Kansas Closing Costs for Buyers: How Much You'll Pay

Transfer tax in Kansas: none

Kansas does not charge a tax on the transfer of real estate, which is the main reason its closing costs sit below the national picture. Kansas has no real estate transfer tax. Kansas formerly levied a mortgage registration tax (Kansas Statutes Chapter 79, Article 31), but every rate-setting section of that article (K.S.A. 79-3101 through 79-3120g) is now marked 'Repealed' in the current Kansas Statutes, the mortgage registration tax was repealed effective January 1, 2019. Kansas never had a separate deed-transfer tax distinct from the mortgage registration tax. Source

You still pay recording fees: $21 to record the deed and $21 for the mortgage at the Johnson County Register of Deeds (Olathe, Kansas's most populous county); fee structure set statewide by K.S.A. 28-115. Fee schedule

How much is title insurance in Kansas?

On a $302,300 home in Kansas, an owner's title policy costs about $823 and the lender's policy about $200 when both are issued together (the simultaneous-issue discount). The buyer pays the lender's policy; who pays the owner's policy is a matter of local custom and contract. Kansas is a filed-competitive state: each title insurer files its own rates, so premiums differ by company and it pays to get two quotes. Premiums computed from First American Title Insurance Company, Kansas rate filing on file with the Kansas Department of Insurance (KDOI Title Rates public filings page).

Kansas title insurance is filed-competitive: the Kansas Department of Insurance publishes every title insurer's/agency's own filed rate schedule as public PDFs on its Title Rates page (insurance.kansas.gov/companies/title-rates), First American, Fidelity National, Chicago Title, Old Republic, and Stewart each file separately, and small-county-only agents (counties under 10,000 population) are exempt from filing at all. Figures above come from First American's Kansas filing: the Owner's Policy Basic Rate (Appendix A-1) is $435 for the first $50,000 of coverage, +$16 per $10,000 from $50,001-$150,000, +$15 per $10,000 from $150,001-$300,000, +$12 per $10,000 above $300,000, at Kansas's $302,300 median that computes to approximately $823. When a Loan Policy is issued simultaneously with the Owner's Policy in the same transaction, First American's filing prices it as a flat add-on rather than a second full premium: $300 in 'Area A' (First American's highest-cost area, likely the Kansas City metro counties incl. Johnson County) or $200 in 'Area B/C' (the rest of the state) for a residential loan policy at or below the owner's policy amount, $200 is shown here as the more broadly applicable figure, but Johnson County (Kansas's most populous county) may fall in the pricier Area A ($300); this was not confirmed by area-to-county mapping in this pass. Other filed underwriters (Fidelity, Chicago Title, Old Republic, Stewart) will have their own different rate tables, a specific closing's actual premium depends on which title agency is used. Who customarily pays the owner's policy premium in Kansas was not confirmed against an official source this pass.

Kansas-specific buyer costs on a $302,300 home

These are the line items set by Kansas law or filed rates. Lender fees, appraisal, escrow and prepaid taxes and insurance come on top and depend on your loan.

How much are closing costs in Kansas?

For a buyer, closing costs usually run 2% to 5% of the purchase price. On Kansas's median-priced home (about $302,300), that is roughly $6,046 to $15,115, and it is separate from your down payment. The exact figure depends on your lender, your loan, and local taxes.

What closing costs include

Closing costs are a bundle of one-time fees due at settlement: lender or origination fees, an appraisal, title insurance, escrow and settlement fees, recording fees and any Kansas transfer tax, plus prepaid property taxes and homeowners insurance.

Why Kansas closing costs vary

The single biggest reason closing costs differ from state to state is transfer taxes, which states and sometimes counties and cities charge on the sale. Title insurance customs and whether an attorney is required at settlement also matter.

Sources

• Kansas transfer tax statute
• First American Title Insurance Company, Kansas rate filing on file with the Kansas Department of Insurance (KDOI Title Rates public filings page)
• Johnson County Register of Deeds (Olathe, Kansas's most populous county); fee structure set statewide by K.S.A. 28-115 recording fees
• Kansas Department of Insurance, Title Rates (public filings by every licensed title insurer/agency)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: buyer closing costs are typically 2% to 5% of the purchase price

Kansas figures last verified against official sources on September 11, 2026.