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Erie County, PA

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Erie County, Pennsylvania — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

Local operations layer. The legal framework (redemption periods, surplus rights, statutes, case law) lives on the parent page → pennsylvania. This page covers how Erie County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Erie · Population: ~269,728 (2020 census) · Recording unit: county
  • Parent legal framework: pennsylvania — Erie County is a third-class county and therefore governed by the Real Estate Tax Sale Law (RETSL / Act 542), 72 P.S. §§ 5860.101–5860.803. The MCTLA (Philadelphia/Allegheny) system does not apply here.
  • County seat address: Erie County Courthouse, 140 West Sixth Street, Erie, PA 16501

C1. Local Tax Sale

  • Conducts own sale? Yes — the Erie County Tax Claim Bureau conducts upset and repository sales; the MacDonald Illig Law Firm (court-appointed) conducts judicial sales under Bureau direction.
  • Sale platform:
    • Upset Sale: Online via GovEase (www.govease.com) — Erie County’s 2026 Upset Sale is fully online through GovEase.
    • Judicial Sale: Managed by MacDonald Illig Law Firm; see http://www.eriejudicialtaxsale.com (note: ECONNREFUSED on direct fetch 2026-06-02; URL sourced from official Tax Claim Bureau PDF).
    • Repository Sales: In-person, at Tax Claim Bureau office only.
  • Sale calendar:
  • Registration & deposit (Upset Sale):
    • Pre-registration required online via GovEase at least 10 days before sale — deadline 4:00 p.m. Thursday, September 17, 2026 (no exceptions; no day-of registration).
    • Registration fee: $60.00 per bidder, non-refundable.
    • Bidder qualification (Act 33 of 2021): bidder must not have delinquent taxes or municipal utilities liens more than one year outstanding. Within 20 business days of sale (by October 27, 2026 for the 2026 sale), winning bidder must submit a notarized Certification of Successful Bidder form to Tax Claim confirming no delinquencies.
    • Municipalities have the right to deny a bid if the bidder fails their qualifications; no municipality may unreasonably deny a bidder.
  • Payment terms (Upset Sale): Full bid amount + all real estate transfer taxes (RTT: 2% of Current Common Level Ratio × assessed value) + recording fees due by 3:30 p.m. on the sale day via GovEase. Also: $25 deed preparation fee;$100 engineering fee for City of Erie properties.
  • Sale type / deed: “Buyer-Beware” — quit claim deed with no warranty; title taken subject to undivested liens, judgments, and rents of record (RETSL § 609 upset-sale rule applies). Sale is final once purchaser pays full bid; no post-sale redemption period.
  • Delinquent list location: Available free on the Erie County website (https://eriecountypa.gov/departments/tax-claim-and-revenue/tax-sales/) on or after August 28, 2026; also published in Erie Times (205 W. 12th St, Erie, PA 16534), The Corry Journal (28 W. South St, Corry, PA 16407), and Erie County Legal Journal (302 W. 9th St, Erie, PA 16502). In-office copy fee: $0.25/page.
  • Bidder requirements (Repository): In-person only; $250 minimum bid by money order; must submit notarized Affidavit of Bidder form + Repository Letter of Intent; all three taxing bodies (county, municipal, school district) must approve in writing before sale completes. Property owners may NOT bid on their own property in judicial or repository sales.

C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption

  • Post-sale redemption: NONE. RETSL § 501 bars post-sale redemption; confirmed for Erie County by the official Tax Claim Bureau document: “there shall be no period of redemption after completion of the actual sale, which occurs when the purchaser pays the full bid price, along with any related transfer taxes and deed recording fees.” — Source: Erie County 2026 Tax Sale Information PDF (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Pre-sale cure (stay of sale): The current owner may pay the full delinquency before the successful bidder completes payment (by 3:30 p.m. on sale day), retaining ownership as if the property was never exposed to tax sale. Alternatively, a Stay of Sale Agreement may be entered with Tax Claim Bureau requiring a minimum 25% down payment of the most recent two years of delinquent taxes + in-person application + state-issued ID. Full prior unpaid taxes must also be paid. Default on installment bars new agreement for 3 years. — Source: https://eriecountypa.gov/departments/tax-claim-and-revenue/paying-delinquent-property-taxes/ (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Payment methods (delinquent taxes): Cash; personal, business, certified check, or attorney IOLTA check; money orders; credit/debit card (Mastercard, Visa; ~3% surcharge for online/card payments). In-person at Tax Claim Bureau, Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
  • Redemption contact:
  • Deviations from state default: The 25% down payment figure for installment/stay-of-sale agreements is confirmed locally (RETSL § 603 provides the general authority; 25% is Erie’s standard as stated in the official paying-delinquent-taxes page). No other material local deviations identified.

