Cambria County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed130,108 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 Tax Claim Bureau county (Real Estate Tax Sale Law of 1947). Cambria County Tax Claim Bureau runs Upset Tax Sale first, then Judicial Sale for unsold inventory, plus Private/Repository paths. 2026 Upset Tax Sale scheduled Monday, September 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom #1 of the Cambria County Courthouse (Ebensburg). Bidder registration in person only at Tax Claim Bureau Monday August 17–Friday August 28, 2026 ($20 cash registration fee per bidder; no exceptions). Beginning April 1, 2025 a $250 fee is added to costs for all properties sold at any Tax Sale (Upset, Judicial, Private or Repository) per Cambria County Ordinance #5 of 2024. Recent Judicial Sale cycles include December 9, 2025 (properties free and clear of most tax/municipal claims/mortgages under §612 after Court Order). Johnstown metro / Alleghenies.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (Courthouse Courtroom #1)

Frequency

Upset annually mid-September (2026: Sept 14); Judicial as Court orders (e.g. Dec 2025 cycle); Repository/Private sales ongoing for unsolds

Platform

Cambria County Tax Claim Bureau — Upset / Judicial Tax Sales ↗

Deposit rules

Register in person during published window only (2026 Upset: Aug 17–28); $20 cash fee. Payment terms per Conditions of Sale — expect certified funds / cash practice; confirm current packet. Beginning 4/1/2025, $250 sale-cost fee attaches per Ordinance #5 of 2024. Buyer beware — title search strongly recommended before bidding.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset: mortgages and many private judgments typically survive — opening bid recovers taxes + costs/municipal claims in the upset price, not free-and-clear title. Judicial Sale (after Court Order): sold free and clear of most tax and municipal claims, mortgages, liens, charges and estates except ground rents separately taxed (§612 RETSL) — federal tax liens still require independent analysis.

Quiet title

Often used after Upset purchases and sometimes after Judicial to quiet notice defects or obtain insurable title; challenge period after confirmation can affect marketability.

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.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Cambria County Tax Claim Bureau ↗

814-472-1445

Clerk of court

Cambria County Prothonotary / Recorder of Deeds (sale confirmation & land records) ↗

Property appraiser

Cambria County Assessment / tax parcel resources ↗

GIS / parcel map

Cambria County GIS / assessment parcel tools ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Johnstown / downtown–medical corridor

Regional hospital and downtown revitalization supporting workforce and investor SF absorption

Ebensburg / county-seat ridge

Government employment and US-22 access with more stable owner-occupant demand

Richland / suburban Johnstown edge

Retail and school-driven demand with stronger resale than soft valley pockets