Franklin County Property Transfers: Sales Records, Deeds and Conveyance Fees

How Franklin County property transfers work

A transfer is any change in who owns a parcel: a sale, a gift, an inheritance, a move into a trust or LLC, or a correction. Two county offices are involved, in this order. The Auditor processes the transfer on the tax list and collects any conveyance fee, then the Recorder records the deed so it becomes part of the public land records.

1. A deed is prepared. A new deed or other legal document is needed to add or remove an owner. The Auditor’s Office can’t prepare documents; it suggests a title company or real estate attorney, and the Franklin County Law Library offers free templates.
2. The conveyance statement is completed. Sales use form DTE 100, the Real Property Conveyance Fee Statement of Value and Receipt. Transfers claiming an exemption use DTE 100EX.
3. The Auditor reviews and stamps the transfer. Documents must meet the Auditor’s Conveyance Standards. The conveyance fee is paid here.
4. The Recorder records the deed. If you submit by U.S. mail or the Auditor’s drop boxes, the Auditor’s FAQ says the office will take your documents to the Recorder for you. Electronic filers use Simplifile.
5. The records update. The Auditor’s website typically shows the new owner about one to two business days after the office processes the deed.

How to look up a property’s sales history

To answer “was this property sold?” or “what did they pay?”, go straight to the parcel’s record.

1. Find the property in the Auditor’s property search by address, owner or parcel ID.
2. Open the Transfers (sales) tab. It lists past transfers, including dates and sale prices.
3. Compare the sale dates with the Value History tab to see how the Auditor’s appraised value moved relative to what buyers paid.

Where to see recent sales across Franklin County

If you’re tracking the market rather than one house, the Auditor publishes several free sources.

The weekly reports are published as news posts on the Auditor’s site. For example, reports published September 27, 2026 covered sales from September 18 through September 24, 2026.

Of these, the Franklin County daily conveyance list is the quickest way to follow land transfers as the Auditor processes them.

How to find a recorded deed

The Auditor’s record tells you that a transfer happened. The deed itself lives with the Franklin County Recorder.

In short: the Auditor holds the transfer and sales data, while the Recorder holds the deeds, mortgages and other recorded documents.

conveyance fee: how much and how it’s figured

Ohio charges a fee when real estate changes hands. In Franklin County, the standard conveyance fee is $3 for every $1,000 of sale price. It has two parts: a $1 per $1,000 fee set by the State of Ohio and a $2 per $1,000 county fee set by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. The county portion rose from $0 to $2 starting October 7, 2019, to fund affordable housing work.

Worked examples

These use the Auditor’s published rates. Always confirm your exact amount with the official calculator before closing.

• $300,000 sale, standard rate: 300 × $3 = $900 conveyance fee, plus the $0.50 transfer fee.
• $300,000 sale, seller receives Homestead: 300 × $1 = $300, plus $0.50.
• $187,450 sale: rounded up to $187,500, so 187.5 × $3 = $562.50, plus $0.50.

Payment goes to the Franklin County Auditor. The calculator lists cash, business check or cashier’s check; Appendix C of the Auditor’s Conveyance Standards lists accepted payment methods in full.

Transfers exempt from the conveyance fee

Not every transfer is taxed. Ohio Revised Code 319.54 lists the exempt categories, and the DTE 100EX form is how you claim one. The Auditor’s FAQ is blunt that money changing hands makes a transfer taxable, and that a gift is only exempt if it fits a listed category. Examples from the statute include transfers:

• to or from the United States, the State of Ohio, or a political subdivision or agency;
• solely to provide or release security for a debt;
• to confirm or correct a deed already recorded;
• to evidence a gift between husband and wife, or parent and child or the spouse of either;
• on sale for delinquent taxes or assessments;
• under a court order, to the extent the transfer isn’t the result of a sale;
• between spouses or to a surviving spouse;
• to the trustee of a revocable trust where the grantor kept an unlimited power to revoke, and back to the grantor when that power is used.

