Prince George's County transfer tax and closing costs

Prince George’s County has one of the higher county transfer tax rates in Maryland. It also has many incorporated cities and towns, each with its own property tax rate, so two houses a short drive apart can pay quite different property tax. This guide covers the taxes due at settlement, who normally pays them, the contract notices that are specific to this county, and how the deed gets recorded in Upper Marlboro. For other counties, see areas we serve.

Three taxes due when the deed is recorded

A typical sale in the county pays three government charges:

• 1.4%County transfer tax1.4% of the price. This is the largest of the three.
• 0.5%State transfer tax0.5% of the price, the same in every Maryland county.
• $2.75 per $500Recordation tax$2.75 per $500 of the price, about 0.55%. The tax is charged on each $500 of the price or part of $500, so the price is rounded up to the next $500 before the tax is worked out.

A buyer’s purchase loan normally adds no further tax. In Maryland a mortgage usually takes the form of a deed of trust, and a purchase-money deed of trust recorded within the time limits in the tax law is not subject to recordation tax.

These are government taxes only. Your title insurance premium, the settlement fee, lender charges, the Clerk’s recording fees, and the adjustments for property tax, water charges and association dues all come on top. For a figure that includes them, use our instant quote.

The taxes on a median-priced Prince George’s home

When this page loads, the estimator at the top of the page starts at the county’s median sale price of $473,000. That is the middle price of 6,177 sales of owner-occupied homes counted by SDAT for July 2025 - June 2026. The taxes on that price break down like this:

Line	Amount
State transfer tax (0.5%)	$2,365
County transfer tax (1.4%)	$6,622
Recordation tax ($2.75 per $500 or part of $500; 946 units)	$2,601.50
Taxes in total	$11,588.50

Enter your own price in the estimator to see the figures for your home.

How the bill is usually divided

If the contract says nothing about it, Maryland law presumes that the buyer and the seller each pay half of the recordation tax and both transfer taxes. On the median-priced example, that is $5,794.25 for each side. Buyers and sellers often agree to a different split, so the wording of your signed contract is what decides it.

First-time buyers are the main exception. If no buyer has ever owned and lived in a home in Maryland, and the buyers will make this house their main home, the state transfer tax is cut to $1,182.50 on the example price, and the seller must pay all of it. Unless the contract expressly says the buyer will pay them, the law also puts the county transfer tax and the recordation tax on the seller. Everyone taking title must qualify, apart from a loan co-maker or guarantor who will not live in the home, and each signs a statement under oath.

This is a state rule. The state’s guide to county taxes lists no general first-time buyer break from Prince George’s own transfer or recordation tax; the county breaks it lists are for certain police officers, deputy sheriffs and county classroom teachers. If one of those may apply to you, ask us before you sign. Switch on the first-time buyer option in the estimator to see the effect of the state rule, and read our first-time buyer exemption guide for the details.

Contract notices specific to Prince George’s

Maryland’s contract notice law has two items that apply only in this county:

• Deferred private water and sewer assessments. For the initial sale of a home with deferred private water and sewer assessments recorded by a covenant or declaration, the contract must disclose them, including the annual amount, the payments and balance remaining, and the payoff amount. If a required disclosure is missing and the buyer finds out before settlement, the law lets the buyer cancel the contract without penalty. On any purchase, new or resale, ask early whether the home carries such an assessment and what the payoff is.
• Development impact fees. A contract for property with a development impact fee must state the fee, the total and any unpaid amount.

The notices required across Maryland apply here as well. Every Maryland sale contract must carry the notice that the property may be in the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays critical area, and Prince George’s has critical area land along its tidal shoreline. A residential sale contract here must also carry the notice that the property may be near a military installation; Joint Base Andrews is in the county.

Homes in a homeowners association come with a set of association disclosures that the seller has to provide. If they reach the buyer only shortly before signing, or after, the law gives the buyer a few days from receiving them to cancel the contract in writing. Condominium resales have a similar right under the condominium law. Read the documents as soon as they arrive, and ask us if a deadline is unclear.

Title points to raise early

• Lines on the ground. In older subdivisions, a fence, shed or driveway can stray over the boundary shown on the recorded plat. A survey or location drawing shows what is where. An owner’s title policy, which is optional in Maryland and paid for once at settlement, protects you against many hidden title problems; what it covers depends on its terms and exceptions. Read why title insurance matters.
• Well and septic. Some homes in the county have a private well or septic system instead of public water and sewer. If yours does, make well, water and septic inspections a condition of the contract so the results come in before you are bound.
• Selling for an estate. When a house is sold from a deceased owner’s estate, the deed is normally signed by the personal representative appointed through the Register of Wills. Maryland inheritance tax may also be due: 10% on property passing to non-exempt heirs (for example nieces, nephews, cousins, friends). Heirs who live in the home may be able to keep the Homeowners’ Property Tax Credit for a limited time while the title is transferred; SDAT’s credit page explains the conditions. For transfers within a family, see our deeds and family transfers service.
• Out-of-state sellers. Maryland requires tax to be withheld from a nonresident seller’s proceeds at settlement: 8.75% of the total payment to the seller, meaning the net proceeds actually paid to the seller (nonresident individuals), or 8.25% of the total payment (nonresident entities), unless an exemption applies.

Recording in Upper Marlboro

Deeds for Prince George’s property are recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Land Records Division, in Upper Marlboro, the county seat. The county transfer tax, recordation tax and state transfer tax are paid as part of getting the deed recorded, along with the Clerk’s recording fees. As settlement agent, we pay these from the settlement funds, send the deed and the buyer’s new deed of trust for recording, and pay off the seller’s loans. The recorded deed is returned once the Clerk has processed it.

Settling with Maryland First Title

Attorneys have led Maryland First Title since it opened in 1994, and our settlement agents are attorneys too. On a Prince George’s sale, we run the title search, issue the lender’s policy and, if you choose one, the owner’s policy through Stewart Title, hold the settlement money in escrow, prepare the documents and get the deed on record. Our office is at 306 Crain Hwy N in Glen Burnie, and our attorneys will meet you anywhere in Maryland at no extra cost, or online. Weekend and after-hours settlements are available by appointment.

Buyers and sellers of homes in the county will want our residential settlements service. We also handle commercial settlements, 1031 exchanges, support for sellers without an agent and purchases without an agent. The buyer’s checklist and seller’s checklist list what you need to do on your side.