Erie County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed267,750 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 Erie County Tax Claim & Revenue. Upset Tax Sale for parcels ≥2 years delinquent — 2026 Upset Monday September 28, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ONLINE via GovEase (www.govease.com); NO morning-of bidder registration. List advertised ~Aug 28, 2026 in Erie Times / Legal Journal; free list on county tax-sales page after advertising. Winning bidders pay full bid plus transfer/filing taxes and fees by 3:30 p.m. sale day on GovEase. Act 33 certification enforced. Judicial and repository paths for unsolds. Lake Erie metro.

Auction logistics

Format

Online (Upset via GovEase)

Frequency

Upset annually late September; Judicial/continued sales per Tax Claim calendar

Platform

GovEase — Erie County Tax Claim Upset Sale ↗

Deposit rules

Pre-register per Act 33 and GovEase requirements before sale (no day-of registration). Full bid amount + transfer and related filing taxes/fees due by 3:30 p.m. sale day on GovEase. Certification of Successful Bidder and Act 33 compliance enforced. Conditions of Sale control refund/forfeit rules.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset: many mortgages/judgments survive. Judicial: broader free-and-clear after lienholder notice. Federal tax liens require separate analysis.

Quiet title

Common after Upset; often still used post-Judicial for marketable title 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

Erie County Tax Claim and Revenue ↗

814-451-6225

Clerk of court

Erie County Recorder of Deeds ↗

Property appraiser

Erie County Assessment / GIS ↗

GIS / parcel map

Erie County GIS / parcel maps ↗

Areas trending up

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

Erie bayfront / downtown edge

Waterfront redevelopment and institutional employment supporting selective urban demand

Millcreek Twp / Peach St corridor

Strongest suburban retail and SF liquidity in the county

Harborcreek / eastern lake edge

Owner-occupant demand with relative value versus Millcreek premium pricing