Blair County Deed Records and Land Documents

Blair County deed records date back to 1846 and are kept by the Recorder of Deeds in Hollidaysburg. The county's major city is Altoona, and its property records cover a wide range of residential, commercial, and rural real estate. Online access to Blair County deed records is available through LANDEX remote systems and Courthouse Direct. This page covers how to find Blair County land records, contact the Recorder's office, and understand the recording process for this central Pennsylvania county.

About Blair County Deed Records

Blair County was formed in 1846 from parts of Huntingdon and Bedford counties, and land records started the same year. The Recorder of Deeds office in Hollidaysburg maintains the county's collection of deeds, mortgages, liens, and property assessments. The Blair County Genealogical Society holds the original deed books from 1846 onward, with more recent volumes stored at the courthouse. Online access to Blair County land records from 1973 to the present is available through the county's digital system.

Blair County fully complies with the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law at 65 P.S. § 67.101. All records are presumed public unless a specific law, regulation, or court order prohibits disclosure. Open Records Officers process requests within five business days, with a possible 30-day extension for complex requests. Anyone can submit a request regardless of citizenship, residency, age, or purpose. No statement of reason is required to access Blair County deed records.

Pennsylvania's race-notice recording law at 21 P.S. § 351 applies across all Blair County property transactions. A person who records a deed first and pays value in good faith holds superior title. The Recorder's office assigns each document a book and page number and indexes it by grantor and grantee name so future searchers can locate it in the Blair County land records system.

Searching Blair County Property Records

Blair County uses the LANDEX system for online remote access to deed records. LANDEX offers two options. The first is LANDEX Remote, a Windows application for frequent searchers that bills by time and page. The second is the LANDEX Webstore, a browser-based option for less frequent users that charges per document. Both systems provide the same search capabilities available at the courthouse. You can access Blair County documents 24 hours a day through either LANDEX platform.

The guide at blairrecords.us covers Blair County's public records landscape. It details the Recorder of Deeds, what documents are maintained there, and how to submit a Right-to-Know request for Blair County records. The fee schedule under Pennsylvania's RTK law includes photocopies at $0.25 per page for black and white copies, $0.50 per page for color copies, and $5.00 per record for certified copies. Deeds and mortgage recording fees are based on document type and length. In-person inspection of records is free during regular business hours.

Courthouse Direct at courthousedirect.com provides FileViewer access to Blair County deed records. Scanned indexes and document images are available for both historical handwritten records and current filings. Oil and gas records are also available through this platform, which matters for rural properties in Blair County that may have separate mineral rights.

The LANDEX system offers integrated debit accounting, online billing statements, and technical support via phone, email, and online help. Software upgrades are included at no additional cost for LANDEX Remote users. An account provides secure access with a personal password, and a single account can access multiple Pennsylvania counties that use the LANDEX platform.

Blair County Recorder of Deeds

The Blair County Recorder of Deeds is at 423 Allegheny Street in Hollidaysburg. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and is closed on weekends and county-observed holidays. Staff can search the deed record index by name or document number and provide copies of recorded instruments. The public access terminal at the office allows free in-person research of Blair County deed records during business hours.

The Blair County Assessment Office at Suite 41 of the same building handles property tax records and is reached at (814) 693-3110. The Prothonotary at Suite 144 and the Register of Wills at Suite 142 share the Allegheny Street address. Multiple county offices are clustered in this building, making it efficient to research multiple types of Blair County property records in a single courthouse visit.

Recording Requirements and Fees in Blair County

Deeds presented for recording in Blair County must meet Pennsylvania's standard format requirements. The document must name the grantor and grantee, include a legal property description, and carry the grantor's notarized signature. The grantee's certificate of residence is required under 16 P.S. § 9781. The Uniform Parcel Identifier must be included to link the deed to the county's tax assessment record for that property.

Pennsylvania's realty transfer tax under 72 P.S. § 8102-C applies to most deed recordings in Blair County. The state levies 1% on the greater of actual consideration or assessed value multiplied by the Common Level Ratio Factor. Local municipalities add their own portion, typically bringing the total to around 2%. Form REV-183 must accompany taxable recordings. The PRODA fee calculator helps estimate total recording and transfer tax costs for Blair County property transactions. Under Pennsylvania law, certain transfers are exempt, including some family transfers, charitable transfers, and corrections of previously recorded errors.

Note: Blair County deed recording fees are based on the number of pages in the document. Contact the Recorder's office at (814) 693-3095 for the current first-page and per-page fee amounts before submitting a recording.