Butler County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed199,341 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Deed

Redemption periodstate default

None in most counties for upset/judicial sales; limited redemption (90 days) survives in specific home-rule counties (e.g., Philadelphia, in narrow cases)

Investor returnstate default

N/A — outright deed transfer in the large majority of counties

Governing statutestate default

Pennsylvania Real Estate Tax Sale Law, 72 P.S. §5860.101 et seq.

Notes

Pennsylvania RETSL via Butler County Tax Claim Bureau (124 W Diamond Street, Butler). Three-stage path: Upset Sale second Monday of September for ~2-year delinquencies (buyer responsible for past-due taxes, liens, mortgages, etc.); unsold → Judicial Sale starting at costs plus deed recording/transfer fees, free and clear if all parties properly notified; remaining → Repository list (written bids presented to three taxing districts). Bidder registration form and Upset/Judicial Terms PDFs on county site. Recent Judicial examples include Oct 1, 2025 list. Phone 724-284-5326.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (Upset/Judicial; confirm any online change on current notice)

Frequency

Upset annually second Monday of September; Judicial as court-approved lists post; Repository ongoing

Platform

Butler County Tax Claim Bureau — Upset / Judicial / Repository ↗

Deposit rules

Bidder Registration Form required. Payment and certified-funds rules in Terms and Conditions of Upset/Judicial Sale PDFs. Act 33 / RETSL pre-registration norms apply statewide — confirm current Butler instructions before sale day.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset: not free and clear — mortgages, judgments, liens can survive. Judicial: free and clear of most liens after proper notice (federal tax liens separate). Repository: free and clear of past-due taxes and liens per bureau description after district approval.

Quiet title

Common after Upset; often still used after Judicial/Repository for insurance comfort. Local PA counsel recommended.

Deal maths for Pennsylvania

Assessment ratio: 0.4065× of market value
Typical quiet title: $1,500–$5,000 · 4 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

Pennsylvania has no statewide assessment ratio. Counties assess against their own base years, some decades old, and the State Tax Equalization Board publishes a Common Level Ratio per county each year. Always use the county ratio.