Selling a home in Montgomery County

Three taxes apply when a deed is recorded. Montgomery's recordation tax has a base rate on the whole price, plus premiums charged only on the part of the price that falls inside each bracket above $500,000. Rates below come from the sources listed at the end of this page.

On a $650,000 sale, the recordation tax is $5,785 of base tax plus $460 and $575 of premiums, or $6,820. The county transfer tax adds $6,500 and the state transfer tax $3,250. When the buyer is an individual who will live in the home at least seven of the first twelve months, the first $100,000 of the price is exempt from recordation tax, which is about $890 less in this example. That's arithmetic on the published rates, not a market price.

Maryland law presumes the buyer and seller split these taxes equally unless the contract says otherwise. With a first-time Maryland homebuyer who will live in the home, the seller pays the state transfer tax and, unless the contract expressly says otherwise, the county taxes too (Real Property § 14-104). Your title company confirms the final figures. Commission, any repair credits, a mortgage payoff, and prorated property taxes come on top. The Maryland seller closing-cost guide has an estimator for your own price.

Rockville is Montgomery County's seat. The county has 19 incorporated municipalities, among them Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, Kensington, Poolesville, Garrett Park, Glen Echo, Washington Grove, Barnesville, Brookeville, Laytonsville, North Chevy Chase and several Chevy Chase towns and sections. Each sets its own property tax rate, which the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation publishes every July.

Silver Spring, Bethesda, North Bethesda, Potomac and North Potomac are not on that list. They are unincorporated census-designated places with no town government. People search them by postal name, and the ZIP codes don't match the census boundaries exactly: Silver Spring addresses include 20901 through 20906, 20910 and 20912, Bethesda mainly uses 20814 through 20817, North Bethesda is served by 20852 (postal city Rockville), Potomac by 20854 and North Potomac by 20878 (postal city Gaithersburg). Calverton and Hillandale cross the line into Prince George's County, so check which county a specific address is in before you estimate its closing taxes.

• Order your own pre-listing review of the house so repair questions don't show up first in the buyer's inspection.
• Pull your property record from Maryland SDAT (the state assessment office) to check square footage and lot details before they show up in the listing.
• If you're in a homeowners association or condo, request the resale documents early. Buyers review them before settlement.
• Fill out the Maryland Residential Property Disclosure and Disclaimer Statement with your agent.

If this will be your first home in Maryland, state law helps at settlement. The state transfer tax drops to 0.25%, and the seller pays it, along with the county recordation and transfer taxes unless the contract says otherwise (Real Property § 14-104). The Maryland Mortgage Program, run by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, offers 30-year fixed-rate loans and down payment and closing-cost assistance through approved lenders, with income and purchase price limits.

Two Montgomery County details matter for buyers. When an individual buyer will live in the home at least seven of the first twelve months, the first $100,000 of the price is exempt from the county recordation tax (County Code § 52-16B). The state's Montgomery Homeownership Program has also paired a Maryland Mortgage Program loan with a zero-percent deferred down payment loan of up to $50,000, capped at 40% of household income, according to its fact sheet dated April 8, 2026. Program funds and terms change, so confirm current availability with an approved lender.

Check your offer position with the Buyer Readiness Score, then search Montgomery County homes.

See the full breakdown of what buyers pay at closing in the Maryland buyer closing-cost guide for a county-by-county comparison and an estimator.

Get a written plan for your Montgomery County home: likely sale range, what to fix, what to skip, and your estimated net.

• Montgomery County Code § 52-16B, recordation tax rates and $100,000 exemption — https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/montgomerycounty/latest/montgomeryco_md/0-0-0-150655
• Montgomery County Department of Finance, Bill 17-23 recordation tax changes — https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/department-finance/bill-17-23-recordation-tax-changes-effective-october-1-2023
• Gordon Feinblatt LLC, Recordation and Transfer Tax Rates in Maryland Explained — https://www.gfrlaw.com/what-we-do/insights/recordation-and-transfer-tax-rates-maryland-explained
• Maryland Code, Real Property § 14-104, who pays recordation and transfer taxes — https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/laws/StatuteText?article=grp&section=14-104
• Department of Legislative Services, HB 82 fiscal and policy note (2026 session) — https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/fnotes/bil_0002/hb0082.pdf
• Zillow, Montgomery County MD Home Values, updated July 31, 2026 — https://www.zillow.com/home-values/2975/montgomery-county-md/
• Maryland Mortgage Program, About MMP — https://mmp.maryland.gov/about-mmp
• Maryland Mortgage Program, Montgomery Homeownership Program fact sheet (April 8, 2026) — https://mmp.maryland.gov/media/30
• Maryland Manual On-Line, Montgomery County municipalities — https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/36loc/mo/html/momu.html
• Maryland Manual On-Line, Montgomery County — https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/36loc/mo/html/mo.html
• Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, Tax Rates — https://dat.maryland.gov/pages/tax-rates.aspx

This page describes property types and costs only. It does not rate neighborhoods, schools, or safety. Local rates can change, so confirm them with your title company before closing.