Read the full list on the DTE 100EX before you assume a transfer is exempt. A gift to a sibling, grandchild or friend, for example, isn’t in the family-gift category above.

What happens to the records during a typical home sale

Common deed types you’ll see on transfer records

The Transfers tab and the Recorder’s index show what kind of deed was used. Each type carries different promises about the title. This overview is general; an attorney or title company can explain how a specific deed affects you.

Deed fraud: warning signs and what to do

Deed and title fraud happens when someone records a forged or fraudulent deed to take or borrow against property they don’t own. The Auditor’s Office published a Deed/Title Fraud Strike Force report in 2024, and its “In the News” page highlights the story of an Ohio woman who won back her home after a quitclaim deed scam. Paid-off homes, vacant land, rentals and the property of elderly or recently deceased owners are often targeted.

Warning signs

• A tax bill or county mail stops arriving, or arrives in someone else’s name.
• The Auditor’s record shows a transfer you didn’t make.
• You receive a letter about a mortgage or a sale you know nothing about.
• Strangers show up to “see the property” or begin work on it.

What to do

1. Check the Transfers tab in the property search and the Recorder’s online records for the document.
2. Contact the Recorder (614-525-3930) and local law enforcement right away.
3. Talk to a real estate attorney about correcting the record.
4. Sign up for the Recorder’s Property Alert service so you’re notified in the future.

Property tax prorations at closing

Because Ohio real estate taxes are paid a year behind, a seller owes taxes for time they owned the home that won’t be billed until after closing. Buyers and sellers settle this with a proration on the closing statement. How it’s calculated, and which bill it’s based on, is set by the purchase contract and local practice, so check with your agent or title company. After closing, the buyer is responsible for paying bills as they come. The property tax explains the tax year and collection year in detail.

Conveyance fee scenarios

These examples apply the Auditor’s published rules and Ohio’s exemption list. Confirm your situation with the Auditor’s Transfer & Conveyance department (614-525-3253) or a title professional.

Document checklists for buyers and sellers

All of these forms are described in the Auditor forms.

Buying a rental property

If you buy a home to rent out, Franklin County’s rental registration applies: register within 60 days after notification following the transfer, or face a $150 fine per property per tax year. The owner occupancy credit won’t apply, and the 10% nonbusiness credit on rentals is phasing out under House Bill 186 (7.5% for tax year 2026). Build those costs into your numbers; the property tax explains the credits.

LLCs, trusts, name changes and deaths

Splitting or combining parcels

After you buy: five things to do

1. Apply for the owner occupancy credit if you live in the home. It doesn’t transfer from the seller. See the owner occupancy credit.
2. Reapply for Homestead if you qualify. The exemption doesn’t move with you to a new home. See the Homestead Exemption.
3. Check where tax bills are going. Mailing address changes go to the Treasurer. See the tax bill.
4. Register a rental. Owners of residential rental property must register within 60 days after notification following a transfer, or face a $150 fine per property per tax year.
5. Protect the title. Sign up for the Recorder’s Property Alert service, listed in the Real Estate section of the Recorder’s website.

Selling land in CAUV or with Homestead

Two special conveyance statements exist for sellers. DTE 101 is the Statement of Conveyance of Homestead Property, used when a home receiving Homestead is sold. DTE 102 is the Statement of Conveyance of land in the Current Agricultural Use Valuation program. If CAUV land is converted to non-farm use, a recoupment charge equal to the previous three years’ tax savings can apply. See the CAUV before you sell farmland.

Do sales change property values?

Sales are the raw material for values. The Auditor studies arm’s-length sales to set values in reappraisal and update years, and a sale is one of the most common reasons a parcel is reviewed between reappraisals. A single sale doesn’t automatically reset your neighbors’ values, but sales across a neighborhood shape the next update. The property values explains the process.

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