Washington County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed210,434 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 Washington County Tax Claim Bureau (Crossroads Building, Washington PA). 2026 Upset Tax Sale Wednesday September 30, 2026 10:00 a.m.; 2026 Judicial Wednesday June 24, 2026 10:00 a.m.; Repository sales (e.g. Fall 2026 Aug 19). Act 33: all prospective bidders pre-register ≥10 days before sale. Upset subject to liens; Judicial freer title after process. Post-exposure redemptions require Treasurer certified funds (no personal checks).

Auction logistics

Format

In-person

Frequency

Upset annually late September (2026: Sep 30); Judicial mid-year (2026: Jun 24); Repository periodic

Platform

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

Deposit rules

In-person registration at Tax Claim Bureau 95 W Beau St Ste 525 during published windows: $25 cash non-refundable registration fee, Bidder Registry Form, photo ID, Affidavit of Bidder (business docs if entity). Rescinding bids or disrupting sale → permanent ban. Full payment per Conditions of Sale in certified funds.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset: subject to mortgages/judgments/encumbrances. Judicial: free and clear of most notified liens; federal liens separate. Strict RETSL notice compliance required.

Quiet title

Standard after Upset; still common after Judicial for insurance/resale.

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

Washington County Tax Claim Bureau ↗

724-228-6700

Clerk of court

Washington County Recorder of Deeds / Prothonotary ↗

Property appraiser

Washington County Assessment ↗

GIS / parcel map

Washington County GIS / campus map tools ↗

Areas trending up

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

Peters Township / McMurray

Affluent southern Pittsburgh suburb with strong school-driven SF demand

Canonsburg / Southpointe edge

Energy and office employment supporting rental and owner demand

City of Washington / I-70 corridor

County-seat relative value and logistics access; underwrite block quality carefully