Upper Uwchlan and Wallace share Marsh Creek, the Downingtown school district, and not much else about selling a house. One township inspects every resale for $100 with the utility certifications bundled in. The other publishes no resale certificate and, as of 2026, charges no township property tax at all.
The Marsh Creek seller picture
Upper Uwchlan sellers mostly hold newer stock in planned communities around Eagleview and Route 100, bought by households that want the district, the employers, and the Turnpike ramp in one place. Wallace sellers, centered on Glenmoore, hold the rural version: acreage, horse setups, and homes that back up to Marsh Creek State Park. The two markets share a buyer pool that starts with Downingtown schools and splits on how much lawn it wants to mow.
Upper Uwchlan: the $100 process
- 01File the request form early. The township’s residential resale form carries a $100 fee that covers the inspection plus the trash account and sewer account certifications. The township asks for the paperwork as soon as possible.
- 02Schedule at least two weeks before settlement. That is the township’s own instruction on the form, and it leaves room to fix anything the inspection flags without moving the closing date.
- 03Refinancing instead of selling? The township’s refinance rule still requires the solid waste and sewer certification, submitted three weeks ahead. The certification habit applies to more than sales here.
Wallace: no certificate, no township tax
On the process side, Wallace publishes no resale certificate. Its permits attach to construction, from additions and barns down to fences and new driveways, with inspections through the township’s appointed inspector. The detail that catches rural sellers: driveway work needs a permit, and the township’s driveway standards are a condition of occupancy sign-offs on permitted projects. If a paving contractor skipped the permit years ago, close it out before the buyer’s title company finds it.
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 corridor order: a free valuation, the Upper Uwchlan form filed in listing week with the two-week scheduling rule respected, the Wallace permit file checked for old driveway and outbuilding work, and pricing set against the district. Neighboring Uwchlan Township runs its own resale ordinance worth reading, the East and West Brandywine guide covers the townships to the west, the Chester County downsizing guide maps the county, and the sequencing guide settles what to do first.