Maryland records guide · November 2026
How Maryland tax sales work: dates, interest rates, redemption and foreclosure
Maryland sells tax liens, not property. Once a year each county and Baltimore City auctions certificates for unpaid property tax liens. The buyer earns interest if the owner redeems, and can take title only by winning a circuit court case. This guide covers the yearly cycle, how bidding and the high-bid premium work, the interest rate in each county, the owner’s right to redeem, and what it takes to foreclose it.
The yearly cycle
- Delinquency and notice. Taxes unpaid after the fall deadline become delinquent, and the county mails final notices in the new year warning that the lien will be sold.
- The advertised list. The county publishes the list of parcels going to sale, usually only three to four weeks ahead, in a newspaper and online. Parcels drop off as owners pay, so the list on sale day is shorter.
- Registration. Bidders register with the county or its auction vendor before the sale, often with a deposit and a tax form.
- The sale. Most counties sell in May or June; some later. Montgomery County’s 2026 sale was June 8 and Baltimore County’s was August 27. Sales are mostly online now.
- Payment and the certificate. The winner pays the lien amount plus any high-bid premium, usually the same day or the next, and receives a certificate of sale. The rest of the bid stays on credit and is paid only if you foreclose.
- Redemption or foreclosure. The owner can pay off the lien with interest. If they don’t, the holder files in circuit court after the waiting period and, if the case succeeds, pays the balance and takes a deed.
Bidding and the high-bid premium
Maryland doesn’t bid the interest rate down. The rate is fixed by the county, and bidders compete on price. The lien opens at the taxes, interest, penalties and sale costs owed and goes to the highest bidder. Because interest runs only on the lien amount, every dollar you bid above it earns nothing; it’s a bet that the property won’t redeem and you’ll want it at that price.
Counties that use a high-bid premium also collect, on sale day, 20% of the amount by which your bid exceeds 40% of the property’s full cash value. On a $200,000 home, bids up to $80,000 carry no premium; a $100,000 bid carries a $4,000 premium. The premium comes back without interest when the owner redeems or when you receive a deed, and the county keeps it if you never file to foreclose.
Interest rates by county
The Tax-Property Article sets redemption interest at 6% a year unless the county sets its own rate, and many do. Rates we have confirmed from county tax sale terms as of November 2026:
| County | Redemption interest | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Prince George’s | 20% a year | Highest in the state; foreclosure after 9 months on a principal residence, 6 months otherwise |
| Montgomery | 6% owner-occupied · 20% other | Rate depends on whether the home is the owner’s principal residence |
| Howard | 6% owner-occupied · 18% other | Same split, as designated in the State assessment record |
| Cecil | 12% a year | 1% a month; unsold liens go to the county |
| Baltimore County | 10% a year | 2026 sale held August 27; filing on owner-occupied homes from May 2027 |
| Frederick | 8% a year | |
| Other counties | 6% unless the county sets a rate | Check the county’s collector’s terms each year |
Rates change by county ordinance and by whether the home is owner-occupied, so confirm the collector’s terms for the sale you’re bidding in. Official information: State Tax Sale Ombudsman.
The owner’s right to redeem
The owner, or anyone with an interest in the property, can redeem at any time until a circuit court finally forecloses the right. Redemption is paid to the county collector, not to you: the lien amount, interest from the sale date to the payment date at the county’s rate, and any taxes, interest and penalties that accrued after the sale. Once a foreclosure case is filed, the owner also has to reimburse your allowed expenses and attorney’s fees. Before a case is filed, reimbursable expenses are capped, including a title search fee of up to $250 and attorney’s fees of up to $500.
Maryland also protects owner-occupants: the waiting period before a holder may file is nine months on a principal residence rather than six, some counties charge a lower rate on owner-occupied homes, and the State Tax Sale Ombudsman helps homeowners redeem. Investors should expect owner-occupied liens to redeem more often and to pay less.
Foreclosing the right of redemption
- Wait: six months after the sale, nine months for a principal residence, and at least two months after the first required notice to the owner.
- Notify: send the statutory pre-filing notices to the owner and interested parties, and confirm with the county that the parcel hasn’t already been redeemed.
- File: a complaint in the circuit court for the county, naming and serving the owner and every lienholder. Almost everyone uses a Maryland attorney for this.
- Judgment and deed: if no one redeems, the court enters a judgment foreclosing the right of redemption. You pay the balance of your bid and all taxes accrued since the sale, and the collector delivers a deed. Any surplus from your bid above the taxes, interest, penalties and costs belongs to the former owner.
- The hard deadline: the certificate is void if you haven’t filed within two years of its date. Miss it and you lose the lien, the interest and any premium.
Where the risk is
- The parcel isn’t what you think. Sale lists are collection records. A line that looks like a house can be a sliver of land, a landlocked lot or a parcel with no street address. Check the map and the assessment record before you bid.
- Overbidding. Interest runs on the lien, not your bid, and the premium earns nothing. Decide separately what you’d pay to own the property and stop there.
- Surviving claims. A foreclosure of the right of redemption clears most liens, but federal tax liens within their redemption window and some government charges can survive. Order a title search before you file.
- Estates and absent owners. Many tax-sale parcels belong to someone who has died or moved away, which is why redemption doesn’t come and why service in the foreclosure case gets complicated. Checking estate and court records up front tells you which parcels those are.
- Deadlines. The waiting period, the notice sequence and the two-year limit all run from dates that differ by certificate. Keep a calendar for each one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a house at a Maryland tax sale?
Not directly. You buy a lien certificate. Most owners redeem; if one doesn’t, you can sue to foreclose the right of redemption, and only after judgment do you pay the rest of your bid and receive a deed. From sale to deed usually takes well over a year.
How do I find the Maryland tax sale list for my county?
Each county’s finance or treasury office publishes it, online and in a local newspaper, a few weeks before the sale. Baltimore City publishes its own. The list gives parcel number, owner, address where there is one, and the amount due; it doesn’t describe the property, which is what our county list report adds.
What are over-the-counter tax liens in Maryland?
Liens that didn’t sell at the auction. In Maryland, unsold liens are generally purchased by the county itself, and some counties later offer them for assignment. Ask the county’s tax sale office whether it has an assignment list.
What happens to the extra I bid if the owner redeems?
Nothing is owed on it, because you never paid it; only the lien amount and any premium left your account. You receive the lien plus interest, and the premium back without interest. The upside of a high bid comes only if you end up owning the property.
Do I owe the taxes that come due after the sale?
Not while you hold only the certificate, but they accrue against the property and you’ll pay them at foreclosure. In some counties, paying them earlier adds to what the owner must repay on redemption. Check the county’s terms.
How many Maryland tax-sale parcels belong to estates?
More than most bidders expect. Bluebeam Signals checks every parcel on a list against Register of Wills and court records, and flags the ones where the owner has died, an estate is open or the property is already in a court case, because those are the parcels most likely not to redeem and most likely to be hard to serve.
Sources and limits: Maryland Tax-Property Article §§ 14-808 to 14-854, the State Tax Sale Ombudsman’s published terms, and county collector’s terms for the 2026 sales. Rates, dates and procedures change each year and differ by county; confirm with the county before bidding. This is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice.
