Venango County, PA Property Records

The world's first commercially successful oil well was drilled in this region in 1859. That fact is still recited here, on museum placards and county websites, with something between pride and wistfulness. The oil is gone. The people are leaving, too. Venango County's population of roughly 49,500 makes it 44th of 67 Pennsylvania counties, and the number falls by about 0.75% each year without particular urgency or alarm.

The county seat is Franklin. Oil City is the largest city. Neither is growing. Healthcare and manufacturing employ most people now. The median household income is approximately $61,600, and a typical home sells for around $115,000, which is less than 40% of the Pennsylvania statewide average of $286,351. Homes sit on the market for about 65 days before selling, or not selling.

According to Federal Reserve Economic Data, an estimated 28–31% of households are cost-burdened, spending 30% or more of their income on housing. The numbers are what they are. Property records are maintained at the county level by the Recorder of Deeds, with assessments and tax data handled through separate offices.

Who Keeps the Official Land Records

The official custodian of all land records in Venango County is the combined Register and Recorder Clerk of Orphans' Court (6th-class county). The elected official is Cori R. Sharpe. The office is located at 1168 Liberty Street, Courthouse, 1st Floor, Franklin, PA 16323; mailing address: P.O. Box 831, Franklin, PA 16323.

Online deed records are accessible through the INFOCON County Access System, a paid subscription service. E-recording is available through CSC and Simplifile. The current fee schedule is effective November 2025.

What Venango County Property Records Include

The Recorder of Deeds maintains all instruments affecting real property within the county. Recorded document types include deeds, tax claim deeds, corrective deeds, mortgages, corrective and amended mortgages, satisfaction pieces, assignments of mortgage, releases, orders of court, distributions and awards, petitions and decrees involving real estate, articles of incorporation, charters, partnership certificates, easements, rights of way, oil and gas documents (memoranda, assignments, extensions, releases), assignment of rentals and leases, bonds for public officials, powers of attorney, plans and surveys, and miscellaneous documents.

The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court functions are also combined in this office, handling wills, estates, inheritance tax, adoptions, and marriage licenses.

Pennsylvania uses a recorded land title system statewide. Documents are indexed by grantor/grantee name and receive a sequential document number as well as a book and page reference.

Two features of Venango County's recording environment stand out. First, the county's fee schedule bases the standard deed fee on three pages (not four, as in most PA counties), with additional pages at $2.00 each. Second, the county's oil and gas heritage means that Oil & Gas Documents (memoranda, assignments, extensions, releases, and similar) are listed as a distinct fee class. Deeds for property in the City of Franklin or City of Oil City carry a separate Transfer registration fee in addition to the base recording fee.

How to Access Venango County Property Records

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

Online Access

Venango County uses the INFOCON County Access System for online deed access. Subscription access is available. Records receive a sequential document number, book, and page reference after scanning. Contact the office at (814) 432-9534 for current INFOCON access details and pricing.

In Person

Address: 1168 Liberty Street, Courthouse, 1st Floor, Franklin, PA 16323. Hours: Monday–Friday (confirm current hours at (814) 432-9534). Parcel Viewer (GIS, free), Copies: $0.50/page; Recorder's seal and certification: an additional $1.50/document.

By Phone, Mail, Email

Call (814) 432-9534 during office hours. Mail requests to P.O. Box 831, Franklin, PA 16323. Email: csharpe@co.venango.pa.us (or shannon@co.venango.pa.us for copy requests). Include party names, recording dates, and payment.

E-Recording

E-recording is available through CSC eRecording Solutions ((866) 652-0111; erecording@cscglobal.com; erecording.com) and Simplifile (simplifile.com). Contact the office to confirm which document types are eligible.

What's Not at the Recorder's Office

The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court functions are consolidated with the Recorder of Deeds under Cori R. Sharpe's office. Probate, estate administration, inheritance tax, adoptions, and marriage licenses are all handled through the same office and address.

Property assessments are administered by the Venango County Assessment Office (1168 Liberty Street, Franklin; (814) 432-9520). The Tax Claim Bureau (1174 Elk Street; (814) 432-9558) handles delinquent taxes. County parcel data is searchable through the GIS Parcel Viewer. Zoning is administered by individual municipalities; there is no county zoning ordinance. For statewide data, consult the Pennsylvania DCED.

