Register & Recorder
Overview
Register of Wills
Recorder of Deeds
Register of Wills
The Registers of Wills has jurisdiction over the probate of wills and the granting of letters, thus giving them quasi–judicial powers. The office is responsible for the preservation of all estate filings, such as Certification of Notice, Inheritance Tax Return Resident Decedent and Status Reports. The Register of Wills also serves as the agent for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue for the collection of inheritance tax.
Recorder of Deeds
The Recorder of Deeds office is responsible for the preservation of records relating to real property in the county. As such, the office is required to record and affix the Recorder of Deeds seal on all recorded deeds, mortgages, subdivision plans, and all other records relating to property ownership. This office records oaths, bonds, and commissions of all county officers, notaries public, and District Magistrates. The Recorder of Deeds also keeps record of military discharges (confidential documents), agreements of sale, purchase options, leases, rights-of-way, and easement agreements. The Recorder of Deeds also serves as the agent for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Midd West and Selinsgrove School Districts and 21 municipalities for the collection of realty transfer taxes.
Services
Requirements for Opening an Estate
Probate is the judicial process whereby a will is proven and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased, or whereby the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy in the state and county of residence of the deceased at the time of death in the absence of a legal will.
- Petition for Grant of Letters ( Form RW-02)
- Original Last Will and Testament/Codicil
- Death Certificate of the deceased
- Oath of Witness ( Form RW-03, Form RW-04, Form RW-05)
- Renunciations ( Form RW-06)
- Affidavit and Release of Beneficiary from Bond
- Check issued for probate made payable to “Snyder County Register of Wills”
Inheritance taxes are collected for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Inheritance Tax Division. Checks issued for the payment of inheritance taxes should be payable to Register of Wills, Agent.
Requirements for Recording
- Acknowledgment must include the following: county, state, date, persons/corporate officers appearing, notary signature, and notary rubber stamp.
- Notary stamp must be clear and legible. Notary’s stamp, seal and signature must be independent of each other.
- All deeds, leases, assignments of leases, right of ways and easements recorded that are not paying a full transfer tax are required to complete a Statement of Value form. The ONLY exceptions are when; there is full payment of the transfer taxes on a bona fide sale, transfers that are an allowable family member exemption and is stated in the body of the deed, transfers to a registered public utility for the purpose of providing service to an end user and is stated with the body of the right of way or easement.
- All deeds, mortgages and mortgage assignments must have a signed certificate of address of either the grantee, mortgagee or assignee.
- Re-recorded documents must have new acknowledgments and an explanation as to why they are being re-recorded.
- Statements of Value, if required, must be filed in duplicate and fully completed, signed and dated as per the PA Department of Revenue.
- Blanket documents are not accepted for recording.
- Stamped, self-addressed envelopes are required for return of all documents. The office will not mail recorded documents unless an envelope has been provided at the time of recording.
- All checks shall be payable to “Snyder County Recorder of Deeds”.
- All checks submitted for payment must be in the correct amount. No refunds will be given.
- Separate checks are required for each recorded document. 1% state realty transfer tax and 1% local realty transfer tax.
- Only legible documents capable of being clearly scanned will be acceptable for recording. If a document mailed to us is unacceptable for recording for any reason, it will be returned to the sender.
Overview
Our office maintains a number of types of records. You may obtain these records by visiting our office or by accessing records online (only certain records are available online).
Types of Records We Maintain
- Deeds
- Mortgage
- Estates
- Military Discharge Papers (available to family, not as public record)
- Notary Commissions & Bonds
- Satisfaction Pieces
- Subdivision Plans
Pennsylvania Recorder of Deeds Association website has a fee calculator for the following documents
Deeds
Mortgages
Satisfaction of Mortgages
Power of Attorneys
Check the website at
and click on FEE CALCULATOR
Forms, Links & Documents
Contact
Stacey L. Zerbe
Register of Wills & Recorder of Deeds
- (570) 837-4224
- (570) 837-4299 (Fax)
- szerbe@snydercounty.org
-
9 West Market Street
P.O. Box 217
Middleburg, PA 17842 -
Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 4 pm
Open for Recording until 3:45 pm
