Centre County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed159,805 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 Real Estate Tax Sale Law (RETSL / 72 P.S. §5860) county. Centre County Tax Claim Bureau runs the annual Upset Sale for delinquent real estate taxes (typically September; 2025 Upset Sale was Sept 16, 2025 at Willowbank Office Building, Bellefonte). Upset purchasers take subject to many liens; unsold parcels may later go to Judicial Sale designed to free most properly notified liens. No classic post-sale redemption for most RETSL counties. Distinct from Centre County Sheriff mortgage sales. State College / Penn State metro.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (Upset Sale; Judicial Sale as scheduled)

Frequency

Upset Sale typically September annually (historically mid-month at Willowbank, 420 Holmes St, Bellefonte); Judicial Sale of unsolds when ordered — confirm each cycle on centrecountypa.gov

Platform

Centre County Tax Claim Bureau — Upset / Judicial Sales ↗

Deposit rules

Pre-register ~10 days before the Upset Sale with $25 non-refundable fee (cash or check to Centre County Tax Claim Bureau) plus Bidder Affidavit (individual/corporate/LLC per Act 33 of 2021 guidance). No day-of registration. Payment of winning bids typically certified funds same day per Bureau conditions — read current Upset/Judicial Sale Conditions packet before registering.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset Sale: property typically remains subject to many mortgages/judgments not covered by the upset price. Judicial Sale: designed to free the property of most properly notified liens. Federal tax liens can survive either path. Always identify which sale type applies.

Quiet title

Judicial sale judgments often support marketable title; upset-sale purchasers frequently need a later judicial sale or quiet title to clear residual liens for insurance.

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

Centre County Tax Claim Bureau ↗

814-355-6805

Clerk of court

Centre County Prothonotary / Recorder of Deeds ↗

Property appraiser

Centre County Assessment Office / property search ↗

GIS / parcel map

Centre County GIS / parcel mapping ↗

Areas trending up

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

State College / downtown campus edge

Penn State employment and student-driven rental demand with constrained core inventory

College Township / Nittany Mall corridor

Suburban SF and multifamily absorption serving university and healthcare workforce

Bellefonte / county-seat fringe

Relative value versus State College core with county employment and I-99 access