Plumstead and Bedminster share the farmland north of Doylestown and split the seller’s municipal question straight down the township line. Bedminster wants a $60 permit and, for most of its housing stock, a pumped and inspected septic tank. Plumstead wants nothing at all, unless a tenant is involved.
The upper Bucks seller picture
The two townships sell different versions of the same countryside. Plumstead carries the Route 611 corridor, Plumsteadville, and newer developments inside the Central Bucks School District’s pull. Bedminster holds more preserved farmland in the Pennridge district, with Deep Run and covered-bridge country setting the tone. Both markets run on wells, septic, and school district lines, and both reward sellers who handle the municipal step, where one exists, in listing week.
Bedminster: the $60 permit and the pump-out
- 01Apply once you have a buyer and a date. The township’s resale page prices the permit at $60 under Ordinance 206 and recommends the inspection within 30 days of settlement. Nothing gets scheduled until the application and payment arrive, and payment means a check, money order, or exact cash.
- 02Pump the septic, or certify the sewer. On-lot systems need a licensed septic company to pump, inspect, and complete the township’s two-page report. Public-sewer properties instead get a final water and sewer certification from the Bedminster Municipal Authority.
- 03A failing system does not kill the sale. The township can issue a temporary permit with a notarized buyer statement setting the repair timeline through the Health Department. Estate and as-is sales work; they just need the paperwork before settlement.
Plumstead: no certificate, rental rules
The Pennsylvania money
Both townships sit at the standard 2% total realty transfer tax, customarily split, so the seller’s half on a $600,000 sale is $6,000. Pennsylvania withholds nothing at settlement, and the federal exclusion, $250,000 single and $500,000 married, covers most owner-occupants. The home-sale tax guide and the cost-to-sell guide carry the detail.
Getting started
The upper Bucks order: a free valuation, the Bedminster application and septic pump-out booked early, Plumstead rental registrations brought current if tenants are involved, and pricing set against the school district each township feeds. The Doylestown guide covers the borough and township to the south, the Perkasie and Sellersville guide covers the Pennridge boroughs, the Bucks County downsizing guide maps the county, and the sequencing guide settles what to do first.