Allegheny County sheriff’s sale goes virtual

Looking to attend the next Allegheny County sheriff’s sale? Pull up a chair to your computer screen.

Because sheriff’s sales generally draw hundreds — a social distancing no-no during the COVID19 pandemic — the Sept. 8 sale will be streaming live on Facebook. Registered bidders will be invited to join via the video conferencing platform Microsoft Teams.

“I usually have anywhere between 200 and 300 people in the Gold Room in the courthouse. With that many people, you can’t social distance,” said Sgt. Gina Dascola, who oversees the sales.

The first 25 registered bidders will be permitted to attend in-person in a fourth-floor conference room at the courthouse in Downtown, Sgt. Dascola said.

The county received a court order in June to allow the virtual sales. The first one was held Aug. 3.

The only properties exposed were tax sales and commercial foreclosures that were all decided pre-COVID, Sgt. Dascola said. No residential mortgage foreclosures were included because of the governor’s moratorium.

“Nothing that went on Aug. 3 had to do with COVID. They were just postponed [sales],” Sgt. Dascola said.

Registration details can be found at www.sheriffalleghenycounty.com/real_estate.

Remote license events

The county sheriff’s Firearms Division will host two satellite appointment-only events where residents can obtain a license to carry.

The events, where registrants must bring completed applications, identification and licensing fees, will be held at the North Fayette Community Center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and at the Forward Township Municipal Building on Aug. 29 during the same hours.

Sheriff’s deputies will also be collecting unused and expired prescription medications on-site.

The division planned the remote events because the Downtown courthouse location no longer takes walk-ins due to COVID19 restrictions. Courthouse appointments — which are processed in five-minute intervals — are booked through the end of the year.

“We’re booking into January now,” Sgt. Dascola said.

The office is processing 80 applicants daily, according to the office. Each applicant is subject to a temperature check and COVID-19 screening questions upon arrival. The same protocol will be in place at the satellite licensing events.

When walk-ins were still permitted, the office processed between 85 and 100 applicants per day, Sgt. Dascola said.

Information can be found at www.sheriffalleghenycounty.com/firearms.