Closing costs in Kansas: what buyers and sellers pay

Why there is no single “typical” total

Government bodies fix only some of your costs: recording fees (K.S.A. 28-115) and, for a few items, filed title insurance rates. Lenders, title companies, surveyors and inspectors set the rest. Taxes, insurance deposits and prorations depend on the house, the loan and the closing date. So your total depends mostly on your loan and your contract.

Two federal forms show the variable pieces. Your lender must give you a Loan Estimate within three business days of receiving your application. It shows the estimated rate, monthly payment and total closing costs. The Closing Disclosure is a five-page form with the final loan terms, payments and closing costs, and the lender must provide it at least three business days before you close (CFPB). For a walk-through of each line, see closing costs explained.

Line by line: what each cost is

Lender charges. Origination, appraisal, credit report and similar fees are set by the lender and its vendors. I found no Kansas rate table for them. Compare lenders on the Loan Estimate. See also home appraisal cost.

Title insurance. Kansas does not set one statewide premium. Under K.S.A. 40-952(c), every title agency or company must file its manual of rules and rates with the Insurance Commissioner for property in counties with more than 10,000 people, and may not charge anything it has not filed. So premiums come from each company’s filing, and the amount can differ between companies. The statute also says services that are not insurance, such as performing the closing, may be charged but are not premium. Ask your title company for its filed rate. Background is in title insurance explained.

Transfer tax. None found. Kansas repealed its mortgage registration tax in 2019, and no deed transfer tax appears in the statutes or the county schedule I read. See our transfer tax page.

Recording fees. The county Register of Deeds charges the amounts in the table below. State law (K.S.A. 28-115) sets them, and Johnson County says its figures include the Heritage Trust Fund and technology fees.

Sales Validation Questionnaire. A deed needs one, but the county charges nothing for it.

Property taxes. Kansas real estate taxes are due in two halves, December 20 and May 10 (K.S.A. 79-2004). Property tax for the year of the sale may be prorated between buyer and seller; your contract and closing date decide the split. For how the tax is calculated, see Kansas property tax. If your lender collects taxes monthly, you will pay deposits into an escrow account.

Survey, inspection, attorney. Their prices are not set by the state in the texts I read. See what a land survey costs and home inspection cost.

Brokerage compensation. It is a matter of the listing and buyer agreements. See real estate commission.

Who pays what?

I found no official Kansas source that assigns each closing cost to the buyer or the seller; the purchase contract decides, and the Closing Disclosure and the seller’s settlement statement show the result. The Johnson County fee schedule below shows what each recorded document costs, not who pays it.