Agent Freddy — Maryland & Virginia
Northern Virginia seller guide

Seller closing costs in Northern Virginia

When you sell a home in Northern Virginia, three charges are due when your deed is recorded, and Virginia law puts all three on the seller unless your contract says otherwise. One is the statewide grantor tax. The other two are regional transportation fees that apply only in the nine Northern Virginia localities. This guide shows the rates, works through a $750,000 sale, and lists the other costs that come out of your proceeds.

Quick answer: on the $750,000 example further down this page, a Northern Virginia seller's default share of the deed taxes is $2,250, or 0.3% of the price. That covers the grantor tax and the two regional fees combined, and Virginia law puts all three on the seller unless the contract says otherwise. The separate recordation taxes, another 0.33% of the price, are usually paid by the buyer instead. Unlike Maryland, the rate is the same in all nine localities Freddy covers, so there is no county table to check first. See the worked example below for the full math.

Who Pays

Who pays the grantor tax and the regional fees in Northern Virginia?

Virginia's grantor tax is "paid by the grantor," which is the seller, under Code of Virginia § 58.1-802. The same statute adds that "the grantor and grantee may arrange for the grantee to pay all or a portion of the tax." The regional WMATA capital fee (§ 58.1-802.3) and the regional congestion relief fee (§ 58.1-802.4) use the same wording. So the seller pays by default, and the purchase contract can move some or all of it to the buyer.

The recordation taxes are handled differently, because the statute doesn't say who pays them. Virginia charges a state recordation tax on the deed (§ 58.1-801), and cities and counties may add a local recordation tax equal to one third of the state amount (§ 58.1-3800). The City of Alexandria's recordation tax page says this tax "is paid by the purchaser or his/her designee." Your contract sets the final split, so read the closing cost terms before you sign.

If you sell in Maryland too, note the difference. Maryland's default is an equal split of transfer and recordation taxes between buyer and seller, with a different rule when the buyer is a first-time Maryland homebuyer. Virginia puts the grantor tax and regional fees on the seller from the start. The Maryland seller closing cost guide covers the Maryland rules.

Rates

How much are the deed taxes and fees in Northern Virginia?

Rates were checked on September 16, 2026 against the Code of Virginia, the Fairfax Circuit Court fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 and the Prince William Circuit Court land records fee page.

ChargeRateWho pays by default
Grantor tax (§ 58.1-802)50 cents for each $500 or fraction of $500, which is 0.1%Seller
Regional WMATA capital fee (§ 58.1-802.3)$0.10 for each $100 or fraction of $100, which is 0.1%Seller
Regional congestion relief fee (§ 58.1-802.4)$0.10 for each $100 or fraction of $100, which is 0.1%Seller
State recordation tax (§ 58.1-801)25 cents for each $100 or fraction of $100, which is 0.25%Not assigned by the statute; Alexandria's city page says the purchaser pays
Local recordation tax (§ 58.1-3800)One third of the state recordation tax, about 0.083%Same as the state recordation tax

Together the three seller charges come to 0.3% of the taxable value. The taxable value is the sale price or the property's value, whichever is greater. For all of these charges, the Code defines value as "the most recent property tax assessment for such property at the time the property is conveyed," so an assessment above your price raises the tax. The grantor tax and regional fees also leave out the value of any loan that stays on the property after the sale, which only matters if a buyer assumes your mortgage.

Where These Apply

Which Northern Virginia localities charge the regional fees?

The WMATA capital fee applies in every county and city that belongs to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. State law lists them as "the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park." The congestion relief fee applies in Planning District 8, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, which covers the same four counties and five cities.

