Northumberland County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed90,027 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 county. Northumberland County Tax Claim Bureau (399 Stadium Drive, Sunbury) runs multi-stage Upset / Judicial / Repository sales. Upset Sale historically September (2025 sale Sept 18, 2025, 10:00 a.m.); Judicial Sale June 19, 2026 at Administration Building — free and clear of most tax/municipal claims, mortgages, liens, judgments (except ground rents). Pre-register in person 3rd floor; $50 non-refundable registration fee per sale; deadline ten days prior (Judicial 2026: June 9). Cash/cashier’s/certified funds only; no personal/business checks. Anyone owing delinquent county taxes may not bid. Valid photo ID required. No LLC/corp/partnership deed without PA state filing/cert proof. Sunbury / Shamokin / coal-region Susquehanna corridor.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (Upset & Judicial)

Frequency

Upset typically September; Judicial 2026 held June 19, 2026; Repository as inventory remains — confirm calendar

Platform

Northumberland County Tax Claim Bureau — Upset & Judicial Sales ↗

Deposit rules

Pre-register in person at Tax Claim Bureau 3rd floor, 399 Stadium Drive, Sunbury; $50 non-refundable registration fee per sale; registration deadline 4:00/4:30 p.m. ten days before sale (Judicial 2026: June 9). Day-of: cash, cashier’s check, or certified funds payable to Tax Claim Bureau only. Bids include recorder fees, deed prep, and realty transfer taxes. All sales final; no post-Upset redemption under RETSL.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset sale: property typically remains subject to many liens. Judicial sale is designed free and clear of tax/municipal claims, mortgages, liens, judgments, charges, and estates of whatsoever kind except ground rents. Federal tax liens can survive either path. Identify sale type per parcel.

Quiet title

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

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

Northumberland County Tax Claim Bureau ↗

570-988-4116

Clerk of court

Northumberland County Prothonotary / Register & Recorder ↗

Property appraiser

Northumberland County Assessment Office ↗

GIS / parcel map

Northumberland County GIS / Assessment parcel resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

Sunbury / county-seat river corridor

County government, medical, and retail employment with more liquid SF than rural townships

Shamokin / coal-region edge

Entry-priced inventory and local workforce housing demand

Milton / Lewisburg-fringe Susquehanna corridor

Cross-county demand toward Bucknell/Union County with relative entry pricing