C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds

  • Claim filing venue:
  • Claim form: No specific Erie-branded form name appears on the publicly extracted surplus list. Bureau instructs claimants to “consult with your own Attorney with questions concerning submitting a claim on behalf of a listed Payee or Previous Owner.” — Source: Erie County PA Surplus March 11-2026 PDF (retrieved 2026-06-02, text directly extracted). Specific claim form name and URL: needs_verification.
  • Local deadline notes: 3 years from the date of the sale. The surplus list notation states: “After 3 Years, any Unclaimed Funds will be Distributed According to PA Real Estate Tax Sale Law (RETSL)” (i.e., 72 P.S. § 5860.205(f) — distributed to taxing districts pro rata). The oldest unclaimed check on the March 2026 list dates to May 2021, consistent with the 3-year clock not yet having run for that entry at time of publication.
  • Unclaimed list published: Yes. The Bureau publishes and updates the list at https://eriecountypa.gov/surplusfunds. “Above list is updated only when there’s a change, and occurs without notice.” — Source: Erie County PA Surplus March 11-2026 PDF (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Finder fee cap: 15%. The surplus list expressly states: “Those fees are now capped at 15% through Pennsylvania Law.” Finders must be certified by the Pennsylvania Treasury (patreasury.com). — Source: Erie County PA Surplus March 11-2026 PDF (retrieved 2026-06-02, text directly extracted). This resolves the needs_verification flag from the parent pennsylvania page for the Erie County context.
  • Contact:

▸ For Investors / Operators — Erie County runs a three-stage RETSL sale sequence: Upset Sale (September 28, 2026, online via GovEase; $60 non-refundable registration fee; full payment by 3:30 p.m. on sale day) → unsold properties to Judicial (Lien-Free) Sale managed by MacDonald Illig (tentatively January following year) → unsold remainder to Repository (in-person,$250 minimum money order, all three taxing bodies must approve). The Upset Sale deed is a quit-claim conveying with all undivested liens per RETSL § 609; only the Judicial Sale conveys free-and-clear title. Court confirmation is required before taking possession; deed recording takes 60–120 days.

▸ For Former Owners — Upset Sale surplus is held by the Erie County Tax Claim Bureau (140 W. Sixth Street, Room 110; (814) 451-6206; taxclaims@eriecountypa.gov) pending Court of Common Pleas confirmation. The unclaimed-surplus list is updated at eriecountypa.gov/surplusfunds. The deadline to claim is 3 years from the sale date; after that, funds are distributed to the taxing districts per RETSL § 205(f). The bureau-published surplus list expressly states finder fees are capped at 15% and finders must be certified by the Pennsylvania Treasury.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Tax Claim Bureau (Treasurer / Tax Collector function)Patrick Ryan, Director; Jennifer Ertl-Hulings, Manager140 W. Sixth St., Room 110, Erie, PA 16501(814) 451-6206 · (800) 352-0026 (toll free)https://eriecountypa.gov/departments/tax-claim-and-revenue/
Prothonotary (civil court records / petitions / distributions)Aubrea Hagerty-Haynes (Clerk of Records)140 W. Sixth St., Room 120, Erie, PA 16501(814) 451-6250https://courts.eriecountypa.gov/index.php/clerk-of-records/prothonotary/
Clerk of Courts (criminal records)Aubrea Hagerty-Haynes (Clerk of Records)140 W. Sixth St., Room 103, Erie, PA 16501(814) 451-6221https://courts.eriecountypa.gov/index.php/clerk-of-records/clerk-of-courts/
Recorder of DeedsAubrea Hagerty-Haynes (Clerk of Records)140 W. Sixth St., Room 121, Erie, PA 16501(814) 451-6246https://courts.eriecountypa.gov/index.php/clerk-of-records/recorder-of-deeds/
Sheriff (mortgage/MCTLA sales)Chris Campanelli140 W. Sixth St., Room 400, Erie, PA 16501(814) 451-6006 / (814) 451-6008 (Real Estate Division)https://courts.eriecountypa.gov/index.php/departments/sheriffs-office/
Assessment Office—140 W. Sixth St., Room 104, Erie, PA 16501(814) 451-6225https://eriecountypa.gov/departments/assessment/
Judicial Sale CounselMacDonald Illig Law Firm—(814) 870-7770http://www.eriejudicialtaxsale.com (connection refused on 2026-06-02 fetch; verify directly)

