Allentown, PA Housing Market and Selling Costs

Presale inspection and city paperwork

Current Allentown instructions require a safety and maintenance inspection before a commercial or residential sale. Apply for the presale permit; a passing inspection produces a Certificate of Compliance, the city document showing the inspection passed. When violations exist, the city says the seller fixes them unless the buyer agrees to do so using the Acceptance Form. Submit the Buyer's Information Report within three days of settlement. A cash or as-is sale does not automatically remove these city steps.

City of Allentown pre-sale inspections → Building Standards and Safety: 610-437-7694.

If a building is unoccupied for more than 90 consecutive days or the enforcement officer determines it vacant, current city instructions call for registration within 15 calendar days and annual renewal until the property is lawfully occupied, sold, or removed from the registry. Property maintenance still applies. Check Allentown vacant-property registration →

Allentown transfer tax is city-specific

For taxable Allentown city-property transfers recorded on or after January 1, 2026, the city notice says the total realty transfer tax is 2.5% unless an exemption applies; the state portion remains 1%. The recording submission date, not the settlement date, determines the applicable rate. This is the transaction total, not an automatic seller share or an additional tax over the total. The contract and actual settlement statement determine allocation. This city figure does not apply throughout Lehigh County. The notice was checked September 17, 2026.

Allentown realty transfer tax notice →

Historic districts and parcel maps

The city names Old Allentown, Old Fairgrounds, and West Park as historic districts. Exterior work visible from a public right-of-way may need a Certificate of Appropriateness, which is city approval for exterior changes. Routine maintenance may need no review, minor changes can receive staff review, and more substantive work can go to the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB). Do not assume an address is in a district before checking it.

City GIS and the FEMA address map can help you check historic, zoning, floodplain, and parcel questions. A property in a Special Flood Hazard Area, a high-risk flood area, with a government-backed mortgage requires flood insurance; some lenders require it outside those areas too. The parcel, loan, policy, and loss details control the answer.

County records, payoffs, and estate authority

The Lehigh County Office of Assessment maintains assessed values and parcel records; assessment is not today's sale price or a delinquent payoff. The Recorder of Deeds provides recorded deed, mortgage, and release records; it does not perform the seller's title search or decide that title is clear. The Tax Claim Bureau handles delinquent property-tax balances and tax-sale questions. For an estate, the Register of Wills handles estate-opening and authority records; the decedent's residence and estate jurisdiction control, not simply the property's location.

• Lehigh County Office of Assessment → 610-782-3038
• Recorder of Deeds Division → 610-782-3162
• Lehigh County Tax Claim Bureau → 610-782-3119
• Register of Wills Division → 610-782-3170