Montour County Deed Records

Montour County deed records are filed with the Register and Recorder in Danville, Pennsylvania. The office maintains deeds, mortgages, easements, leases, and other real estate instruments for all nine townships and two boroughs in the county. Searching Montour County deed records helps you confirm ownership, trace title history, and review any encumbrances on a property. Online access is available through the INFOCON County Access System for documents recorded from January 1997 forward. Older records require an in-person visit or microfilm research at the courthouse.

Montour County Deed Records Overview

Montour County was formed in 1850 and is one of the smallest counties in Pennsylvania by area. Land records in the county began that same year. The Register and Recorder office in Danville maintains all real estate instruments recorded since the county's founding. Those documents include deeds, mortgages, assignments of mortgage, easements, rights of way, agreements, leases, real estate transfers, releases, and subdivision plats. Each document receives a book and page number when recorded, creating a permanent index that supports title searches and property research.

The INFOCON County Access System provides online access to Montour County deed records from January 1997 to the present. This system requires a paid subscription account to view images. However, the index is accessible for searching without fees through several third-party platforms. You can also search Montour County property data at pennsylvania.propertychecker.com, which aggregates deed, tax, and lien information. Montour County has approximately 8,639 recorded parcels with a median home value near $297,350.

Pennsylvania uses a race-notice recording system under 21 P.S. § 351. This means the first party to record a valid deed has priority over others who may claim an interest in the same property. Recording your deed promptly in Montour County protects your legal interest in the land.

Montour County Register and Recorder

The Register and Recorder of Montour County is located at 253 Mill Street in Danville. The office maintains real estate records and accepts new filings during regular business hours. Staff can assist with deed lookups, certified copy requests, and questions about recording requirements. The Montour County office shares a judicial district with Columbia County, and the Columbia-Montour Courts website at columbiamontourcourts.com provides additional details about both offices.

Note: The Montour County recorder office is also the Register of Wills, so the same staff handles estate filings alongside deed and mortgage records.

Searching Montour Deed Records

The main state portal for searching Montour County deed records online is pa.uslandrecords.com. This is the official Pennsylvania Real Property Official Records Search maintained by the state. After selecting Montour County, you can search by grantor or grantee name, document type, instrument number, or recording date. The statewide portal links directly to the county's own recording system.

The Pennsylvania Property Checker database at the link above shows deed, tax, and lien data for Montour County parcels. Records are indexed by grantor and grantee names, instrument types, book and page numbers, and recording dates.

CourthouseDirect offers another route to Montour County property search data. You can use either platform to locate a property before visiting the office for certified copies or detailed document images.

For historical research, FamilySearch hosts an online land index for Montour County covering deeds from 1850 to 1958. These early records are available through microfilm at the FamilySearch Library (reels 953720 to 953728) and may also be accessible at the courthouse. The Pennsylvania State Archives at pa.gov provides additional guidance on tracing historical land transfers in Pennsylvania counties.

Recording and Transfer Requirements

Recording a deed in Montour County requires the document to meet Pennsylvania's formatting and acknowledgment standards. The deed must include a proper notary acknowledgment with the county, state, date, and clear notary stamp. A Certificate of Residence for the grantee is required. Most transfers also require a completed Form REV-183 (Realty Transfer Tax Statement of Value) from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

Pennsylvania's state realty transfer tax is 1% of the property value. Montour County municipalities typically add a local realty transfer tax of 1%, bringing the combined rate to 2% in most areas. The recorder collects this tax at the time of recording. Exemptions apply to certain family transfers, trust conveyances, and charitable transactions. The PRODA fee calculator at padeeds.com helps you estimate recording fees and transfer taxes before you file.

Under 16 P.S. § 9781, each county recorder must maintain a complete index of all recorded instruments. Montour County's index goes back to 1850, giving researchers access to nearly the full history of land transfers in the county. Original documents are returned to the property owner or filing party after recording is complete.

Historical Land Records in Montour County

Montour County's land records span over 175 years. Because the county was formed in 1850 from Columbia County, some earlier deeds for land now within Montour County may be found in Columbia County records. Researchers tracing property back before 1850 should also search the Columbia County recorder's records. The Columbia-Montour Courts portal serves both counties and can point you to the right office for older documents.

The Pennsylvania State Archives holds microfilm and digitized copies of early county deeds for research purposes. Warrant registers and warrantee township maps from the colonial and early statehood period are available online through the State Archives at no cost. These records help trace land from the original grant by the Commonwealth all the way through to current ownership in Montour County.

Note: Land indexes at the FamilySearch library cover Montour County deeds from 1850 to 1958 and can be accessed remotely or at a local FamilySearch center.