At their April 4, 2018 meeting, the County Commissioners of York County, Pennsylvania, approved the creation of a Land Bank Authority for the purpose of combating blighted properties located in the County. The Pennsylvania Land Bank, P.L. 1239, No. 153 (the “Act”), permits counties with a population size of more than 10,000 residents to establish land banks to address problems such as vacancy, tax delinquencies, and abandonment of properties.
The Act grants specific powers to the Land Bank, such as the ability to acquire, hold, and dispose of real property, to discharge tax liens, and to utilize a shorter and less cumbersome process when quieting title to real property. With funding, the York County Land Bank Authority will utilize these powers to remedy blighted areas while simultaneously promoting and encouraging redevelopment. Although costs to demolish a property can be somewhat prohibitive, the goal is for the Authority to raise enough funds over time to begin addressing blight throughout the County.
The specific funding for York County will come through a fifteen ($15.00) dollar fee that will be added on as an additional recording fee for all Deeds and Mortgages recorded with the Office of the Recorder of Deeds as of May 1, 2018. York County stressed this is a county-wide Authority that will focus not just on one municipality but all municipalities in York County.