Closing costs by state
Closing costs in Ohio
Closing costs in Ohio run about 2% to 5% of the price for a buyer, made of lender fees, title and settlement, recording, prepaid interest and escrow reserves; on a $400,000 home the worked example below comes to $10,055. Ohio charges a state transfer tax of $1 per $1,000 of value (mandatory real property conveyance fee of 1 mill, R.C. 319.54), about 0.1% of the price, and the seller customarily pays it. Counties may add a permissive fee of up to $3 per $1,000, and 87 of 88 do, so the combined fee is commonly $2 to $4 per $1,000 (0.2% to 0.4%).
Last verified ·Sources:dam.assets.ohio.gov·ohiorealtitle.com
The rules
What Ohio does differently
- State transfer tax
- $1 per $1,000 of value (mandatory real property conveyance fee of 1 mill, R.C. 319.54) (about 0.1% of the price at $400,000).
- Who pays it
- Seller, by custom.
- County and city add-ons
- Counties may add a permissive fee of up to $3 per $1,000, and 87 of 88 do, so the combined fee is commonly $2 to $4 per $1,000 (0.2% to 0.4%).
- Attorney at closing
- Ohio does not require an attorney at closing; a title or escrow company usually conducts it, and an attorney is optional.
- Owner’s title policy
- Who pays the owner’s title policy in Ohio varies by county or region; it is set by local custom and the contract.
- Notes
- The fee is paid by the person selling the property. $400 state fee on a $400,000 sale, plus up to $1,200 county. Title companies conduct closings. Owner's policy: split in northeast Ohio, seller in central Ohio, often buyer in the southwest.
- dam.assets.ohio.gov — “a statewide mandatory tax of 1 mill ($1 per $1,000 dollars of the value of property sold or transferred)”
- ohiorealtitle.com — “The owner's policy of title insurance is split between the buyer and seller in Northeast Ohio and paid in full by the seller in Central Ohio.”
Worked example
A $400,000 home in Ohio, 20% down
Loan of $320,000 at 6.5%, closing on the 15th. Lender, title and recording figures are typical line items used for illustration, the same on every state page; the transfer tax follow Ohio’s rules above. Not a quote: the calculator takes your own figures.
Buyer pays
| Loan origination, 1% of the loan | $3,200 |
| Appraisal | $550 |
| Title and settlement services | $1,800 |
| Lender’s title policy | $900 |
| Recording | $150 |
| Prepaid interest, 15 days at 6.5% | $855 |
| Escrow reserve, 3 months of tax at 1.1% | $1,100 |
| First year of homeowners insurance | $1,500 |
| Total (2.514% of price) | $10,055 |
Seller pays
| Commission, 5% | $20,000 |
| Title and escrow fees | $2,000 |
| Owner’s title policy (estimate) | $1,500 |
| Prorated property tax | $1,500 |
| Transfer tax, seller’s share (0.1%) | $400 |
| Total | $25,400 |
Questions
What people ask about Ohio
- Who pays the transfer tax in Ohio?
- Ohio charges a state transfer tax of $1 per $1,000 of value (mandatory real property conveyance fee of 1 mill, R.C. 319.54), about 0.1% of the price, and the seller customarily pays it. Counties may add a permissive fee of up to $3 per $1,000, and 87 of 88 do, so the combined fee is commonly $2 to $4 per $1,000 (0.2% to 0.4%).
- Do you need an attorney to close on a house in Ohio?
- Ohio does not require an attorney at closing; a title or escrow company usually conducts it, and an attorney is optional.
- Who pays for the owner’s title policy in Ohio?
- Who pays the owner’s title policy in Ohio varies by county or region; it is set by local custom and the contract.
- How much are seller closing costs in Ohio?
- On a $400,000 sale with a 5% commission, the worked example on this page comes to $25,400 for the seller, including $400 of transfer tax, before the mortgage payoff and any concessions or repairs. The seller net sheet calculator shows the walk-away figure.
Last reviewed September 8, 2026 by the EstatePass editorial team. Formulas and program limits are checked against the published rules; figures on this page are arithmetic, not market statistics.
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