Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed275,516 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). Cumberland County Tax Claim Bureau conducts Upset Tax Sale (first-round auction of liens/claims) then Judicial Sale for remaining inventory. Upset sale online via Bid4Assets; next tentatively September 18, 2026 (listing mid-July 2026). Upset sales start at taxes + costs; many liens/judgments may survive Upset. Judicial sale aims for freer title after court process. GIS tax-sale property viewer at gis.ccpa.net/taxsales/.

Auction logistics

Format

Online (Upset via Bid4Assets; Judicial per Bureau schedule)

Frequency

Upset typically September annually (2026 tentative Sept 18). Judicial sales as needed for unsold parcels. Register individual/entity forms on Bureau site.

Platform

Cumberland County Tax Claim Bureau — Upset Sale (Bid4Assets) ↗

Deposit rules

Bid4Assets deposit historically ~$500 + $35 processing for Cumberland Upset cycles — confirm current storefront. Full payment by Bid4Assets settlement deadline after auction. Follow Upset Terms PDF for 2026 cycle.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset sale often leaves mortgages/judgments intact — buyer takes subject to many senior private liens. Judicial sale more thoroughly clears interests after process. Federal liens can survive. Bureau disclaims warranties as to title, size, structures.

Quiet title

After Judicial sale (or when insuring Upset deeds), quiet title is frequently required for marketable PA tax title.

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

Cumberland County Tax Claim Bureau ↗

717-240-6100

Clerk of court

Cumberland County Recorder of Deeds / Prothonotary ↗

Property appraiser

Cumberland County Assessment / tax parcel data ↗

GIS / parcel map

Cumberland County Upset/Judicial Tax Sale GIS viewer ↗

Areas trending up

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

Carlisle / downtown–Army War College edge

County-seat and institutional employment with solid SF demand

Mechanicsburg / east Cumberland

Harrisburg-commute job access and strong suburban resale liquidity

Camp Hill / West Shore

Capitol-region employment density with tight inventory into 2025–26