The Crawford County Tax Claim Bureau’s May 6 judicial sale of properties requires that all bidders be preregistered at least 10 days in advance.
Pennsylvania’s Act 33 of 2021, which went into effect Aug. 31, 2021, requires all bidders to preregister for a county’s judicial sale of properties as well as a county’s tax upset sale.
All bidders for the May 6 sale must preregister with the office by April 25, according to Christine Krzysiak, the bureau’s director.
Bidder numbers cannot be issued to anyone who fails to register, she said.
The Crawford County Tax Claim Bureau Office is located within the county Treasurer’s Office at the courthouse, 903 Diamond Park, Meadville.
The new law authorizes a county to set a filing fee for bidders. Crawford County has a $10 filing fee for each bidder to cover paperwork processing costs by the bureau.
The bureau reminds potential bidders there now are multiple requirements in effect.
In order to register, a bidder registration form must be submitted to the bureau.
For an individual, it requires an applicant’s name, address and phone number. For a business, it requires the business name, names of all officers, business address and phone number. For an LLC or limited liability company, it requires the names, business addresses and phone numbers of all members, managers and any other persons with any ownership interest or right in the limited liability company.
The bidder must file an affidavit stating the applicant isn’t delinquent in paying real estate taxes and has no municipal utility bills more than one year outstanding; is not bidding for or acting as an agent for a person who is barred from participating in the sale; and has not engaged in or permitted an uncorrected housing code violation, failed to maintain property in a reasonable manner such that the property posed a threat to health, safety or property, or permitted the use of property in an unsafe, illegal or unsanitary manner such that the property posed a threat to health, safety or property.
Krzysiak said Act 33 of 2021 requires the bureau to provide a list of the registered bidders to the municipalities 10 days in advance of any sale.
Required for registration are the bidder registration form; a copy of photo identification; an affidavit of the bidder that is signed and notarized; a copy of the sale conditions and instructions; and a $10 nonrefundable bidder registration fee in certified funds only. Certified funds are a certified check, cashier’s check, money order or cash.
Under Act 33 of 2021, any person who signs a bidder registration knowing that it contains a false statement is subject to prosecution for falsification to authorities, which is a second-degree misdemeanor count.
The upcoming judicial sale will be at 10 a.m. May 6 in the Assembly Room at the courthouse. Minimum bids on a property are $500.
Bidders must pay $3,000 per parcel in certified funds at the time of the winning bid with the remaining balance due by 2:30 p.m. on the sale date.
A list of properties for the May 6 sale is at the bureau’s office or online at crawfordcountypa.net/treasurer.
• More information: Contact the bureau at (814) 333-7332 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or visit its office.