Monroe County, PA
Repository sale — parcels left unsold at prior tax sales
Monroe County is holding a repository sale on August 12 for parcels that went unsold at the county's prior upset and judicial tax sales.
Property that doesn't sell at a judicial sale goes into the repository. The tax claim bureau can set a minimum price and accept any bid at or above it, but only with the written consent of the taxing districts; a district that doesn't answer within 60 days is deemed to consent. The buyer takes the property free and clear of claims, mortgages and liens, except separately taxed ground rents (Real Estate Tax Sale Law § 627).
Pennsylvania rules at a glance
Pennsylvania's Real Estate Tax Sale Law sells the property itself through each county's tax claim bureau. The upset sale, held between the second Monday of September and October 1, opens at the taxes, municipal claims and costs, and the buyer takes title subject to mortgages and other liens not in that price. What doesn't sell can go to a court-ordered judicial sale free and clear of liens, and then to a repository list (72 P.S. §§ 5860.601, 5860.605, 5860.609, 5860.612, 5860.626). There is no redemption after any of these sales (§ 5860.501(c)). Philadelphia is different: its sheriff's tax sales let owners of non-vacant properties redeem for about nine months after the deed is acknowledged.
The statute, the bidding and what goes wrong for new buyers are on the Pennsylvania page.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in Monroe County pays $4,447 a year in property tax — above the Pennsylvania median of $3,311 (U.S.: $3,119). That is roughly what a typical home here owes for each year it goes unpaid — the debt that the opening bid at a deed sale is usually built from, plus interest and costs. Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $4,576; homes owned outright, $4,188.
On a home with a mortgage, the lender has its own reason to pay a delinquent tax bill: the tax lien outranks the mortgage, and a tax deed can wipe out the loan. On a home owned outright, nobody but the owner — or the heirs — has that reason. In Monroe County, 37.5% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Pennsylvania: 42.0%, U.S.: 39.4%). That is less than the state as a whole: more of the delinquent bills here sit on mortgaged homes, where the lender often steps in.
23.1% of all housing units in Monroe County are vacant. 17.7% of all units are seasonal or vacation homes, empty by design rather than abandoned. The figure that matters for a buyer at the tax sale is the Census “other vacant” category — not for rent, not for sale, not a holiday home, but a catch-all that includes foreclosures, homes held up by legal proceedings or family reasons, homes needing repairs, and abandoned ones. Here it is 3.6% of all units (Pennsylvania: 3.8%, U.S.: 3.6%). Close to the state rate.
Half of the homes in Monroe County were built in or before 1984 (Pennsylvania: in or before 1965) — newer than most of the state. The typical tax bill is 5.3% of the median household income of $83,565 (Pennsylvania: 4.2%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25081, B25002, B25004, B25035, B19013) — see the figures on data.census.gov. Survey estimates with margins of error; anything too uncertain to state is left out.
Before you bid: Verify the current repository list, minimum bid, and any county or municipal approval requirements with the Monroe County Tax Claim Bureau before submitting a bid.
This page reflects publicly posted county auction notices as of publication and is general information, not financial or legal advice. Sale details can change — always confirm current terms with the county directly.