Pennsylvania Land Bank Act Vacant Lot Disposition

The Pennsylvania Land Bank Act (Act 153 of 2012, 68 Pa.C.S. Sec. 2101 et seq.) allows counties, cities, boroughs, and townships of 10,000+ residents to create land banks. Land banks can acquire tax-delinquent and vacant properties, extinguish municipal liens on owned properties, and convey them at below-market value for redevelopment. Land banks may receive 50% of property tax revenues from rehabilitated properties for five years. The framework applies statewide and overrides standard tax sale procedures for participating land banks.

Properties acquired by land banks lose prior ownership claims after the statutory process. Failure to clear tax liens may forfeit property to the land bank inventory.