HELOC rates and rules by state
Where your home is changes what a HELOC can do for you. Some states write home equity limits into law, like how much of your home's value you can borrow and how long you wait to close, and home values have grown at very different speeds from one state to the next. Pick your state to see what HELOCs there opened at, its rules in plain English and what you could borrow.
Choose your state
- Alabama Your spouse signs on a homestead, a 0.15% recording tax capped at the line maximum, 180 days to redeem after foreclosure, and very low property taxes. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.50% Updated
- Arkansas Your spouse signs any mortgage on your homestead, no transfer tax on the mortgage, and 60 days for the lender to clear a paid-off lien. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.75% Updated
- California Both spouses sign on community property, a HELOC doesn't trigger a Prop 13 reassessment, and anti-deficiency protection has gaps. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.88% Updated
- Colorado No documentary fee on a HELOC, special lien-release rules for credit lines, and a court order before any foreclosure sale. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.99% Updated
- Delaware No state borrowing cap or transfer tax on the mortgage, and your lender must record the release within 60 days of payoff. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.50% Updated
- Florida State taxes of 0.55% on the full credit limit at recording, your spouse signs on a homestead, and foreclosure goes through the courts. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.60% Updated
- Georgia An intangible tax of 0.3% on the full credit limit (credit unions exempt), foreclosure without a court case, and property taxes below the U.S. median. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.75% Updated
- Idaho Both spouses sign for community property, the homestead exemption does not cover a HELOC, and at least 120 days of notice before a trustee sale. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.65% Updated
- Illinois The lender pays to release the lien once you pay off and ask in writing, a homestead waiver needs both spouses, and no transfer tax on the loan. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 8.00% Updated
- Iowa A 30-day deadline to release a paid-off credit line once you ask in writing, a spouse signature on homestead mortgages, and no transfer tax on the mortgage. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.00% Updated
- Kansas No mortgage registration tax since 2019, no prepayment penalty on second-mortgage loans, and $500 owed to you if a paid-off lien sits unreleased. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.70% Updated
- Kentucky A state law for line-of-credit mortgages lets you lower or close your line in writing, and there is no transfer tax on the mortgage. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.50% Updated
- Louisiana Both spouses sign for a community home, and once the line is paid off a written request ends further draws and starts a 45-day clock for the release. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.75% Updated
- Maryland A county recordation tax on new HELOCs that you can pay as you draw or up front, and no state transfer tax on the loan. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.63% Updated
- Massachusetts A state right to cancel, capped prepayment and late fees, and 90 days to catch up before foreclosure. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.05% Updated
- Michigan A HELOC doesn't uncap your Proposal A taxable value, there is no transfer tax on the loan, and second-mortgage lenders need their own license. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.74% Updated
- Minnesota A 0.23% registry tax on the full credit limit, both spouses sign for a homestead, and a 5% cap on lender fees rolled into the line. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.50% Updated
- Missouri Both spouses sign a mortgage on the family home, fee limits on second mortgages, and a written way to stop new draws. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.50% Updated
- Montana A state law lets you stop further draws by recorded notice, the lien must come off within 90 days of a request, and no shortfall suit after a trustee sale. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.75% Updated
- Nevada Both spouses sign for community property, a set process to close a line when you sell, and no transfer tax on a HELOC. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 8.00% Updated
- New Jersey Late fees capped at 5%, free payoff figures within 7 business days, and 30 days to cure before a foreclosure suit. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.63% Updated
- New Mexico Both spouses sign for community property, no prepayment penalty on a home loan, and a 30-day notice to catch up before foreclosure. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 8.00% Updated
- North Carolina No prepayment penalty on an equity line, no excise tax on the loan, and a flat $64 fee to record it. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 6.99% Updated
- Oklahoma A 0.1% mortgage tax when the line is recorded, both spouses sign for a homestead, and 35 days to cure a default. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.75% Updated
- Oregon A law that lets you freeze your line, 120 days' notice before a trustee's sale, and no deficiency after a lender forecloses a home trust deed. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.50% Updated
- Pennsylvania No transfer tax on a HELOC, a law that lets you freeze your line, and a 30-day notice before any foreclosure. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.18% Updated
- South Carolina A South Carolina attorney oversees the closing, no penalty to pay off early, and the lien must be cleared within 3 months of your request. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.50% Updated
- Tennessee A small recording tax on the full credit limit (first $2,000 exempt), foreclosure without a court case, and property taxes under half the U.S. median. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.50% Updated
- Texas All home debt capped at 80% of value, a 12-day wait to close, and a 2% fee cap. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.65% Updated
- Utah A set rule for closing a line when you sell or refinance, a 90-day deadline to release the lien, and a 45% property tax exemption on your home. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.24% Updated
- Virginia A recordation tax of 25 cents per $100 on your full credit line, and 60 days of notice before any foreclosure sale of your home. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.63% Updated
- Washington Both spouses or partners sign, the homestead exemption doesn't shield you from your own lender, and foreclosure outreach rules cover second liens. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.74% Updated
- Wisconsin Both spouses sign for a homestead in this marital property state, a set way to close a paid-off line, and no transfer fee on the loan. Median HELOC rate at opening, 2025: 7.25% Updated
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