ZIP 15062 Foreclosure & Distressed-Property Data

How foreclosure works in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is a judicial foreclosure state. Residential mortgage foreclosures go through the county Court of Common Pleas, and the property is sold at a sheriff sale.

Pennsylvania has no fixed foreclosure length. The Act 6 and Act 91 notices come before the complaint, and the law sets minimum notice periods (below), not a total length; each county’s Court of Common Pleas calendar, its conciliation or diversion programs and the sheriff’s scheduling of the sale set the pace.

Day counts below are estimates from the first missed payment, not set by law.

1. Default (estimated Day 0): The borrower falls behind on mortgage payments. For a principal residence, federal servicing rules generally bar a foreclosure filing until the loan is more than 120 days delinquent (12 CFR 1024.41(f)).
2. Act 6 notice (estimated Day 60–90): For a residential mortgage (an original principal amount at or under the state base figure, on a property with two or fewer residential units), the lender sends a notice of intention to foreclose by registered or certified mail at least thirty days before accelerating or filing. It states the default, the right to cure and what it takes to cure (Act 6 of 1974, section 403).
3. Act 91 notice (HEMAP) (estimated Day 60–90): The Act 91 notice tells the homeowner about the Homeowners’ Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP), a state loan program for eligible owner-occupied one- or two-family homes. PHFA says that to put the foreclosure process on hold, the homeowner must have a face-to-face meeting with a listed counseling agency within 33 days of the date of the Act 91 notice.
4. Complaint filed (estimated Day 120–180): The lender files a complaint in the county Court of Common Pleas. This is the first public court record.
5. Service of process (estimated Day 150–210): The borrower is served. Court rules set twenty days after service to file the next pleading when the complaint carries a notice to defend (Pa.R.C.P. 1026).
6. Answer period ends (estimated Day 170–230): If no answer is filed, the lender can seek a default judgment. Preliminary objections may be filed instead of an answer.
7. Default or summary judgment (estimated Day 210–360): The court enters judgment in the foreclosure, and a writ of execution goes to the county sheriff.
8. Sheriff sale notice (estimated Day 240–420): Written notice of the sale is served on the owner and lienholders at least thirty days before the sale, and the sale is published once a week for three successive weeks, with the first ad at least twenty-one days before the sale (Pa.R.C.P. 3129.2).
9. Sheriff sale (estimated Day 300–540): Public auction run by the county sheriff. Payment terms are set by each sheriff.
10. Distribution and deed (estimated Day 310–570): Within thirty days after the sale the sheriff files a proposed schedule of distribution; written exceptions are due within ten days after it is filed (Pa.R.C.P. 3136). A petition to set the sale aside can be filed before the sheriff’s deed is delivered (Pa.R.C.P. 3132).

Redemption: This guide found no statutory right to redeem a home after a mortgage foreclosure sheriff sale. The main protection comes before the sale: the Act 6 right to cure (Act 6 of 1974, section 404).

Deficiency judgments: If the lender (the judgment creditor) buys the home at the sheriff sale and the price does not cover the judgment, interest and costs, it petitions the court to fix the property’s fair market value (42 Pa.C.S. § 8103), within six months after the sheriff’s deed is delivered (42 Pa.C.S. § 5522(b)(2)). The debtor is released to the extent of that value (less prior liens and other listed amounts), not just the sale price.

Reinstatement: For an Act 6 residential mortgage, after the notice of intention is given, the debtor can cure the default and stop the sale at any time at least one hour before bidding starts at the sheriff sale, by paying what would be due without the default plus reasonable fees, costs and any late charge in the loan papers. This cure can be used no more than three times in a calendar year (Act 6 of 1974, section 404).

Mediation: This guide found no statewide foreclosure mediation statute. Some counties, Philadelphia among them, run court conciliation or diversion programs for homeowners; each county sets its own rules.

Full guide: How foreclosure works in Pennsylvania. Federal servicing rules: the CFPB 120-day pre-foreclosure rule (12 CFR 1024.41(f)).

General information about Pennsylvania law, checked October 2026. Day ranges are estimates and may not match a specific case. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Talk to an attorney licensed in Pennsylvania before relying on it.

Read more: Pennsylvania foreclosure timeline and the foreclosure timeline by state.

Westmoreland County at a glance (public statistics)

County seat: Greensburg.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey and Building Permits Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents.

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• How foreclosure works in Pennsylvania
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