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • Sale sequence: (1) Upset Sale (September, online via GovEase) → (2) unsold properties sent to MacDonald Illig for Judicial (Lien-Free) Sale (tentatively January of following year) → (3) still-unsold properties returned to Bureau as Repository properties (in-person bids, $250 minimum money order, all three taxing bodies must approve).
  • Upset sale buyer-beware: Deed is a quit claim with no warranty (general or specific). All liens, judgments, and rents of record follow the property and become the new owner’s responsibility at upset sale — consistent with RETSL § 609 (undivested liens). Only the judicial sale conveys free-and-clear title (§ 612).
  • Pre-payment window: Even after a winning bid at the upset sale, the prior owner retains the right to pay the delinquency before the successful bidder remits full payment (by 3:30 p.m. sale day), which voids the sale.
  • Deed recording timeline: Tax Sale Deed recorded approximately 60–120 days after the sale date; may not issue until the next calendar year. New owner is responsible for current-year taxes from date of sale.
  • Act 33 of 2021 compliance: All bidders must pre-register (no day-of registration); municipalities have bidder-approval rights.
  • Court confirmation required: All upset and judicial sales must be confirmed by the Court of Common Pleas before a deed is issued; the winning bidder is not the legal owner and may not enter the property until confirmation and deed issuance.
  • Transfer taxes: 2% of Current Common Level Ratio (CLR) × assessed value at time of deed recording; subject to change without notice. Bidders advised amounts may increase or decrease between sale day and deed recording date.
  • Fax number discrepancy: Tax Sale Information PDF lists fax as (814) 451-6454; Tax Claim main page lists (814) 451-7484. needs_verification for current correct fax number.

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

  • parent_state: pennsylvania
  • last_verified: 2026-06-02
  • confidence: 0.93
  • completeness_score: 0.88
  • gap_score: 6

sources:

needs_verification:

  • Specific claim form name and URL for Erie County surplus claims (bureau instructs claimants to consult an attorney; no specific Erie form name or downloadable form found on fetched pages).
  • Current correct fax number for Tax Claim Bureau: 2026 Tax Sale PDF lists (814) 451-6454 while the main bureau page lists (814) 451-7484.
  • GovEase registration page URL specific to Erie County PA (govease.com/erie-county-pa returned 404; www.govease.com is the parent platform).
  • eriejudicialtaxsale.com content (ECONNREFUSED on 2026-06-02 fetch); judicial sale dates and registration requirements for 2027 sale not independently verified beyond Tax Claim Bureau’s reference to MacDonald Illig.
  • 2026 Sheriff Sale specific dates (PDF binary not extracted; monthly Friday except December stated on official page; exact dates needs_verification from schedule PDF).
  • Whether INFOCON County Access is still the Recorder’s primary deed-image search system (mentioned on Recorder page but INFOCON served multiple PA counties; subscription cost not confirmed for public users).
  • PA Treasury finder certification form and process (referenced as patreasury.com on surplus list; specific URL and form not retrieved).
  • Exact docket number format and confirmation process at Court of Common Pleas for RETSL § 205(e) distribution petitions in Erie County (docket series referenced in surplus list as e.g., “12236-2024”).

cross_links: pennsylvania, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, third-party-recovery-rules, due-process-notice, treasurer-sale, sheriff-sale, tyler-v-hennepin-county, tracy-v-county-of-chester, undivested-liens-upset-sale, surplus-3-year-forfeiture, bankruptcy-automatic-stay

changelog:

  • 2026-06-02 — Initial population. Primary sources: Erie County 2026 Tax Sale Information PDF (text extracted via pdftotext, directly from official eriecountypa.gov upload); Erie County Surplus March 2026 PDF (text extracted via strings, directly from official eriecountypa.gov upload); 8 additional official eriecountypa.gov and courts.eriecountypa.gov pages directly fetched. GovEase platform, September 28, 2026 sale date, $60 registration fee, 25% stay-of-sale, 3-year surplus forfeiture, and 15% finder fee cap all verified from directly retrieved official Erie County documents.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Erie County runs a three-stage RETSL sale sequence: Upset Sale (September 28, 2026, online via GovEase; $60 non-refundable registration fee; full payment by 3:30 p.m. on sale day) → unsold properties to Judicial (Lien-Free) Sale managed by MacDonald Illig (tentatively January following year) → unsold remainder to Repository (in-person,$250 minimum money order, all three taxing bodies must approve). The Upset Sale deed is a quit-claim conveying with all undivested liens per RETSL § 609; only the Judicial Sale conveys free-and-clear title. Court confirmation is required before taking possession; deed recording takes 60–120 days.

▸ For Former Owners — Upset Sale surplus is held by the Erie County Tax Claim Bureau (140 W. Sixth Street, Room 110; (814) 451-6206; taxclaims@eriecountypa.gov) pending Court of Common Pleas confirmation. The unclaimed-surplus list is updated at eriecountypa.gov/surplusfunds. The deadline to claim is 3 years from the sale date; after that, funds are distributed to the taxing districts per RETSL § 205(f). The bureau-published surplus list expressly states finder fees are capped at 15% and finders must be certified by the Pennsylvania Treasury.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Erie County, Pennsylvania tax and mortgage foreclosure procedure from primary sources as of the last_verified date. Erie County operates under Pennsylvania’s Real Estate Tax Sale Law (RETSL / Act 542, 72 P.S. §§ 5860.101–5860.803); verify against the cited statutes, current Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure, and counsel before acting. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

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