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

Venango County uses INFOCON for online deed access:

Go to the INFOCON County Access System at infoconcountyaccess.com. Create or use a subscription account.
Search by grantor or grantee name, book and page, or document number.
For oil and gas properties, also search for memoranda of lease, assignments, extensions, and releases in addition to standard deeds and mortgages.
For City of Franklin or Oil City properties, check for the city registration/transfer instrument associated with the deed.
For free parcel mapping, use the GIS Parcel Viewer at gis.venangopa.us/parcelviewer/.
For certified copies: contact the office at (814) 432-9534. Copies $0.50 page + $1.50 seal certification.

Cities & Towns in Venango County

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

County Seat, City: Franklin.
Second City: Oil City.
Key Boroughs: Emlenton, Pleasantville, Rouseville, Sugarcreek, Clintonville, Cooperstown, Barkeyville, Utica, and Polk.
Selected Townships: Allegheny, Canal, Cherrytree, Clinton, Cornplanter, Frenchcreek, Irwin, Jackson, Mineral, Oakland, Oilcreek, Pinegrove, Plum, President, Richland, Rockland, Scrubgrass, Victory.
Drake Well Area Oil Creek Corridor: Oil Creek Township / Oilcreek Township.

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

City/Town Resources for Assessments & Taxes

Property assessments are administered at the county level by the Venango County Assessment Office (1168 Liberty Street; (814) 432-9520; venangocountypa.gov/526/Tax-Assessment). Parcel data and mapping. Delinquent taxes: Tax Claim Bureau (1174 Elk Street; (814) 432-9558; venangocountypa.gov/544 Tax-Claim-Bureau). City-specific codes and zoning: contact Franklin or Oil City directly.

Venango County-Specific Nuances

Base deed fee covers 3 pages, not 4, as in most PA counties. Venango County's deed recording fee ($86.25 as of the most recent pre-Nov 2025 schedule) is based on three pages, not the four-page base used by the majority of PA counties. Additional pages are charged at $2.00 each beginning with page four.

This means a five-page deed in Venango County generates two additional-page charges, compared to one in counties with a four-page base. Verify the current post-Nov 2025 fee from the county's updated schedule at (814) 432-9534 or venangocountypa.gov.

Oil & Gas Documents are a dedicated fee class. Venango County's recording fee schedule lists Oil & Gas Documents (memoranda, assignments, extensions, releases, and similar instruments) as a distinct instrument category with its own fee. This reflects the county's status as the birthplace of the American petroleum industry, where oil and gas lease chains, mineral rights conveyances, and pipeline instruments are a routine part of recording activity.

Title researchers must systematically search for oil and gas instruments in all Venango County title chains. Mineral rights in this county were frequently separated from surface rights during the 19th- and 20th-century oil era and may be held by successors to long-dissolved oil companies.

Deeds for Franklin or Oil City property require a city registration/transfer fee. The fee schedule includes a separate line: “Transfer Franklin or Oil City Property (Deed Only),” an additional fee charged on deeds for property located within the City of Franklin or the City of Oil City. This city-specific registration is separate from the base recording fee and the state/local realty transfer tax. Practitioners recording deeds for Franklin or Oil City property should confirm the current city registration fee with the Recorder's office before submission to avoid underpayment.
INFOCON County Access System for online records paid subscription. Venango County uses the INFOCON County Access System at infoconcountyaccess.com, a paid subscription service, for online document access. Documents receive a sequential identification number, book reference, and page reference after scanning. The free GIS Parcel Viewer (gis.venangopa.us) provides parcel boundary and ownership data at no charge.
Oil industry ghost towns and boom-era deed chains. Venango County's oil boom era (roughly 1859–1880s) generated an extraordinary volume of recorded instruments: mineral rights conveyances, oil company charters, lease assignments, pipeline easements, and surface damage agreements. Pithole City, which rose to 15,000 residents and then vanished in three years, sat in Cornplanter Township.

Title chains for properties in the Oil Creek corridor, Cornplanter Township, and Oilcreek Township may trace through long-defunct oil company deed chains. The Drake Well Museum and Park and Oil Creek State Park occupy large NPS/DCNR land parcels whose acquisition generated recorded condemnation and easement instruments.

Two cities in one county, Franklin and Oil City, both require attention. Unusually, Venango County contains two cities, Franklin and Oil City, each with its own municipal code and administration.

Zoning, permits, and code enforcement for each city operate independently and must be researched separately from each other and from township or borough requirements. For recording purposes, both city property deeds carry the additional Transfer registration fee described above.

