Philadelphia County Certificate of Trust Form (Pennsylvania)

All Philadelphia County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Certificate of Trust Form

Philadelphia County Certificate of Trust Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Philadelphia County compliant document last validated/updated 5/30/2025

Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Philadelphia County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Philadelphia County compliant document last validated/updated 6/3/2025

When using these Certificate of Trust forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Philadelphia County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Records Dept - Recording Div

City Hall 1400 JFK Blvd., Rm 111 , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129

Hours: 8:00 to 2:00 M-F

Phone: (215) 686-2260

Local jurisdictions located in Philadelphia County include:

  • Philadelphia

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Philadelphia County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Philadelphia County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Philadelphia County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Philadelphia County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Certificate of Trust forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Philadelphia County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Philadelphia County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Pennsylvania or Philadelphia County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Philadelphia County Certificate of Trust forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

Find the laws regarding certificates of trust at section 7790.3 of the Pennsylvania Statutes.

A trustee is a person or entity who holds title to a trust's assets on behalf of a settlor. Trustees use an official document called a certificate of trust to validate the trust's existence and confirm their authority to act on its behalf.

In order to facilitate transactions dealing with real property in a trust, lenders may require the trustee to furnish a certificate of trust. Third parties may also request a certificate to confirm the trustee has the authority, for example, to transfer real property out of the trust and to them.

The certificate presents essential information about the (unrecorded) full trust instrument, while protecting the confidentiality of its specific details. A recipient of a certificate may still request copies of certain sections of the trust instrument, particularly those establishing the appointment of a trustee and the trustee's powers, as well as amendments to the trust, but the request opens up certain liabilities, as enumerated in P.S. 7790.3(e),(h).

Section 7790.3 governs the contents and effect of the certificate. Requirements of the certificate include basic information such as the name of the settlor of the trust, the type of trust, the taxpayer identification number assigned to the trust, the acting trustee's name, and the relevant powers of the trustee. The trustee executes and signs the certificate and submits it for recording in the county in which the real property with which the trust is concerned is located.

(Pennsylvania COT Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Philadelphia County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Philadelphia County Certificate of Trust form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4562 Reviews )

MARY LACEY M.

June 30th, 2025

Great service! Recording was smooth and swiftly performed. Deeds.com is an excellent service.rn

Reply from Staff

We are delighted to have been of service. Thank you for the positive review!

Robert F.

June 30th, 2025

Breeze.... It feels silly to hire an attorney to do this for just one beneficiary. Thanks.

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Pauline C.

June 29th, 2025

Everything that was stated to be included in my order was complete. Very satisfied

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Thank you for your positive words! We’re thrilled to hear about your experience.

Luwana C.

April 2nd, 2019

I think the Website takes out a lot of leg work, Makes it easier to take care of paperwork 10 times faster.

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Amy C.

September 23rd, 2020

Easy enough to use the forms. Will probably get them reviewed before recording just to be sure.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

David D.

September 20th, 2022

Two thumbs up!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Michelle G.

May 28th, 2021

This was a great service! I was having trouble recording something and found this was the best, and quickest, way to get it completed. Excellent service! Will definitely use them again!

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Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Robert B.

April 2nd, 2019

Excellent, easy to operate, saved $$$ by doing this TOD deed myself. WILL BUY AGAIN!!

Reply from Staff

Thank you Robert. Have a fantastic day!

Bayyinah M.

March 30th, 2022

EasyPeasy!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Charles S.

May 11th, 2025

It's useful to have forms specific to the County as well as the State. The examples are also helpful, but it would be even more helpful to see an example of a complete and successfully filed package. I will go the County Recorder's Office to see if I can find an example there.

Reply from Staff

Your insights are invaluable to us and help us strive for better service. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Susan H.

November 10th, 2024

I used the quitclaim deed form, it was easy to fill out, had notarized and was accepted by the county's recorders office. Having a example form made it so much easier to fill out.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your positive words! We’re thrilled to hear about your experience.

L B W.

January 22nd, 2021

Bottom line - it was certainly worth the $21 (+-?) I paid for the form and instructions, etc.
Admittedly the form is a little inflexible in terms of editing for readability but I understand that offering greater flexibility would likely make theft more likely. So I'm happy with what I got. One suggestion - add more info about what's required in the "Source of Title" section.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

ruth l.

January 6th, 2021

I found this sight very helpful. All the information that one needs to file a quit claim deed. thank you so much.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Melody P.

April 13th, 2021

Thank you for always providing great service!

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Joseph L.

February 11th, 2019

Very easy to fill out and and saved a lot of extra cost by doing it ourselves and getting it notarized.

Reply from Staff

Thank you Joseph, we really appreciate your feedback.