TD GameChanger

Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

Tax Deed145,319 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 via Lebanon County Tax Claim Bureau. Delinquent taxes turn over in January; ~17 months later Notice of Sale; Upset Tax Sale held second Monday of September at 5:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Lebanon County Municipal Building, 400 South 8th Street. Upset buyers assume judgments, liens, and mortgages. Unsold parcels get 60-year title search, court petition, then Judicial Sale free and clear of taxes/mortgages/liens/judgments after proper notice (post-search liens can still attach). Online pre-registration required ($25 non-refundable per bidder) even though bidding is in person.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (pre-registration online/forms)

Frequency

Upset annually second Monday of September at 5:00 p.m.; Judicial after court approval of unsolds

Platform

Lebanon County Tax Claim Bureau — Upset / Judicial Sale ↗

Deposit rules

Mandatory pre-registration ($25 non-refundable). Bidder affidavit/application (individual or business) required. Payment and certified-funds rules in Conditions of Sale — obtain copies before sale day. Act 33 / RETSL bidder certification compliance required.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale
Upset: buyer assumes mortgages, judgments, and liens. Judicial: free and clear of most liens existing at title-search cutoff if notice was proper; liens filed after search can survive. Federal tax liens analyzed separately.
Quiet title
Common after Upset; still often used after Judicial for insurance/resale 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
Lebanon County Tax Claim Bureau ↗
Clerk of court
Lebanon County Recorder of Deeds / Prothonotary ↗
Property appraiser
Lebanon County Assessment / Tax Claim research ↗
GIS / parcel map
Lebanon County GIS / parcel mapping resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

City of Lebanon core selective blocks

County-seat employment with entry inventory; block-level underwriting required

Palmyra / North Londonderry edge

Hershey-adjacent demand with stronger SF resale than soft mill-town pockets

Annville / Cleona corridor

College and small-town demand with relative liquidity along US-422

Sources