Pennsylvania Archives

April 22, 2024April 25, 2024

Deed Records Go Digital: Getting Up to Speed in Delaware County, PA

Delaware County (“Delco” to the locals) is home to more than a half-million residents, making it Pennsylvania’s 5th most populated county. It borders the southwest edge of Philadelphia. It’s a little bit country, a little bit urban. It includes scenic Ridley Creek State Park. Several universities stand at least partly within it: Cheyney, Villanova, and Widener.

The Delaware County Recorder of Deeds’ office, which holds 240 years’ worth of documents, is putting them all online. The public can already take advantage of the county’s new system. And this year, the Delco Recorder of Deeds has deployed keyword search software.

Search through public documents using keywords? What a novel idea! Let’s see what else people can do with this new online resource.

February 12, 2024April 25, 2024

Facing Up to Discriminatory Deed Language: What Pennsylvania Did

With everything that’s happening in the world, maybe more needs to be said about what the Pennsylvania Senate did in December. Every senator agreed to pass state Rep. Justin Fleming’s H.B. 1289, enabling homeowners to publicly condemn offensive language in deed covenants. The new law 1289 makes it cheap or free, and very simple to do.

This law had already passed in the House, of course – in June 2023. It just needed the governor to sign it into law. And the governor did.

It’s a new Pennsylvania law that we all need to know about.

October 16, 2023April 25, 2024

A Ray of Sunshine for Older and Disabled Residents: Pennsylvania’s Amped-Up Property Tax Assistance Can Help

Getting over the hurdle of property tax payments is harder these days. That’s because taxable home values have gone up.

So older Pennsylvanians are praising their governor, Josh Shapiro, for signing Act 7 of 2023 into law. It enlarges Pennsylvania’s Property Tax / Rent Rebate (PTRR). Hundreds of thousands of people — those who own, and those who rent — will benefit from the change. They include: Pennsylvanians aged 65 and up; surviving spouses aged 50 and up; and people with disabilities who are at least 18 years old.

The modified law takes effect in January 2024. But you need to know about it in order to get it! So here’s a Q&A to describe what’s going on.

February 17, 2023April 25, 2024

Pittsburgh Is Rolling Out OwnPGH to Help People Buy—and Keep—Houses and Condos

Pittsburgh, the City of Bridges, is often described as affordable, and a great place to live. But lately, inflation has settled into Pittsburgh’s real estate. Home prices have risen. Rents have gone up. And so has just about everything else.

Now, Pittsburgh is tapping $15 million in American Rescue Plan funds to help first-time buyers reach their goals, through an initiative called OwnPGH. As of the time of this writing, no start date has been set. But informational sessions are open for reservations.

Here’s what interested present and future Pittsburgh residents should anticipate as OwnPGH gets under way this year.