Kansas does not have a real estate transfer tax. No state agency collects a percentage of the sale price or the mortgage amount when property changes hands, and the only government charge you will pay to move a deed from one owner to another is a flat county recording fee set by statute. That fee is based on how many pages your document runs, not what the property sold for, so a modest house and a multimillion-dollar commercial parcel cost the same to record.
No Transfer Tax, and No Mortgage Registration Tax Either
Kansas once collected a mortgage registration tax under K.S.A. 79-3102, but the legislature repealed it in 2014 and phased it down from 2015 through the end of 2018. The tax ceased entirely on January 1, 2019.1Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 79-3102 Since then, no state-level charge applies to the deed or the mortgage. If a closing statement from another state mentioned a documentary stamp, deed tax, or mortgage tax, there is no Kansas equivalent to budget for.
What Recording a Deed Costs
The Register of Deeds in every Kansas county charges the same amounts because K.S.A. 28-115 sets them statewide. For documents filed on or after January 1, 2018, the base fee is $17 for the first page and $13 for each additional page, with two technology surcharges on top: $3 per page under subsection (b) and $1 per page under subsection (i).2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 28-115 – Fees of Register of Deeds Combined:
- First page: $21
- Each additional page: $17
A typical two-page warranty deed costs $38 to record. The technology surcharges fund equipment and digital archiving for the county’s land records.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 28-115a – Register of Deeds Technology Fund In most Kansas transactions, the seller pays to prepare the deed and the buyer pays the recording fee, but that split is negotiable rather than required by law.
The Sales Validation Questionnaire
Nearly every deed in Kansas must be filed with a Real Estate Sales Validation Questionnaire (SVQ). K.S.A. 79-1437c requires the form for any deed transferring title to real estate, and the Register of Deeds cannot record a deed that arrives without it.4Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 79-1437c – Real Estate Sales Validation Questionnaires The SVQ captures the sale price, the legal description, and the relationship between buyer and seller, and the Department of Revenue uses the data to track market trends and support property tax assessments.5Kansas Department of Revenue. Directive 19-041 – Real Estate Sales Valuation Questionnaires
Fill it out carefully. Under K.S.A. 79-1437g, falsifying the property value on the questionnaire is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $500.6Kansas Department of Revenue. Kansas Real Estate Sales Validation Questionnaire
When the SVQ Is Not Required
K.S.A. 79-1437e lists the transfers that are exempt from the SVQ requirement. Common examples include deeds given solely to secure or release a debt, corrective deeds filed without additional consideration, gift deeds that state the gift on the face of the document, transfers to or from a trust with no consideration, divorce transfers between spouses, deeds creating a joint tenancy, quitclaim deeds filed to clear a title encumbrance, deeds executed by a guardian, executor, administrator, or conservator under court order, sheriff’s deeds and repossessions, and conveyances of severed mineral interests or cemetery lots.7Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 79-1437e – Inapplicability to Certain Transfers of Title If an exemption applies, state it clearly on the deed itself. Omit both the SVQ and the exemption notation, and the Register of Deeds will return the document unrecorded.
Formatting Rules That Cause Rejections
The Register of Deeds can reject a document that does not meet the physical standards in K.S.A. 28-115. The requirements exist so the recorder has room to stamp the document and so the pages scan cleanly for the permanent archive.
- Paper no larger than 8½ by 14 inches; many offices prefer standard letter size.
- A top margin of at least three inches on the first page, reserved for the recording stamp.8Johnson County Kansas. Document Filing Requirements
- At least one inch on every other margin of the first page and all four margins of later pages.
- Font no smaller than eight points.
If the first-page top margin is too tight, the recorder can require you to attach an extra blank page for the stamp, and you will pay the additional per-page fee for that sheet. Documents that cannot produce clear copies may be rejected outright.8Johnson County Kansas. Document Filing Requirements
How to Submit and Pay
You can take the deed to the county courthouse in person, which is the fastest route because staff review it at the counter and can return it stamped the same visit. Mail works too, as long as you include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return.8Johnson County Kansas. Document Filing Requirements Electronic recording exists in many counties but is generally reserved for title companies and law firms that record often and have an agreement with the office. A one-time homeowner transfer usually goes in person or by mail.
Payment options vary. Most offices take cash, checks, and credit cards, though credit cards often carry a processing surcharge.9Dickinson County, Kansas. Basic Recording Requirements Make checks payable to the Register of Deeds. Once recorded, the deed receives a document number that creates a permanent public record, and the original comes back to the submitter.
Property Tax Proration at Closing
Transfer tax is not a Kansas concern, but property tax proration often is, and buyers and sellers sometimes confuse the two. Kansas property taxes are paid in arrears. Statements go out around December 1, with the first half due by December 20 and the second half due by May 10 of the following year.10Kansas Department of Revenue. Property Tax Calendar
When property changes hands mid-year, the county does not split the bill. Under K.S.A. 79-309, property taxes are not prorated on the tax roll when a property is acquired or disposed of, so the county sends a single bill to whoever owns the property on the assessment date no matter when the sale closed.11Douglas County KS. Are Property Taxes Prorated Between Buyer and Seller? Buyers and sellers handle proration privately through the purchase agreement. The title company or closing agent calculates each side’s share by day of ownership and credits the buyer at closing. Because this is contractual, the terms live or die on the language in your contract. If the contract is silent on proration, you could end up owing a full year of taxes on a home you owned for only a few months.