The Venango County Courthouse (1868) is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Venango County Courthouse at 1168 Liberty Street in Franklin, where the Register and Recorder's office is located, was built in 1868 by architects Samuel Sloan and Addison Hutton of Philadelphia and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is a notable example of Second Empire architecture from the oil boom period. Properties adjacent to the courthouse and within Franklin's historic district may carry Historic District easements and preservation covenants recorded with the Recorder.

Typical Contents of a Venango County Property Record

When reviewing recorded instruments at the Venango County Register and Recorder, you will typically find:

Deeds:
- Grantor and grantee names.
- Complete legal description, including municipality and county.
- Consideration amount or Statement of Value for exempt transfers.
- Certificate of Residence for the grantee.
- Uniform Parcel Identifier number.
- Notarial acknowledgment.
- For Franklin or Oil City deeds: separate the city Transfer registration fee.
Mortgages and Related:
- Lender borrower names, property description, and loan terms.
- Satisfaction: $60.75; Assignment: $60.75; Release: $60.75; Order of Court to Satisfy Lost Mortgage: $60.75.
Other Common Instruments:
- Oil and Gas Documents: memoranda, assignments, extensions, releases (dedicated fee class).
- Easements and Rights of Way.
- Mineral Rights severances and conveyances.
- Pipeline Rights of Way.
- Plans and Surveys (dedicated fee class + additional map page fees).
- Distribution or Award (plus SOV and Orphans' Court costs): $58.75.
- Articles of Incorporation Charter Partnership: $18.50.
- Powers of attorney and bonds for public officials.
- Military service discharges.

Recording Changes to Property Titles

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

Pennsylvania's 2% Realty Transfer Tax (1% state + 1% local) applies to most deed transactions. Include a Statement of Value when claiming a transfer tax exemption. Current fee schedule effective November 2025. Verify fees by calling (814) 432-9534 before submitting. Note that the deed base covers 3 pages (not 4); additional pages are $2.00 each. For Franklin or Oil City deeds, an additional transfer city registration fee applies.

Current base deed fee: approximately $86.25 (3 pages, 4 names, 1 acknowledgment, 1 parcel; plus any Nov 2025 JCS increase, verify current amount). Additional pages: $2.00. Additional names: $0.50. Additional parcels: $0.50. Mortgage Satisfaction/Assignment/Release: $60.75. Articles of Incorporation: $18.50. Copies: $0.50/page; certification: +$1.50. Contact the office to confirm SASE postage requirements (postage instead of SASE is a listed charge).

Practical Research Flow (Checklist)

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

Search online via the INFOCON County Access System. Subscribe at infoconcountyaccess.com. Free parcel viewer: gis.venangopa.us.
For oil-region parcels, search comprehensively for oil and gas instruments. Search for memoranda of oil/gas lease, assignments, extensions, releases, mineral rights severances, and pipeline easements in addition to standard deed/mortgage chains.
For Franklin or Oil City parcels, confirm the city Transfer registration requirement. Contact the Recorder's office at (814) 432-9534 for the current city registration fee.
For NPS/Oil Creek State Park boundary parcels, check for condemnation and easement instruments.
Verify parcel data. Use the GIS Parcel Viewer (gis.venangopa.us) or contact the Assessment Office at (814) 432-9520.
Verify delinquent taxes. Contact the Tax Claim Bureau at (814) 432-9558 or taxclaim.venangocountypa.gov.
Verify zoning. Contact the specific municipality. No county zoning.
Prepare recording documents. Base deed $86.25 + Nov 2025 JCS increase (verify); base is 3 pages, not 4; Franklin Oil City deeds include city Transfer fee; e-record via CSC or Simplifile; copies $0.50 page + $1.50 certification.

Appendix A: Municipalities in Venango County

Venango County has 31 incorporated municipalities: 2 cities, 9 boroughs, and 20 townships.

County Seat City: Franklin.
Second City: Oil City.
Key Boroughs: Emlenton, Pleasantville, Rouseville, Sugarcreek, Clintonville, Cooperstown, Barkeyville, Utica, and Polk.
Selected Townships: Allegheny, Canal, Cherrytree, Clinton, Cornplanter, Frenchcreek, Irwin, Jackson, Mineral, Oakland, Oilcreek, Pinegrove, Plum, President, Richland, Rockland, Scrubgrass, Victory.
Drake Well Area Oil Creek Corridor: Oil Creek Township.