Pennsylvania Statutes Title 16 Pa.C.S.A. Counties § 15105. Sales of personal property and surplus farm products

(a) General rule.--Personal property and surplus farm products of the county may not be disposed of by sale or otherwise, except upon resolution of the county commissioners.

(b) Small lots.--If the county commissioners approve a sale of the property or farm products, the commissioners shall estimate the sale value of the entire lot to be disposed of, and, if the estimate is less than $2,000, the commissioners shall require notice of the proposed sale to be posted, for at least 10 days, in a prominent place in the courthouse, describing and itemizing the property to be sold, and directing that bids may be made at the office of the chief clerk of the county commissioners. After the notice period, the county commissioners may sell the property in whole or in part for the best price or prices obtainable.

(c) Large lots.--If the county commissioners estimate the sale value of the personal property or of the surplus farm products to be sold at $2,000 or more, the entire lot shall be advertised for sale, once, in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the county, and sale of the property advertised shall be made to the highest and best bidder. The bids may not be opened until at least 10 days after the advertisement.

(d) Auctions.--The county commissioners may sell any property at auction, but the notice contained in this section shall be likewise observed as to the holding of auction sales.

(e) Exceptions.--The provisions of this section may not be mandatory if county property is to be traded in or exchanged for new personal property. The provisions of this section may not apply to sale of personal property with real property as a single unit under section 16106.1 (relating to authority to sell certain property as a single unit).

(f) Electronic auctions.--A public auction of personal property may be conducted by means of an online or electronic auction sale. During an electronic auction sale, bids shall be accepted electronically at the time and in the manner designated in the advertisement. During the electronic auction, each bidder shall have the capability to view the bidder's bid rank or the high bid price. Bidders may increase bid prices during the electronic auction. The record of the electronic auction shall be accessible as a public record under the provisions of the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L. 6, No. 3),  1 known as the Right-to-Know Law. The purchase price shall be paid by the high bidder immediately or at a reasonable time after the conclusion of the electronic auction as determined by the county commissioners. In the event that shipping costs are incurred, the shipping costs shall be paid by the high bidder. A county that has complied with the advertising requirements of this section may provide additional notice of the sale by bids or public auction in any manner deemed appropriate by the county commissioners. The advertisement for electronic auction sales authorized in this subsection shall include the publicly accessible Internet website of, or means of accessing, the electronic auction and the date, time and duration of the electronic auction.