Allegheny County's elected Recorder of Deeds has been gone since January 2008. A county ordinance abolished the office and gave its duties to an appointed Real Estate Manager1.
Yet the county's own deed search still calls itself the "Recorder of Deeds Online Search"2. Two more county offices, each with its own website, keep your owner record and your tax bill.
Who took over from the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds?
The Division of Real Estate did, in Room 101 of the County Office Building at 542 Forbes Avenue3. Some county pages still call it the Department of Real Estate4.
It records each deed, the signed paper that passes a property to a new owner.
Division of Real Estate
Records deeds, mortgages and powers of attorney. Runs the free deed search and the free Property Fraud Alert. Phone 412-350-4636, option 22,3.
Office of Property Assessments
The county's assessor. Its record for each parcel, one piece of land with its own ID number, shows the owner, past owners, value and taxes5.
Which county site do you need for each task?
Match the job to the office: deeds at the Division of Real Estate, the owner record on the Real Estate Portal and tax bills at the Treasurer.
| I want to... | Go to | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Look up a deed by name or parcel | Deed search, then Free Search | Free to search. Online records start in 1914. |
| Get a copy of a deed | The deed search, Room 101 at 542 Forbes Ave., or a mailed request | $1 a page. A certified copy adds $1. A mailed request costs $10. |
| See the owner the county lists | Real Estate Portal | Free by address or parcel number. Owner-name search is a paid subscription. |
| Record a deed | Division of Real Estate, online or in Room 101 | $200 standard fee. Transfer taxes are extra. |
| Pay county real estate tax | The Treasurer's website or its payment vendor | In 2026, the 2% discount ended March 31 and penalties began May 1. |
| Change where the tax bill goes | County Treasurer, 412-350-4100 | The owner's mailing address changes through the Division of Real Estate. |
| Hear when a document names you | Property Fraud Alert (steps below) | Free. It emails you after the document is recorded. |
Sources: Division of Real Estate fee schedules, effective January 1, 20268,9; Real Estate Portal and subscription pages10,11; County Treasurer6; Address Change page7.
How does the Allegheny County deed search work?
Searching the deed index online is free. A document's image costs $1 a page, and only its first 10 pages are charged2.
- Open the deed search and click Free Search.
- Stay on the Name Search tab, with the office set to Deeds. Type a last name or a business name.
- Pick Grantor, Grantee or Both. The grantor signs a property away. The grantee receives it.
- Leave the date range wide and click Search now.
Try every spelling, as the site itself advises. Deeds in books older than number 3680 are not online2.
Room 101 takes cash, money orders and business checks. It does not take personal checks or cards3,9.
How do you check Allegheny County property records by address?
Use the free Real Estate Portal. Search by address or parcel number to see the owner the county lists, past owners, the value and tax details5,10.
Leave off street endings such as "Dr." or "Street," as the portal asks10. Searching by owner name needs a paid subscription: $100 to join, then $50 a month plus hourly use11.
The county's August 2026 fraud release told owners to "monitor their property information via the Allegheny County Real Estate Portal"12. Check all three addresses the county keeps for each parcel: the property, the owner's mailing address and the tax bill address7.
The county updates addresses by form, but not owner names: "You will need a new deed," it says7.
What does the Allegheny County property fraud alert sign-up ask for?
It asks for your email and phone number, the county and the names to watch. The alert is free and emails you when a document with one of those names is recorded12,13.
The county's link opens pfa.uslandrecords.com, run by Avenu Insights & Analytics, the company behind the deed search13. A look-alike, propertyfraudalert.com, is another company's site and does not run Allegheny's alert14.
- Open the county's link. The county's Property Fraud Alert page forwards you to the sign-up site. Click "Register now."
- Accept the terms and type the characters shown in the picture.
- Add your email and phone number. Notices go to that email.
- Pick Allegheny and how you want to hear: "email, or phone if available."
- List the names. Add each owner's name, with and without a middle initial, or a business name.
- Review and finish. A card is needed only "If you choose a county that charges for this service." Press Finish.
What the alert does
- Emails you when a document with a listed name is recorded, as grantor or grantee
- Costs nothing, and works for people and businesses
What it does not do
- Warn you before a document is recorded
- Watch a parcel number or your addresses
- Judge a deed: the Division "will not determine the correctness or legality" of its contents
Sources: Allegheny County release, August 31, 202612; Property Fraud Alert site13; Deeds page15.
How rare is property fraud in Allegheny County?
Rare, even at its worst. The 2026 case WPXI called "the largest deed fraud scheme in Western Pennsylvania history" involved 43 properties, in a county of about 585,000 parcels16,17,18.
of the county's parcels were in that case: 43 out of 585,005 in its assessment data.
Sources: CBS News Pittsburgh, July 15, 2026; Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center18, data updated October 7, 2026.
