deedplatState guides / Pennsylvania / Lehigh County
Lehigh County property data
Where Lehigh County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Allentown.
- 25Municipalities
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Lehigh County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Lehigh County Recorder of Deeds (Clerk of Judicial Records). Records from 1812 to present can be searched free on the LANDEX Webstore, but viewing or printing documents costs a fee; LANDEX Remote charges $0.15 a minute or $0.10 a page, and the county also sells a yearly online access account.
Owners and values
Lehigh County Assessment Office. The Assessment Office offers online access to county assessment records.
Tax sales
Lehigh County Tax Claim Bureau. The Tax Claim Bureau posts its conditions of sale online; bidders must register in person at the Bureau each year before bidding.
Foreclosure sales
Lehigh County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff posts the full sheriff sale listing and cost sheets free on the county website.
Parcel maps
Lehigh County Assessment Office and GIS. Parcel information is available through the county's online assessment records.
How property is sold here
Lehigh County follows Pennsylvania's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the Pennsylvania guide for how the state works.
Tax sales
Pennsylvania sells the property itself, not a lien. The Lehigh County Tax Claim Bureau holds an upset sale once a year, usually in September, in person at the Lehigh County Government Center, 17 South Seventh Street, Allentown, and a judicial sale (free of liens, by court order) once a year for properties that did not sell at the upset sale. Bidders must register in person each year at the Tax Claim Bureau, Room 119, with photo ID, pay a $500 deposit for each winning bid by cashier's check, certified check or money order, and pay the balance plus realty transfer taxes and recording fees by 3:00 PM on the sale day.
Foreclosure sales
Lehigh County sheriff sales for mortgage and judgment foreclosures are held monthly on the fourth Friday at 10:00 AM in the Lehigh County Courthouse, 455 West Hamilton Street, Allentown. The winning bidder pays 10% at once by certified or cashier's check and the balance within 30 days, and sales are advertised in The Morning Call and the Lehigh Law Journal for three Fridays before the sale and listed on the county website.
Assessed values
Lehigh County's current assessed values are based on the 2013 countywide reassessment.
Transfer tax
Pennsylvania charges a 1% state realty transfer tax plus a local share; in Allentown the city's share rose from 1% to 1.5% on January 1, 2026, making the total 2.5%, while most other Lehigh County towns total 2%.
Worth knowing
Allentown's realty transfer tax went up to a 2.5% total on January 1, 2026, based on the date the deed is recorded, not the settlement date.
Worth knowing
Sheriff sale buyers pay the Sheriff's poundage and all transfer taxes on top of their bid.
Worth knowing
Lehigh County's assessments still use 2013 base year values, so assessed values can differ a lot from current market prices.
Every town in Lehigh County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Alburtis borough
- Allentown city
- Bethlehem city
- Catasauqua borough
- Coopersburg borough
- Coplay borough
- Emmaus borough
- Fountain Hill borough
- Hanover township
- Heidelberg township
- Lower Macungie township
- Lower Milford township
- Lowhill township
- Lynn township
- Macungie borough
- North Whitehall township
- Salisbury township
- Slatington borough
- South Whitehall township
- Upper Macungie township
- Upper Milford township
- Upper Saucon township
- Washington township
- Weisenberg township
- Whitehall township
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Lehigh County?
Deeds are recorded by the Recorder of Deeds Division of the Clerk of Judicial Records, Lehigh County Courthouse, 455 W. Hamilton Street, Room 122, Allentown. Records back to 1812 can be searched free on the LANDEX Webstore, with fees to view or print.
When is the Lehigh County tax sale?
The Lehigh County Tax Claim Bureau holds its upset sale once a year, usually in September, at the Government Center, 17 South Seventh Street, Allentown, and a judicial sale once a year. Bidders must register in person at the Tax Claim Bureau before the sale.
How do I find who owns a property in Lehigh County?
Use the Lehigh County Assessment Office's online assessment records to look up the owner and assessed value. The deed itself is with the Recorder of Deeds.
Are Lehigh County property records online?
Yes. Deed indexes back to 1812 are searchable free on LANDEX (viewing costs a fee), assessment records are online, and sheriff sale lists are posted on the county website.
Sources for this guide
Office hours, fees and sale dates change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.
- lehighcounty.org/Departments/Clerk-of-Judicial-Records/Recorder-of-Deeds/Records-Search
- lehighcounty.org/departments/assessment-home
- lehighcounty.org/Departments/Fiscal-Tax-Claims/Tax-Sale-Dates/Conditions-of-Upset-Sale
- lehighcounty.org/Lehigh-County-Tax-Sale-Notice
- lehighcounty.org/Departments/Sheriffs-Office/Real-Estate-Sales
- lehighcounty.org/Departments/Sheriffs-Office/Sale-List
- allentownpa.gov/News/News-Archive/Archive/realty-transfer-tax-increase-to-go-into-effect-j
Every parcel in Lehigh County, on one map
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