcels. This portal is a useful first stop for establishing a parcel's history before moving to Landex for recorded document images.

Typical Contents of a Somerset County Property Record

When reviewing recorded instruments at the Somerset County Recorder of Deeds, you will typically find:

Deeds:
- Grantor and grantee names.
- Complete legal description, including municipality and county.
- Consideration amount or Affidavit of Value for exemptions.
- Certificate of Residence for the grantee.
- Uniform Parcel Identifier number.
- Notarial acknowledgment (county, state, date, names, notary signature, seal, expiration date).
Mortgages and Related:
- Lender/borrower names, property description, and loan terms.
- Amendments ($68.75) and assignments ($68.75).
Other Common Instruments:
- Mine maps ($8.00 for the first sheet + $1.00 for each additional).
- Easements ($58.75), including wind turbine setback and NPS scenic easements.
- Clean & Green Act 319 enrollment and cancellation instruments ($18.50 each).
- Act 287 Underground Right of Way agreements ($5.00).
- Condemnation/Declaration of Taking ($68.75).
- Deed-Redetermination ($68.75).
- Landowner Consent ($18.50).
- UCC-1 and UCC-3 ($100.00 each).
- Military service discharges (DD-214; recorded free).
- Wind turbine and tower minor land development plans.

Recording Changes to Property Titles

All new deeds, mortgages, easements, and other instruments affecting real property in Somerset County must be recorded with the Recorder of Deeds. Submissions may be made in person (Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.), by mail, or via e-recording (contact the office for vendors).

Include the UPI on all deeds. Pennsylvania's 2% Realty Transfer Tax (1% state + 1% local) applies to most deed transactions. Include an Affidavit of Value when claiming an exemption from transfer tax. The current fee schedule is effective November 14, 2025, per Act 45 of 2025. Any fraction of a page is counted as one full page (no exceptions).

Base deed mortgage recording fee: $83.75 (4 pages, 4 names). Easement: $58.75. Lease (30-year): $58.75. Deed-Redetermination: $68.75. Mortgage Amendment Assignment: $68.75. Mine Maps: $8.00 for the first sheet + $1.00 for each additional sheet. Copies: $0.50 (in-office); $3.00 first page + $0.50 additional (mail); $3.00 first page + $1.00 additional (fax). Certification: +$1.50 document.

Practical Research Flow (Checklist)

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

Check the county Real Estate Search portal. Go to co.somerset.pa.us/pages/realestatesearch.asp for assessed values, ownership, and sales history.
Search online via Landex Webstore. Go to landex.com/webstore. Select Pennsylvania, then Somerset County.
For coal-heritage parcels, check for mine maps and mineral rights instruments. Search for deed-redeterminations, mine maps, and mineral rights severances in eastern and central county parcels.
For wind farm corridor parcels, check for turbine development plans and landowner consents.
For parcels near the Flight 93 National Memorial (Stonycreek Township, Shanksville area), check for NPS condemnation instruments and scenic easements.
For agricultural parcels, check for Clean & Green Act 319 enrollments.
Verify parcel data. Use the county real estate search portal or contact the Assessment Office.
Verify zoning. Contact the specific municipality or the Planning Commission at (814) 445-1544.
Prepare recording documents. Base deed mortgage fee: $83.75; any page fraction full page; UPI required; e-recording options confirm vendors at (814) 445-1547; military discharges are free to record; Act 45 of 2025 fee schedule effective November 14, 2025.

Appendix A: Municipalities in Somerset County

Somerset County has approximately 79 incorporated municipalities: no cities; all are boroughs or townships.

County Seat: Somerset Borough.
Key Boroughs: Windber, Meyersdale, Boswell, Rockwood, Confluence, Garrett, Berlin, and Friedens.
Notable Communities: Shanksville, Jennerstown, Stoystown, Quecreek.
Selected Townships: Elk Lick, Milford, Addison, Allegheny, Brothersvalley, Conemaugh, Fairhope, Greenville, Jefferson, Jenner, Larimer, Lincoln, Lower Turkeyfoot, Middlecreek, Northampton, Paint, Quemahoning, Shade, Somerset, Southampton, Stony Creek, Summit, Turkeyfoot, Upper Turkeyfoot, and others.