Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed584,882 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 tax-deed via Delaware County Tax Claim Bureau. Upset Price Sale annually late summer/fall (2026: September 24, 2026 at 10 a.m.); registration dates Aug 24–26, 2026. Unsold properties go to Judicial Sale (free and clear after lienholder notice) — e.g. May 14, 2026 Judicial listed. Repository sales for remaining inventory. Upset buyers typically take subject to mortgages/judgments; Judicial is the cleaner path.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (confirm current cycle notices)

Frequency

Upset annually ~September; Judicial typically spring (and continued as needed); Repository ongoing

Platform

Delaware County Tax Claim Bureau — Upset / Judicial / Repository Sales ↗

Deposit rules

In-person registration required for Judicial (example: $1,000 certified check/money order registration fee). Upset registration windows posted annually. Payment terms in Conditions of Sale — typically certified funds day of sale. Contact Upset/Judicial coordinator 610-891-8294.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset: many private liens/mortgages survive. Judicial: free and clear of most liens after proper notice (analyze federal tax liens separately). Strict RETSL notice compliance — defective notice can void sales.

Quiet title

Upset titles often need further litigation/insurance work; Judicial titles cleaner but quiet title still common for resale 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

Delaware County Tax Claim Bureau ↗

610-891-8294

Clerk of court

Delaware County Recorder of Deeds / Prothonotary ↗

Property appraiser

Delaware County Assessment / Board of Assessment Appeals ↗

GIS / parcel map

Delaware County GIS / parcel resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

Media / central Delco

County seat amenities and strong SEPTA-access suburban demand

Upper Darby / inner-ring east

Relative affordability versus Main Line with Philadelphia job access

Aston / Concord (western Delco)

Suburban family growth and logistics proximity supporting SF absorption