The Overview

Pennsylvania homeowners 60 and older can now pick someone they trust to get a heads-up if their property taxes fall behind. The law updates the Real Estate Tax Sale Law, a 1947 state law that covers what happens when property taxes go unpaid. The governor signed it July 12, 2026, and it kicks in around Sept. 10, 2026. [](#ngr-29ff2779-f396-4739-8b91-c5e121ace063)

6ABC Philadelphia reported that homeowners can miss, or not understand, the warning notices they get before a property is sold over unpaid taxes, which the station called a threat to local homeowners. Pennsylvania legal reporting has stressed that the notice rules matter, because a tax sale can mean losing a home, especially if the owner never got the notice the law requires.

The bill was introduced by prime sponsor Rep. Chris Pielli and 24 co-sponsors, and its official title promises "older adults and delinquent real estate tax notification to designated individual" along with new duties for the Department of Community and Economic Development. It applies to owners who are at least 60 years old. Under House Bill 96, an owner 60 or older can fill out a form naming someone to get those notices, such as a close relative, agent, guardian, trustee or other representative, and the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has to create that form. Once the county tax claim bureau and the local taxing district have a completed form, they have to send every required notice to both the owner and the person the owner named. Owners can change their minds by sending written notice to the bureau and the taxing district. The forms must be kept confidential, and they can't be requested under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, the state's public records law.

The Demo

Pennsylvania has about 13 million people and roughly 5.8 million housing units, and the homeownership rate is about 69 percent, according to 2024 American Community Survey figures. The median age in Pennsylvania is 40.9, and 14.4 percent of residents report a disability, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates. The typical Pennsylvania household brings in $77,971 a year, and 11.7 percent of residents live below the poverty line, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 five-year American Community Survey estimates.

The Debate

The Pennsylvania House passed the bill 201–2 on May 7, 2025. The House also passed a motion labeled "A439" on May 6, 2025, by a vote of 203 to 0, according to the vote record. Pennsylvania Senate Republicans said the Senate passed the bill 47–3. A Pennsylvania elder-law firm described the law as meant to help prevent avoidable sheriff's sales.

What's Next

DCED has to create the form, post it on its website, and send paper copies to every taxing district and every area agency on aging in the state. Once they get a completed form, county tax claim bureaus and taxing districts will need to change how they send out notices. The bill materials don't mention any dedicated funding for DCED, counties or taxing districts to do this work.

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