Philadelphia Deed Search: How to Look Up a Deed, Mortgage or Owner
How to search Philadelphia deeds, mortgages and owners: what the Department of Records offers online, what it costs, what the data shows, and what a search misses.
Quick answer
Philadelphia deeds are recorded by the Department of Records, whose commissioner serves as Recorder of Deeds. Its online system, Philadox, searches deeds and other property records from 1974 to the present. Older records come by mail or in person. A deed search shows recorded documents, not title insurance or legal advice.
What is a Philadelphia deed search?
In Philadelphia, the public record is kept by the Department of Records. The department records real estate documents in Philadelphia, and its commissioner serves as the Recorder of Deeds for Philadelphia. That is why people searching for the Philadelphia Recorder of Deeds end up at a City department page rather than a county office with that name.
The department says it maintains recorded documents from the late 17th century to the present. Those include deeds, mortgages, mortgage satisfactions, mortgage releases, easements and other recorded documents. You can look these up online, in person or by mail.
A recorded document is not searchable right away. The department states that recorded documents are not searchable until two to four weeks after recording. A deed signed last week may not show up yet, which matters if you are checking a recent sale.
Definition
Deed search — A deed search is a look through the recorded documents on a property to see who transferred it to whom, and which mortgages and other documents were recorded against it. It reads the public record. It does not decide who legally owns the property.
Where can you search Philadelphia deeds and what does each route cover?
There are three official ways to get at Philadelphia recorded documents, plus a separate City site for property facts. Each answers a different question.
| Route | What it covers | Cost or access |
|---|---|---|
| Philadox (online, Department of Records) | Deeds and other property records from 1974 to the present. View document information and watermarked copies. | Paid subscription: $15 for one day, $60 for one week, $125 for one month, $750 for one year, plus a 3.5% convenience fee on online payments. |
| In person, Department of Records | Recorded documents from before 1974, and copies of any record. | City Hall, Room 154, 1400 John F. Kennedy Blvd. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Copy fees depend on document type. |
| By mail, Department of Records | Same records as in person, including pre-1974 documents. | Send the request, payment, a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note with the property address. |
| Property Search (Office of Property Assessment) | Assessed value, building description, square footage and sales history. Search by address, city block or OPA/BRT account number. | Information page lists a phone number for the Office of Property Assessment. It is not a deed index. |
How do you look up a deed in Philadelphia?
The order below follows the department's own guidance on what to have ready and where each kind of record lives.
Gather what you know about the property
The department asks for as much of the following as possible: the property address, the grantor (the person selling), the grantee (the person buying), the deed date at the top of the deed, and the document ID number. The document ID applies to records from 1973 to the present.
Decide whether the record is before or after 1974
Philadox covers deeds and other property records from 1974 to the present. Recorded documents from before 1974 come by mail or in person. The department notes that property records from before 1973 may have to be pulled from the City Archives or need special handling.
Search Philadox for recent records
Philadox shows document information and watermarked copies online. Printing documents or indexed information needs a paid subscription. If you only need to confirm that a deed exists and when it was recorded, the on-screen information may answer it. If you need a printout, price the subscription tiers first.
Request older records in person or by mail
For anything before 1974, visit the Department of Records or mail the request with payment. Include the property address, a self-addressed stamped envelope and the fee. The department does not accept personal checks, and checks and money orders go to the City of Philadelphia.
Check the property facts separately
Use the City Property Search for assessed value, building details and sales history. That page is not a record of every document filed against a property, so do not treat it as a substitute for reading the deed and mortgage records.
Read each document, then read the next one
A deed names a grantor and grantee and describes the property. It does not prove the grantor had good title. Read the deed that put the current owner on the record, then the one before it, until you reach a document you can account for.
What can a Philadelphia deed search show, and what does it miss?
A deed search shows documents that were recorded. It shows a chain of transfers, the mortgages recorded against the property, and the satisfactions or releases recorded for those mortgages. It also shows easements and other recorded instruments.
It does not show everything that affects ownership. Some problems never reach the recorded index in a form a name search will find. A deed signed by someone who lacked authority, a missing heir, a forged signature and a document indexed under a misspelled name can all sit behind a clean-looking list of records.
The City recognizes one of these problems directly. Its Tangled Title Program offers help to eligible low-income people whose names are not on the deed of the home they live in. The Department of Records also describes deed fraud as a person selling a home while pretending to be the owner, without the legal owner's permission.
A deed search is also not a mortgage payoff statement. A recorded mortgage shows a face amount, not today's balance. A mortgage stays in the record until a satisfaction or release is recorded, so a mortgage with no matching satisfaction is a question to resolve, not proof of an unpaid loan. Our article on how to tell if a mortgage is actually open explains how to match mortgages to their discharges.
How many documents does Philadelphia record?
The City publishes the Real Estate Transfers dataset on OpenDataPhilly. It says the Department of Records published data for all documents recorded since December 6, 1999, including real estate transfers, and that it shows the dates and locations of sales, deeds, mortgages and sheriff deeds.
