The Schuylkill Tax Claim Office is stopping private sales between two parties.

A statement on the county website says they will not be accepted from Dec. 1 to March 31.

“The only exception will be for sales requested by a municipality, land bank or redevelopment authority,” the message says.

Deborah Dasch, interim tax claim assistant director, said there are about 800 bids for private sales.

“We’ve never had this many before,” she said Friday.

She made a request to County Administrator Gary Bender that they be limited. The influx is a lot for the employee to handle.

“She’s totally swamped,” Dasch said.

To her knowledge, private sales haven’t been halted before. Dasch has been there since 1983. Delinquent tax bills - possibly 10,000 to 13,000 - will also come into the office after Jan. 1 for the 2021 tax year, requiring a lot of work on behalf of the five employees in the office.