So the seller-side rates do not change from one of these localities to another. That makes Northern Virginia simpler than Maryland, where each county sets its own transfer and recordation taxes. What does change is which locality sends your real estate tax bills:

LocalityTypeNotes
Fairfax CountyCountyIncludes the towns of Clifton, Herndon and Vienna
City of FairfaxIndependent citySeparate from Fairfax County for local taxes
Arlington CountyCounty
City of Falls ChurchIndependent citySeparate from Arlington and Fairfax counties
City of AlexandriaIndependent city
Loudoun CountyCountyIncludes the towns of Hamilton, Hillsboro, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville and Round Hill
Prince William CountyCountyIncludes the towns of Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan and Quantico
City of ManassasIndependent cityResidents do not pay Prince William County taxes
City of Manassas ParkIndependent cityResidents do not pay Prince William County taxes

In Virginia, a city is not part of the county around it. A house with a Fairfax mailing address might be in Fairfax County or the City of Fairfax, and the difference decides which office bills your real estate taxes. Towns are different. Prince William County's tax office says town residents pay county real estate taxes and each town also "levies its own separate real estate tax."

Example

How much would a $750,000 sale cost?

This example assumes a $750,000 price, an assessment below the price, no loan assumed by the buyer, and a contract that keeps the default split.

Seller's charges:

  • Grantor tax: $750,000 ÷ $500 = 1,500 units. 1,500 × $0.50 = $750.00
  • WMATA capital fee: $750,000 ÷ $100 = 7,500 units. 7,500 × $0.10 = $750.00
  • Congestion relief fee: 7,500 × $0.10 = $750.00
  • Seller total: $2,250.00, or 0.3% of the price

Charges usually paid by the buyer, shown so you can read a settlement statement:

  • State recordation tax: 7,500 × $0.25 = $1,875.00
  • Local recordation tax: $1,875.00 ÷ 3 = $625.00
  • Buyer total: $2,500.00

Fairfax Circuit Court's schedule writes the local recordation tax as $0.083 per $100, which gives $622.50 on this sale instead of $625.00. Your settlement agent uses the clerk's figure.

Both sides together: $4,750.00. The clerk also charges recording and processing fees, which vary by court and page count.

Rounding matters at the edges. Each tax counts any fraction of a unit as a full unit. At $750,001, the grantor tax becomes 1,501 × $0.50 = $750.50, and each regional fee becomes 7,501 × $0.10 = $750.10, for a seller total of $2,250.70.

Other Costs

What else comes out of your proceeds?

The taxes above are only part of what a seller pays. Plan for these as well:

  • Brokerage commission, which is set in your listing agreement and is negotiable.
  • The payoff of your mortgage and any other lien, such as a home equity line.
  • Real estate taxes prorated to the settlement date. Virginia localities set their own due dates, so your settlement agent will work out the credit or charge.
  • Settlement and title charges your contract assigns to the seller, such as deed preparation or lien release fees.
  • Any repair credits or closing cost help you agree to give the buyer.
  • A resale certificate if the home is in a condominium, homeowners association or cooperative.

Virginia law makes "the seller responsible for all fees associated with the preparation and delivery of the resale certificate" (§ 55.1-2316). The Common Interest Community Board caps those fees. Its schedule, effective January 12, 2023, allows up to $141.31 for a unit inspection when the governing documents authorize one, and up to $211.96 for a paper certificate or $176.64 for an electronic one. Rush service can add up to $70.66. The Board's next required inflation adjustment is due in 2028. The buyer, not the seller, pays the post-closing fee of up to $70.66.

Most resale home sellers must also give buyers the Virginia residential property disclosure statement, a form the Real Estate Board publishes on its website (§ 55.1-703). Some transfers are exempt, including many estate, foreclosure and family transfers (§ 55.1-702).

Next Step

See your own numbers

A written seller plan puts these taxes next to your likely sale range, your payoff and the repairs worth making, so you can see an estimated net before you list.

Build my seller planOr start with the 3-minute Home Sale Score

More for Virginia sellers: Northern Virginia overview · How Freddy sells homes

Sources

Sources (checked September 16, 2026)

This guide is general information about Virginia taxes and fees and is not legal or tax advice. Freddy Makinde is a licensed Virginia REALTOR with eXp Realty, not an attorney or settlement agent. Confirm the figures for your sale with your title company or settlement agent.

What's My Home Worth?
Free 3-min scoreBuying instead?