HeritageDeed counts the records in that dataset for the period 3 October 2025 to 11 August 2026. These are document counts. They are not counts of unpaid loans, open liens or properties.
| Document type | Documents recorded |
|---|---|
| Deeds | 29,132 |
| Sheriff's deeds | 2,235 |
| Mortgages | 44,182 |
| Mortgage satisfactions | 28,925 |
| Assignments | 11,615 |
| Sales (transfers counted as sales) | 19,282 |
How should you read those numbers?
In that period the dataset holds 29,132 deeds and 19,282 sales. The two figures differ because a deed is a document type and a sale is a transfer the dataset classifies as a sale. A deed can be a transfer between family members, a correction or a sheriff's deed, and not every deed carries a sale price.
The median price in the same period was $270,000. That is a median across the transfers counted as sales, not an appraisal of any one house.
Mortgages (44,182) and satisfactions (28,925) are separate documents. A satisfaction recorded in this window may discharge a mortgage recorded years earlier, and a mortgage recorded in this window will not have a satisfaction until it is paid off. Do not subtract one count from the other and call the result open loans.
The 2,235 sheriff's deeds are a separate document type in the dataset. If you see one in a chain, read it and the documents around it closely, because a sheriff's deed is not an ordinary owner-to-buyer sale.
Can you be alerted when a document is recorded in your name?
What mistakes do people make when searching Philadelphia deeds?
- Searching for a recent sale before the two to four week delay has passed.
- Assuming the owner on a tax or property page is the owner on the latest recorded deed.
- Searching only the current owner's name and skipping earlier grantors in the chain.
- Treating a mortgage with no visible satisfaction as proof the loan is still owed.
- Using Philadox for records before 1974, which come by mail or in person.
- Taking a deed search as a guarantee of good title, which only a title insurance policy backs.
What is a deed search not?
A deed search is not title insurance. Title insurance is a policy issued by a licensed insurer that can pay for covered title defects.
It is also not legal advice. Whether a deed is valid, whether a mortgage was properly released, and who owns a property after a death or a divorce are legal questions. If the record raises one, a Pennsylvania real estate attorney is the right person to ask.
HeritageDeed runs title searches for supported counties, including Philadelphia County, at $49 for a Current Owner Search, $79 for a Two Owner Search and $129 for a 30-Year Search. Other Pennsylvania counties we cover are listed on the state page. None of these reports is title insurance.
Key takeaways
Key takeaways
- The Philadelphia Department of Records records real estate documents, and its commissioner serves as Recorder of Deeds for Philadelphia.
- Philadox searches deeds and other property records from 1974 to the present. Earlier records come by mail or in person.
- Philadox subscriptions are $15 a day, $60 a week, $125 a month or $750 a year, plus a 3.5% convenience fee online.
- Recorded documents are not searchable until two to four weeks after recording.
- From 3 October 2025 to 11 August 2026 the dataset lists 29,132 deeds, 44,182 mortgages and 28,925 satisfactions. These are document counts, not unpaid loans.
- Deed Fraud Guard is a free email alert for Philadelphia property owners.
- A deed search is not title insurance and not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a free Philadelphia deed search?
- The Department of Records says Philadox is a paid-subscription system for printing documents or indexed information, from $15 for one day. Its page lists no free tier. The City does offer free alerts through Deed Fraud Guard, and the Real Estate Transfers dataset on OpenDataPhilly is open data, though its terms state the City makes no representation about accuracy.
- Who is the Philadelphia Recorder of Deeds?
- The Department of Records records real estate documents in Philadelphia. Its department page says the Commissioner serves as the Recorder of Deeds for Philadelphia. Check the department page for the current office holder.
- How far back do online Philadelphia deed records go?
- Philadox searches deeds and other property records from 1974 to the present. The department maintains recorded documents from the late 17th century, but records from before 1974 come by mail or in person. Records from before 1973 may need to be pulled from the City Archives.
- How do I find out who owns a property in Philadelphia?
- The City Property Search lists information such as assessed value and sales history by address, block or OPA/BRT account number. To confirm the current owner of record, read the most recent recorded deed. Our guide on [who owns a property](/blog/how-to-find-out-who-owns-a-property) covers the steps.
- Why can't I find a deed that was just recorded?
- The Department of Records states that recorded documents are not searchable until two to four weeks after recording. A very recent sale may not appear in the online index yet.
- Does a clean deed search mean a property has no liens?
- No. A deed search reads deeds and mortgages. Liens from other sources may be filed elsewhere or under a different name. See how to [check for liens on a property](/blog/how-to-check-for-liens-on-a-property) for the other places to look.
- Can I get a copy of a Philadelphia deed by mail?
- Yes. The Department of Records accepts mailed requests with payment, a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note with the property address. It accepts money orders, business or certified checks and cards, but not personal checks. A 3.5% convenience fee applies to card payments.
Sources
Primary records and official documentation cited in this article.
- 1City of Philadelphia, Department of Records (homepage)
- 2City of Philadelphia, Get a copy of a deed or other recorded document
- 3City of Philadelphia, Find property information
- 4City of Philadelphia, Sign up for deed fraud protection
- 5City of Philadelphia, Tangled Title Program
- 6OpenDataPhilly, Real Estate Transfers (Department of Records)
HeritageDeed provides public-record search reports only. Reports do not constitute title insurance, an attorney opinion of title, or a title insurance commitment.