Franklin County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed159,285 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 Franklin County Tax Claim Bureau (Chambersburg). Upset Sale every year in September for ~2-year delinquencies (subject to liens; includes delinquent RE taxes, municipal and state tax liens in upset price). Judicial Sale normally 2–3 months after Upset (freer title). Repository for unsolds (bids need taxing-district approval). Delinquencies turn over each January; pay by June 30 4:15 p.m. to avoid newspaper listing. Lists in Public Opinion, Record Herald, Franklin County Law Journal and county WebLink folders.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (confirm current Conditions of Sale on county Tax Claim pages)

Frequency

Upset annually September; Judicial ~2–3 months later; Repository ongoing with district approval

Platform

Franklin County Tax Claim Bureau — Upset / Judicial / Repository ↗

Deposit rules

Pre-register per published Upset/Judicial notices (Act 33 windows). Bureau accepts certified funds, money order, or card for delinquencies — no personal/business checks; no cash for delinquent taxes. Call 717-261-3884 for exact payoff (no online balance lookup). Photo ID required for card payers.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset: subject to mortgages/judgments and private liens. Judicial: free and clear of most liens after notice; federal liens separate. Repository sales free-and-clear style after Judicial exposure but still diligence-required.

Quiet title

Common after Upset; still used after Judicial 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

Franklin County Tax Claim Bureau ↗

717-261-3884

Clerk of court

Franklin County Recorder of Deeds / Prothonotary ↗

Property appraiser

Franklin County Tax Assessment / ACT DataScout ↗

GIS / parcel map

Franklin County Assessment / parcel data (ACT DataScout) ↗

Areas trending up

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

Chambersburg / downtown–I-81 edge

County-seat employment and logistics corridor supporting steady demand

Waynesboro / south county

Relative value with Maryland-border job access

Greencastle / Antrim Township fringe

I-81 logistics and warehouse growth supporting workforce housing