Ohio calls it a "real property conveyance fee" rather than a "transfer tax," but it functions the same way. There are two layers: (1) a mandatory statewide fee of $1.00 per $1,000 of sale price (0.1%, i.e. 1 mill) that applies in all 88 counties, and (2) an optional "permissive" county fee of up to $3.00 per $1,000 (0.3%, up to 3 mills) that county commissioners may levy. Most counties impose the full permissive amount, so the typical combined rate is $4.00 per $1,000 of sale price = 0.4% total (state + county). This is codified in Ohio Revised Code (conveyance fee statute, referenced via ORC 319.202 and related sections) and administered by each county auditor at the time the deed is recorded. Some counties waive the county portion (or reduce it) for grantors with an active homestead exemption — Franklin County is a confirmed example, waiving its 2.0 local mills in that case and charging only the 1-mill state fee. Separately, some search results indicate the City of Cleveland levies its own additional municipal real estate transfer tax (reported as roughly 1.18% up to $400,000 and 1.45% above that) on top of the state/county conveyance fee — this is a notable outlier if accurate, but it was not independently cross-confirmed by a second source in this research pass, so it should be verified directly with Cuyahoga County/City of Cleveland before being treated as certain.
Buyers: roughly 2%-4% of the home's purchase price in closing costs (loan-related fees, appraisal, inspection, title insurance for lender's policy, etc.). Sellers: roughly 3% of the sale price in closing-cost items (transfer/conveyance fee, recording fees, title work, buyer concessions, etc.) PLUS realtor commissions separately, commonly cited around ~5.9% combined commission in current market data — so total seller-side outlay (closing costs + commission) is often quoted near 8-9% of sale price, though commission rates are negotiable and have been trending down/variable since the 2024 NAR settlement changes.
Who typically pays: Ohio local convention (like most of the US, and negotiable in every contract): the SELLER customarily pays the conveyance fee/transfer tax, owner's title insurance policy, recording fees to clear their own liens, and the real estate commission (both listing and buyer-agent side, historically, though this is evolving post-2024 NAR settlement). The BUYER customarily pays their own loan-related closing costs — loan origination fees, lender's title insurance, appraisal, credit report fees, and prepaid items like property tax/insurance escrow. Exact allocation is always negotiable in the purchase contract and can vary by local custom within Ohio.
Key nuance for accuracy: Ohio's fee is officially named the "Real Property Conveyance Fee," not "transfer tax" in state statute, though it is functionally identical and commonly referred to as a transfer tax in consumer-facing sources. The rate is per-county because the 3-mill portion is optional/permissive — a small number of counties may charge less than the full $4/$1,000 combined maximum, so the "typical" $4/$1,000 (0.4%) figure is the common case, not a fixed statewide mandate. Homestead-exemption grantors can get reduced/zero county-portion rates in counties that adopt that provision (confirmed for Franklin County). The claimed Cleveland city-level transfer tax (1.18%/1.45% graduated by $400k threshold) stacking on top of state+county fees is a significant potential local variation but came from only one unverified source in this pass — flag as needing direct confirmation from Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer or City of Cleveland ordinance before publishing as fact. No other Ohio city-level "mansion tax" equivalents surfaced in this research.
Facts on this page reflect research current as of 2026-07-05. Programs, rates, and laws change — confirm current figures with the relevant state agency before relying on them.