Bucks County

December 8: two sales on GovEase

The Bureau's Upset and Judicial Sales page explains the calendar. The upset sale is held every September under Pennsylvania's Real Estate Tax Sale Law; this year it was on September 15. In December come a continued (adjourned) upset sale and a judicial sale, and in 2026 both fall on December 8. For 2026 the county changed online vendors: every Tax Claim sale now runs on GovEase.

The December 8 adjourned upset sale list had 73 parcels when we read it on October 22, with upset prices from under $1,000 to about $118,000 and a median near $3,800. The Bureau warns that the upset prices are approximate and can rise as more liens come in, and that the list can change until the day of the sale. On the same day, the link labelled "December 8, 2026 Judicial Sale List" still opened the December 9, 2025 list, so the judicial list for this year was not yet posted.

A property reaches the upset sale when its real estate taxes are two years past due. Local tax collectors return unpaid bills to the Bureau after December 31; the claim becomes absolute if it is still unpaid at the end of the following year, and the owner is notified in July that the property will be advertised, posted by the Sheriff and sold. Properties that do not sell at the upset sale are listed for a judicial sale.

Registration: in person, and three different deadlines

Registration is the step that trips people up. The Bureau's 2026 Notice of Public Tax Sale and the header of the bidder registration packet say prospective bidders must appear and register at the Bureau in person by November 14, 2026 for the December 8 sales. The rules printed in the same packet say November 13. The table on the registration page lists registration for both December sales from September 21 to November 24, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Plan for the earliest date, November 13, or call the Bureau before relying on a later one.

If you registered for the September 15 upset sale, you are already registered for both December sales. Otherwise bring one fully completed original of the individual, non-individual or LLC registration form, the signed affidavit, your driver's license (the address on the form must match it) and a $100 non-refundable registration fee by certified check or money order payable to the Bucks County Tax Claim Bureau. LLCs also include their articles of organization. No fax or email is accepted, and the Bureau no longer takes cash. Use the same email address on the form and on your GovEase account.

The affidavit is sworn: you certify that you owe no delinquent real estate taxes to any taxing district in Pennsylvania, that you have no municipal utility bills more than a year outstanding, that you are not bidding for someone barred from tax sales, and that you have no uncorrected housing code violations in the past three years. A false statement is a second-degree misdemeanor. The owner of a property and the owner's immediate family cannot buy it back at a judicial sale or from the repository.

The Bureau, at 55 East Court Street, 5th Floor, Doylestown, sends a list of completed applications to every municipality in the county at least five days before each sale. All bidders must be approved before they can bid.

Bidding and paying by 5 p.m.

At the upset sale, bidding on each property starts at its upset price, which covers the delinquent taxes, prior liens, municipal claims and costs. At the judicial sale, bidding starts at $1.00 over the Bureau's costs. Properties can be withdrawn at any time up to the close of business on sale day, and GovEase accepts no bids after the closing time it shows.

If you win, you owe the entire bid plus transfer tax, recording fee, sale cost and an online administration fee by 5 p.m. on auction day, by ACH or wire through GovEase. The sale is not final until the Bureau is paid. A bidder who misses the deadline loses the property, which may go to the next highest bidder or back to a later sale, and is barred permanently from Bucks County tax sales. The recorded deed is mailed once the Recorder of Deeds returns it.

For scale: at the September 15, 2026 upset sale, 5 parcels were exposed and 2 sold. On December 9, 2025, 4 of 8 parcels sold at the adjourned upset sale and 3 of 4 at the judicial sale. Many listed properties are paid or stayed by agreement before they are offered, which is why the published lists are much longer than the results.

No redemption, but the owner can challenge the sale

Pennsylvania gives the owner no right to redeem after a tax claim bureau sale, and the Bucks rules say it plainly: there is no redemption in Bucks County. The owner can, however, file exceptions to the sale. The appeal period is 30 days, and if a court overturns the sale your bid is returned. Treat the first month after December 8 as a waiting period before you spend money on the property.

What you buy depends on which sale it is. At the upset sale, the Bureau's notice and rules say no liens are divested: you take the property subject to any mortgage or lien on it. Check the Recorder of Deeds for mortgages and the Prothonotary for other liens before bidding. The judicial sale is the court-ordered second round for properties that failed at an upset sale; in Pennsylvania it is the sale that clears liens and mortgages, as the Chester County Tax Claim Bureau's overview of the state law explains. Either way, Bucks sells every property as is, with no guarantee of its condition or title.

Parcels that still do not sell go to the repository. Bucks takes sealed bid forms at any time, with some bids starting at $500 and others at the Bureau's costs, and repository parcels are sold free and clear of delinquent taxes and liens. The repository list on the Repository Sales page was updated September 28, 2026. Improperly completed bid forms are returned.

Undistributed funds after a sale

When a sale brings in more than the taxes, liens and authorized costs, the Bureau must distribute the rest, and the former owner may be entitled to it. To claim, the prior owner fills out a Distribution Affidavit, has it notarized and returns it with a copy of a valid U.S. government photo ID; an estate's executor also sends a short certificate. The check is mailed in the prior owner's or the estate's name. The Bureau states it is not a party to agreements between owners and "finders" and pays the owner directly (Undistributed Funds page).

The Bureau's published undistributed funds list was last updated February 18, 2026, and it shows everything the Bureau holds, including amounts still owed to lienholders and taxing authorities. A figure on that list is not necessarily money owed to the former owner.

For the state rules see our Pennsylvania page and the Pennsylvania tax sale calendar. Neighboring counties: Montgomery (continued upset and judicial sale on December 10) and Delaware (upset price sale on December 10, with in-person registration capped at 120 bidders).

Four ways people lose money here

1. 1. Trusting the latest registration date

   The Bureau publishes November 13, November 14 and November 24 as the in-person registration deadline. Register by November 13 or confirm with the Bureau.

2. 2. Wiring the money the next morning

   The full bid, transfer tax, recording fee and fees are due by 5 p.m. on auction day. Missing it means a permanent ban from Bucks County tax sales.

3. 3. Treating an upset sale like a judicial sale

   At the upset sale no liens are divested: mortgages and other liens stay with the property. Search the Recorder of Deeds and the Prothonotary first.

4. 4. Spending on the property during the appeal window

   There is no redemption, but the owner has 30 days to file exceptions. If the sale is overturned, you get your bid back and nothing else.