East Nottingham and West Nottingham wrap around Oxford Borough at the bottom of Chester County, and they run the opposite resale process from the borough they surround: none. No certificate, no municipal inspection, no utility sign-off. The work of selling out here lives in the well, the septic, and the permit file.
The Nottingham seller picture
Sellers in the Nottinghams tend to hold what the rest of the county ran out of: land. Farmettes off Route 272, horse properties near Nottingham County Park, and single-family neighborhoods that grew up along the Route 1 corridor, all feeding Oxford Area schools. The buyer pool stretches from Oxford and Kennett commuters to Maryland households crossing the line for Pennsylvania taxes and acreage, and what they scrutinize is not a borough checklist. It is the private infrastructure under the lawn.
No certificate at the sale
East Nottingham’s zoning code spells out when a use and occupancy permit is required, and a home sale is not on the list. Per the township’s code, permits attach to construction done under a building permit, changes of use, land use changes, alterations to nonconforming uses, and home occupations. Ownership can change hands without any of those happening. West Nottingham’s building permit information follows the same construction-and-use logic. A call to the township office when you list is still worth the five minutes, but as published, there is no municipal step between a signed agreement and the settlement table.
What matters instead
- The well. Buyers test flow and water quality. Lenders on some loan types require it. A recent test in the listing folder shortens the conversation.
- The septic. On-lot systems are permitted through the Chester County Health Department, and a pump-out receipt with an inspection report is the cheapest credibility a rural listing can buy.
- The permit file. Additions, pole barns, and finished spaces that never saw a permit surface during the buyer’s diligence. Pulling your permit history from the township before listing turns a settlement-week crisis into a listing-week errand.
The Pennsylvania money
Both townships sit at the standard 2% total realty transfer tax, customarily split, so the seller’s half on a $450,000 sale is $4,500. Pennsylvania withholds nothing at settlement, and the federal exclusion, $250,000 single and $500,000 married, covers most owner-occupants at township price points. The home-sale tax guide and the cost-to-sell guide carry the detail.
Getting started
The Nottingham order: a free valuation, the well and septic records gathered before photos, the permit file pulled from the township, and the acreage documented properly in the listing. Neighboring Oxford Borough runs a full certificate process worth reading if you own on both sides of the line, West Grove and Avondale sit just up Route 1, the Chester County downsizing guide maps the county, and the sequencing guide settles what to do first.