Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed216,859 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 Lackawanna County Tax Claim Bureau (Scranton). Upset Tax Sale annually in September (after the second Monday, before month-end) for ~2-year delinquencies — not free-and-clear; sold subject to liens. Unsold → Private/non-repository sale, then Judicial Sale in spring of the following year (2026 Judicial May 13, 2026) free and clear after lienholder notice/court petition. Repository for remaining unsolds. Separate Sheriff sales are mortgage/judgment defaults, not Tax Claim sales. Call 570-963-6734 before paying for correct amount.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (Tax Claim Bureau schedule; confirm current notice)

Frequency

Upset annually ~September; Judicial spring following year (e.g. May 13, 2026); Private and Repository as inventory allows

Platform

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

Deposit rules

Advance bidder registration required; Certification of Bidder form under Act 133 / RETSL §619.1. Bureau will not issue deed if purchaser has unpaid Lackawanna delinquencies. Payment and registration windows posted on Judicial/Upset notices — use certified funds per Conditions of Sale. No personal checks for many tax-sale settlements statewide.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Upset: not free and clear — mortgages, judgments, and many private liens can survive. Judicial: free and clear of most liens after proper notice (federal tax liens analyzed separately). RETSL notice defects can void sales.

Quiet title

Common after Upset purchases; often still used after Judicial for resale/title insurance comfort. Local PA counsel recommended.

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

Lackawanna County Tax Claim Bureau (Barbara Lynady, Director) ↗

570-963-6734

Clerk of court

Lackawanna County Recorder of Deeds / Prothonotary ↗

Property appraiser

Lackawanna County Assessment / parcel research ↗

GIS / parcel map

Lackawanna County GIS / parcel mapping (confirm via county portal) ↗

Areas trending up

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

Downtown Scranton / Electric City core

County-seat employment, university edge, and adaptive-reuse liquidity with block-level underwriting required

South Abington / Clarks Summit corridor

Northern suburb owner demand and stronger SF resale than city soft pockets

Dickson City / Blakely retail fringe

Relative entry pricing with Viewmont-area retail and highway access supporting workforce housing