Potter County, PA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Potter County, seat of Coudersport: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Pennsylvania tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- Two deed sales a year, both online.
- Format
- GovEase
- Registration
- Bidding and registration are handled on GovEase, not at the courthouse.
- County office
- (814) 274-0517
On this page
How Potter County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Potter County Tax Claim Bureau
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Two deed sales a year, both online.
- Registration
- Bidding and registration are handled on GovEase, not at the courthouse.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Bidding and registration are handled on GovEase, not at the courthouse. The county page states, effective August 2021, that "ALL Prospective Bidders are required to pre-register 10 days prior to the tax sale date", that "Registration is available only at www.govease.com", and that "Registration begins approximately 4 weeks prior to sale dates", with registration for the spring judicial sale opening May 26, 2026. Winning bidders pay through GovEase, and the amount collected covers the bid, Pennsylvania realty transfer tax at 2 percent of the calculated fair market value (assessed value times the common level ratio), a deed preparation fee, recording fees, and the GovEase buyer's premium.
Sale format and venue
Potter County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Potter County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid.
Get the advertised list
Use Potter County upset sale listing on GovEase for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
Two deed sales a year, both online. Bidding runs on GovEase; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Potter County Tax Claim Bureau as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Potter County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Potter County upset sale listing on GovEase. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Bidding and registration are handled on GovEase, not at the courthouse. The county page states, effective August 2021, that "ALL Prospective Bidders are required to pre-register 10 days prior to the tax sale date", that "Registration is available only at www.govease.com", and that "Registration begins approximately 4 weeks prior to sale dates", with registration for the spring judicial sale opening May 26, 2026. Winning bidders pay through GovEase, and the amount collected covers the bid, Pennsylvania realty transfer tax at 2 percent of the calculated fair market value (assessed value times the common level ratio), a deed preparation fee, recording fees, and the GovEase buyer's premium.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Pennsylvania due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.Set a walk-away number
Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
unsold properties
Every Real Estate Tax Sale Law county keeps a repository for unsold properties: anything still unsold after a judicial sale is placed there, and the bureau must make the list available to the public during normal office hours. The bureau may, with the written consent of each taxing district where the property sits, set a minimum purchase price and accept any offer at or above it without court approval and without published notice. Consent is deemed given if a district does not respond within 60 days, and a district may require the buyer to appear before its governing body. The buyer files an affidavit with the same information a bidder registration requires. The deed conveys free and clear of all tax and municipal claims, mortgages, liens, charges and estates except separately taxed ground rents, and the bureau records it at the buyer's expense. A former owner may not buy their own property out of the repository. Prices, forms and turnaround are set county by county, so confirm the process with the tax claim bureau.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter purchases work.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax sale office
Potter County Tax Claim Bureau, Tax Claim and Assessment Office
Gunzburger Building, One North Main Street, Suite 111, Coudersport, PA 16915
Official websiteCounty notes
- Jake Ostrom is Tax Claim and Tax Assessment Director at (814) 274-0517 extension 225, [email protected]. Karin Karr is Deputy Director at (814) 274-0488 option 1. Gayle Potocek staffs the Tax Assessment and Tax Claim clerk desk at extension 221.
- A second county number, (814) 274-3358, is listed next to the main line on the department contact block.
- The county's older domain pottercountypa.net redirects to pottercountypa.gov, so links from earlier sale notices still resolve.
- GovEase lists the county as "PA - Potter - Upset Sale". At the time of research the Pennsylvania county menu on GovEase showed no separate Potter judicial listing, which fits a platform that posts each sale as its own listing when registration opens.
- The judicial sale list and the repository list are scanned PDFs with no text layer, so they cannot be searched by parcel number and have to be read page by page.
- Delinquent real estate taxes can be paid online at PayLocalGov.com using the control number from the tax bill. That is an owner payment channel, not a bidding platform.
- The Bureau publishes an excess funds list plus an Application for Claim of Excess Monies for surplus proceeds after a sale, and a Delinquent Tax File Request form for bulk delinquent data.
- Repository purchases use the Repository Offer Form and the published Repository Rules and Regulations, and the office says a copy of the repository list can be picked up in person at no cost.
Pennsylvania rules
- Redemption
- Under the Real Estate Tax Sale Law there is no redemption of any property after the actual sale. The owner's last opportunity is to discharge the tax claim before the sale by paying the claim and interest, any other tax claim or judgment and interest, all accrued unpaid taxes, and the record costs, or a smaller amount the political subdivision agrees to accept. Payment before July 1 of the year following the notice of claim removes the property from the sale list entirely. Payment after that date but before the actual sale still stops the sale, though the parcel and the owner's name may already appear in the advertising.
- Deed deposit
- The Real Estate Tax Sale Law sets no deposit and no buyer premium. What it does require is pre-registration: anyone intending to bid at an upset or judicial sale must appear and register at the bureau no less than 10 days before the sale, once per scheduled sale, and a county may charge a fee for filing the application. The application names the applicant, and every officer, member and manager if the applicant is not an individual, and carries an affidavit that the applicant owes no delinquent real estate taxes anywhere in the Commonwealth, has no municipal utility bill more than one year outstanding, is not acting for a person barred under section 601(d), and has not let an uncorrected housing code violation stand after conviction in the last three years. A false statement is prosecutable as a second degree misdemeanor. The bureau sends the list of registered bidders to every municipality in the county at least five days before the sale.
- Surplus proceeds
- The bureau distributes tax-sale proceeds, after repaying costs advanced by taxing districts and its own 5 percent commission, in this order: Commonwealth tax liens, then the taxing districts in proportion to the taxes due them, then taxing districts or municipal authorities for municipal claims, then mortgagees and other lien holders in order of record priority whether or not the sale discharged them, and last the owner of the property. Before paying anything out the bureau petitions the court of common pleas to confirm the schedule of distribution, and an absolute confirmation is final and nonappealable as to every listed distributee. If no claim for the owner's balance is presented within three years of the sale, that balance goes to the taxing districts pro rata and the county keeps the interest it earned.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Potter County, Pennsylvania sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Potter County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Potter County tax sale list?
Verified Aug 10, 2026 against official county and state sources.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
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