A deed transfers property, but it does not do much in the outside world until it is recorded — and it will not be recorded without a proper acknowledgment. The notarial part takes minutes. The errors that get a deed rejected at the counter are what cost time.
What the notary is actually doing
A deed carries an acknowledgment: the grantor appears before the notary, is identified, and confirms that the signature on the document is theirs and was made willingly.
That is the whole notarial act. The notary is not approving the transfer, checking the legal description, confirming the property is free of liens, or verifying that the deed does what you intend.
| Task | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Prepares the deed | An attorney or title company |
| Confirms the legal description | Attorney or title company |
| Runs the title search | Title company |
| Signs as grantor | The current owner or owners |
| Verifies identity and takes the acknowledgment | The notary |
| Records the deed | County Recorder of Deeds |
| Collects transfer tax | Recorder, at recording |
Only the grantor is acknowledged
This surprises people who expect a property transfer to work like a contract with signatures on both sides. On a deed, the grantor — the person giving up the property — signs. The grantee receiving it usually does not sign the deed at all.
Where property is jointly owned, every owner is a grantor and every one of them must appear and be identified. They do not have to attend together — each can be acknowledged separately, as with any Pennsylvania notarization.
What a notary cannot do with your deed
The boundary matters more here than almost anywhere else, because the stakes are a house.
- Prepare or draft the deed. That is practising law.
- Tell you which form of deed you need — general warranty, special warranty, quitclaim.
- Explain what a clause means or what it will do.
- Advise on how title should be held between two or more people.
- Confirm the deed will achieve what you want.
Those are all questions for an attorney or a title company. The distinction is the same one set out in our explainer on notaries and legal advice — a notary verifies people, not documents.
Quitclaim deeds deserve particular care. They transfer whatever interest the grantor happens to have — which may be none — and carry no warranty at all. They are perfectly legitimate in the right circumstances and a serious mistake in the wrong ones. Ask a lawyer, not a notary.
What to bring
- The prepared deed, with every blank completed
- Current government photo identification for every grantor
- Every person named as grantor, or arrangements for them to attend separately
- Any power of attorney, if someone is signing on another’s behalf
- Payment for the notarial fee — $5 for the first individual, $2 for each additional name
If someone is signing under a power of attorney, bring the original POA. Pennsylvania has specific execution requirements for those, covered in getting a power of attorney notarized, and a defective one will stop the deed as surely as a missing signature.
After the notarization
The deed goes to the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property sits — Northampton County for Bethlehem and Easton, Lehigh County for Allentown. Recording is what puts the transfer on the public record.
Expect the recorder to want more than the deed itself:
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| The acknowledged deed | Original, not a copy |
| Recording fee | Set by the county |
| Realty transfer tax | State and local portions, unless exempt |
| Statement of value | Where an exemption is claimed or no price is stated |
| Certificate of residence | Required by some counties |
Transfer tax is where an unrepresented transfer most often goes wrong. Certain transfers — between spouses, or between parents and children — may be exempt, but the exemption has to be claimed correctly on the paperwork. That is another reason deeds are usually handled through an attorney or title company.
Adding or removing a name
The most common deed people bring to a notary is not a house sale. It is a change to who is on the title — adding a spouse after marriage, removing one after divorce, or putting an adult child on alongside a parent.
These feel like administrative tidying and they are not. Adding someone to a deed transfers a real ownership interest to them, which can have consequences for tax, for benefits eligibility, and for what happens if that person is later sued or divorced. Removing a name where a mortgage exists does not remove that person from the mortgage.
None of which a notary can advise you on. If the change is anything other than a straightforward correction, the cost of an hour with an attorney is small against the cost of getting ownership wrong.
Common reasons a deed is rejected
| Problem | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Missing or incomplete acknowledgment | Rejected outright |
| Notary commission expired on the date signed | The act is invalid |
| A grantor did not appear before the notary | Invalid acknowledgment |
| Names on the deed do not match the identification | Rejected |
| Blank spaces left in the document | Notary must decline |
| Transfer tax or statement of value missing | Returned unrecorded |
Every one of these is avoidable at the notary stage, which is the argument for arriving with the document complete and everyone present.
We take acknowledgments on deeds and property documents at our Bethlehem notary office, alongside affidavits and copy certifications. Pennsylvania’s county recorders are represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Recorders of Deeds, whose members handle the recording itself.
Frequently asked questions
Does a deed have to be notarized in Pennsylvania?
To be recorded in the county Recorder of Deeds office, a deed must carry a proper acknowledgment taken before a notary or another officer authorised to take acknowledgments. Recording is what makes the transfer effective against third parties.
Who signs the deed — the buyer or the seller?
The grantor, the person transferring the property, signs and is acknowledged. The grantee receiving the property does not normally sign the deed itself, though they may sign other closing documents.
Can a notary prepare my deed?
No. Drafting a deed is the practice of law and a notary who is not an attorney may not do it. Deeds are ordinarily prepared by an attorney or a title company; the notary handles only the acknowledgment.
Can I sign the deed before I get to the notary?
For an acknowledgment you may have signed beforehand, since you are acknowledging that the signature is yours. In practice it is better to arrive unsigned — the notary can then confirm the certificate wording matches what the document actually needs.
Do both spouses need to be present?
Every person named as a grantor must appear and be identified. If a property is held jointly, both owners are grantors and both need to be acknowledged, though not necessarily at the same appointment.
What happens after the deed is notarized?
It is taken or sent to the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property sits, along with the recording fee, realty transfer tax and any required statement of value. The recorder returns the recorded original in due course.
Deed ready to sign?
Bring it complete, with photo ID for every grantor. Call ahead if signers need separate appointments. Hablamos Español.