Many of the homes were empty, long owned and paid off, often by older people, real estate agent Kelsey Green told KDKA19. Our guide to who deed thieves target shows the same pattern in national data.
Where do you report a forged deed in Allegheny County?
Report it to the county and the police right away, then talk to a lawyer. Forging a deed is a third-degree felony in Pennsylvania21.
- Tell the county. Use its "Report Suspected Deed or Mortgage Fraud" form, or call 412-350-4636, option 222,3.
- Report the crime to your local police and the District Attorney's Office at 412-350-440123.
- Ask a court to fix the record. A quiet title action is a lawsuit asking a judge to settle who owns a property. Pennsylvania's court rules let it force the other side to cancel a false deed24.
- Get legal help. Neighborhood Legal Services (866-761-6572) helps low-income residents with "Tangled Titles." The county bar's lawyer referral line is 412-261-555525,26. Bring the papers listed in our fraudulent deed guide.
House Bill 1406 would make theft involving a deed a second-degree felony at any dollar amount27. It passed the state House 203-0 in June 2025, but the Senate tabled it that October28.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds phone number?
Call the Division of Real Estate at 412-350-4636 and choose option 2. For deed copies, call 412-350-4224. The office is in Room 101 at 542 Forbes Avenue, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
What are the fees for recording deeds in Allegheny County?
The standard fee to record a deed is $200, under the schedule in effect since January 1, 2026. Realty transfer taxes are figured separately.
How do you get a copy of your deed in PA?
Each Pennsylvania county keeps its own deeds. In Allegheny County, print one from the online deed search for $1 a page, or ask in Room 101. A mailed request costs $10.
How do you find out who owns a property in PA?
Ask the county where the property sits. In Allegheny County, the free Real Estate Portal shows the owner of record by address or parcel number.
Is a property fraud alert legitimate?
Allegheny County's is. Start from the county's own link, which opens pfa.uslandrecords.com. A similar-sounding site belongs to another company.
Do the three free checks first
Search your deed, look up your owner record and put your names on Property Fraud Alert.
Sign up for Property Fraud AlertSee how Still My Home worksOwn a home in another county too? Look for its program on our state-by-state map of county alerts.
Links, fees, hours and phone numbers on this page were checked against county websites on October 25, 2026.
Sources
- Allegheny County Administrative Code, § 5-201.03, Independently elected County officials, eCode360 (amended by Ord. No. 38-04, approved May 17, 2005), checked October 25, 2026
- Welcome to the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds Online Search, Allegheny County Division of Real Estate (site by Avenu Insights & Analytics), checked October 25, 2026
- Recording Documents, Allegheny County, checked October 25, 2026
- Fee Schedule, Allegheny County, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Record Search, Allegheny County, checked October 25, 2026
- Allegheny County Treasurer, home page, checked October 25, 2026
- Address Change, Allegheny County, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording Fees, Allegheny County Division of Real Estate, effective January 1, 2026
- Methods for Obtaining Copies and Associated Fees, Allegheny County Division of Real Estate, effective January 1, 2026
- Allegheny County Real Estate Portal, search page, checked October 25, 2026
- Subscription Real Estate Website, Allegheny County, checked October 25, 2026
- Innamorato Administration Fights Deed Fraud on Behalf of Homeowners, Allegheny County press release, August 31, 2026
- Property Fraud Alert, sign-up site and agreement terms, Avenu Insights & Analytics, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Fraud Alert, Pennsylvania county list, Fidlar Technologies, checked October 25, 2026
- Deeds, Allegheny County, checked October 25, 2026
- Multiple fires connected to properties owned by man accused in widespread fraud scheme, Amy Hudak, WPXI, July 21, 2026
- 2 Pittsburgh men charged in scheme that stole 43 property deeds, Madeline Bartos, CBS News Pittsburgh, July 15, 2026
- Allegheny County Property Assessments, record count, Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center, data updated October 7, 2026
- Pittsburgh real estate agent says she's uncovered dozens of cases of deed fraud, Chris Hoffman, KDKA (CBS News Pittsburgh), June 24, 2026
- Man accused of stealing from estate owned by mother with dementia, WPXI, April 15, 2026
- 18 Pa.C.S. § 4101, Forgery, Pennsylvania General Assembly, checked October 25, 2026
- Report Suspected Deed or Mortgage Fraud (web form), Allegheny County, checked October 25, 2026
- Fraud Squad Alert: Deed, Property & Title Scams, Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, September 30, 2025 (contact details checked October 25, 2026)
- Pa.R.C.P. No. 1061, Action to quiet title, The Pennsylvania Code, checked October 25, 2026
- Neighborhood Legal Services, home page, checked October 25, 2026
- Allegheny County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service, checked October 25, 2026
- House Bill 1406, Printer's No. 1980, Pennsylvania General Assembly, June 23, 2025
- House Bill 1406, bill information and history, Pennsylvania General Assembly, checked October 25, 2026