Most state closing-cost articles open with a scary transfer tax. Ohio's is $246.
That's the whole state-level bill on the $245,500 median home price. Ohio's transfer tax is a conveyance fee set at $1.00 per $1,000 of value — 0.1% — one of the smallest deed taxes in the country. On a $350,000 purchase it's $350. Not $3,500.
There's a catch, and it's small. Counties may add a permissive real property transfer tax of up to $0.30 per $100 of value on top of the mandatory state fee. That's 0.3%, so a county levying the maximum brings the combined rate to about 0.4% — four times the state rate, which sounds alarming until you multiply: 0.4% of $245,500 is $982. The rate genuinely varies by county line — worth one phone call, not a renegotiated offer.
Then the part that matters most to buyers: in Ohio the conveyance fee is customarily paid by the seller. The single line item that dominates closing costs in states like New York or Pennsylvania is one a typical Ohio buyer never funds.
Which means the interesting question here isn't the transfer tax. It's everything else — lender charges, title work, prepaids — set by your lender and your contract, not Columbus. Our line-by-line breakdown of every closing cost is the companion to this page.
A note before you start: this is general education, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Every figure below is a statewide number drawn from CalculatorByState's sourced dataset, and your county, lender, title company, and purchase contract will all move the total. Ohio's permissive county transfer tax in particular is set county by county, so the only combined rate that matters is the one for the county you're buying in. Your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure are the authoritative documents. Use this to sanity-check them, not to replace them.
1. What closing costs actually run in Ohio
Against Ohio's $245,500 median home price, a 2-4% range gives you roughly $4,910 to $9,820, with a midpoint around $7,365. At $350,000 — realistic in parts of central Ohio — the same range becomes about $7,000 to $14,000.
Notice how little of that is state-driven. Practically everything in that $4,910-$9,820 spread is lender fees, title insurance, appraisal, and prepaid taxes and insurance — good news, because much of that money is shoppable.
Closing costs sit on top of your down payment, not inside it. On a $245,500 Ohio purchase with 20% down you finance $196,400 and put $49,100 down. Add the $7,365 midpoint and you need about $56,465 in cash — that total, not the down payment, is the number to plan against.
See your all-in Ohio closing costs2. The conveyance fee, and what your county adds
Ohio Revised Code Section 322.02 sets a mandatory conveyance fee of $1.00 per $1,000 of value on a deed transfer — the 0.1% baseline every Ohio county charges:
- State mandatory fee at 0.1% on $245,500: $246
- State mandatory fee at 0.1% on $350,000: $350
The same statute authorizes counties to levy a permissive transfer tax of up to $0.30 per $100 — 0.3% — on top. At the full permissive amount the combined rate is about 0.4%:
- Combined 0.4% on $245,500: $982
- Combined 0.4% on $350,000: $1,400
No statewide table resolves which combined rate applies to your address — ask the county recorder or auditor, or have your title company ask. Some counties also grant exemptions affecting the permissive portion.
Know the number even though the seller usually pays it: it's a real cost to the other side, which makes it a bargaining chip. More in section 4.
3. No mortgage recording tax, so your loan size costs you nothing extra
Several states charge a separate tax on the size of your mortgage when it's recorded — a mortgage recording or intangible tax, assessed on the loan amount rather than the sale price. Ohio has none.
Ohio county recorders charge only a flat per-page fee for a mortgage, like a deed recording. Borrowing $196,400 instead of $150,000 doesn't increase a single government charge, so a larger loan here is purely a rate-and-payment question, not a tax question.
It also makes refinancing comparatively clean: no sale means no conveyance fee, and no mortgage tax waits on the new loan either. At current rates of 6.65% on a 30-year fixed and 5.95% on a 15-year, the math on an Ohio refinance turns on the rate and the lender's fees, not state taxes. See which closing costs are lender charges and which are third-party.
4. Who pays what, and where the negotiation actually is
Ohio custom is straightforward: the seller pays the conveyance fee, both the mandatory state portion and any permissive county add-on. The buyer pays lender fees, the appraisal, the lender's title policy, the closing or settlement fee, mortgage recording, and prepaids.
Custom is a contract default, not a statute. Either side can agree otherwise, and in a competitive market a buyer absorbing the conveyance fee offers the seller real money without touching the purchase price or the appraisal. At the median that's a $246 to $982 concession — painless, and visible enough to matter in a close multiple-offer situation.
The bigger negotiation is on the buyer's own side of the sheet. Origination and underwriting charges vary between lenders on an identical loan; third-party services you choose can be shopped; government fees and prepaids can't. Which fees you can push back on and which are fixed walks through the categories.
5. Ohio closings run through title and escrow companies
Ohio does not require a real estate attorney at closing. It's a title and escrow state: a title company or escrow agent handles the search, the insurance, the settlement statement, and the disbursement — the complete cast at most Ohio closings.
That means two things. There's no mandatory attorney fee in your total the way there is in the roughly nineteen states that require one, including neighbors Kentucky and West Virginia. And nobody at the table represents your legal interests by default — the title company is a neutral settlement agent, not your advocate.
For a standard purchase with clean title that's fine, and part of why Ohio closing costs land where they do. On a complicated deal — an estate sale, easement or boundary trouble, a for-sale-by-owner with a homemade contract — an attorney reviewing the paperwork is optional but cheap insurance. Title insurance covers different risks entirely; what title insurance actually covers and who it protects explains why lenders require it and whether the owner's policy is worth buying.
6. How to lower the bill before you sign
- Confirm your county's combined conveyance rate. It ranges from the 0.1% state minimum to about 0.4% with the full permissive add-on — on a $245,500 home, the difference between $246 and $982.
- Shop at least three lenders. With no transfer tax burden and no mortgage recording tax, lender charges are a larger share of an Ohio buyer's costs than in high-tax states — so shopping has more leverage here.
- Ask for a seller credit toward closing costs. Since the seller already carries the conveyance fee by custom, credits toward buyer costs are familiar in Ohio.
- Budget for prepaids honestly. Property tax and insurance escrow funding is real cash due at closing and often the surprise line; how escrow accounts get funded at closing covers how much cushion lenders collect.
- Compare your Closing Disclosure to your Loan Estimate. Some figures may move between the two and some may not; how to read a Loan Estimate line by line covers the tolerance rules.
Frequently asked questions
How much are closing costs in Ohio?
At Ohio's statewide median of $245,500, a 2-4% range works out to roughly $4,910 to $9,820, midpoint near $7,365. On a $350,000 purchase, about $7,000 to $14,000. Those totals exclude your down payment and agent commissions.
What is Ohio's real estate transfer tax?
It's called a conveyance fee, and the mandatory statewide rate is $1.00 per $1,000 of value, or 0.1% — $246 on a $245,500 home, $350 on a $350,000 home. Counties may add a permissive tax of up to $0.30 per $100, bringing the combined rate to about 0.4% where the maximum applies.
Does the buyer or the seller pay the conveyance fee in Ohio?
Customarily the seller, including any county permissive portion. That's a contract default rather than a legal requirement, so a buyer can agree to cover it — at $246 to $982 on a median-priced home, one of the cheaper concessions in a competitive offer.
Why do two Ohio buyers at the same price pay different closing costs?
Mostly lender fees and county conveyance rates: origination and underwriting charges vary between lenders on identical loans, and the permissive county tax ranges from nothing to 0.3% on top of the 0.1% state fee. Prepaid property taxes also depend on when in the tax cycle you close.
Do I need a lawyer to close on a house in Ohio?
No. Ohio has no attorney requirement at closing and functions as a title and escrow state, so a title company or escrow agent normally handles the settlement. Hiring an attorney is a judgment call for complicated transactions, not a standing cost.
Does Ohio charge a mortgage recording tax?
No. Ohio has no mortgage recording tax and no intangible tax; county recorders charge only a flat per-page fee to record a mortgage, so your loan size doesn't create a percentage-based government charge.
How much cash do I need to buy a median-priced Ohio home?
With 20% down on a $245,500 purchase you finance $196,400 and bring $49,100 down. Adding the $7,365 midpoint puts you at roughly $56,465 in cash. Lower down payment programs reduce that considerably; see ways to reduce what you bring to closing.
What to do next
Put your actual purchase price into Ohio's payment calculator, which builds in the state's property tax and insurance averages for a full monthly figure rather than principal and interest alone. Then work backward from the cash you have, using the $7,365 midpoint until your Loan Estimate arrives.
- Ohio mortgage payment calculator
- Ohio affordability calculator
- Ohio first-time buyer calculator
- How to buy a home in Ohio
- First-time home buyer programs explained
Every figure here is sourced and dated — see our methodology page.
The figures above are illustrations drawn from CalculatorByState's sourced dataset — statewide numbers, not county-level quotes, and Ohio's permissive county transfer tax in particular varies from one county to the next. Your own costs depend on your county, lender, title company, and contract. For advice specific to your situation, consult a licensed real estate professional, mortgage lender, or attorney in Ohio.