The short answer
At least 1 year after the foreclosure judgment, ending 30 days after the clerk first publishes the redemption expiration notice; none after the municipality sells
Alaska runs 3 different redemption windows
Which one applies is decided by the parcel, not by the state, so read the condition before trusting the headline figure.
How the clock works
Redemption runs against the municipality, before any investor is involved. The judgment transfers the parcel to the municipality, which must hold it for at least one year; during that time anyone with an interest may redeem. At least 30 days before the period ends the clerk publishes an expiration notice once a week for four weeks (or posts it where there is no newspaper) and mails it by certified mail to the record owner and, where the assessed value exceeds $10,000, to mortgage and lien holders; the right of redemption expires 30 days after the first publication. The former owner keeps possession during redemption unless waste is committed. After the clerk's deed, the record owner at foreclosure (or assigns) may still repurchase "within 10 years and before the sale or contract of sale" (the statute names no start date for the 10 years), so only until the municipality sells or contracts to sell the parcel, and the right ends if an ordinance retains it for a public purpose. A buyer at the municipality's sale therefore takes with no redemption or repurchase right outstanding.
Who can redeem
During the redemption period, any party having an interest in the property. After the deed to the municipality, only the record owner at the time of foreclosure or that owner's assigns, by repurchase.
What the owner pays to redeem
Redemption: the lien amount under the judgment and decree plus penalties, interest and costs, including the municipality's lienholder-search and notice costs; the property stays subject to all accrued taxes, assessments and liens. Repurchase: the full judgment amount plus interest of up to 15 percent a year from the judgment date, delinquent taxes as if privately owned, foreclosure and sale costs, and net costs of maintaining and managing the property.
What sends a parcel to the sale
Taxes unpaid for a year go on the next annual foreclosure list; the municipality petitions the superior court, which enters a several judgment and decree of foreclosure against each parcel after a 30-day answer period, and the certified judgment transfers the parcel to the municipality for the lien amount. After a redemption period of at least one year, which expires 30 days after the first publication of a redemption expiration notice, the clerk of court deeds unredeemed property to the borough or city. The municipality then decides by ordinance whether to keep each parcel for a public purpose; only property not needed for a public purpose may be sold.
What the deed conveys
The clerk's deed gives the municipality clear title, "except for prior recorded tax liens of the United States and the state" (AS 29.45.450(b)). A deed is not invalid for irregularities, omissions or defects in the proceedings unless the former owner was misled so as to be injured, and two years after the date of the deed its validity is conclusively presumed and every claim of the former owner or other person having an interest is forever barred (AS 29.45.450(d)). The buyer takes from the municipality under the municipality's own conveyance on its sale terms, not a court deed.
In Alaska the owner's ordinary redemption right closes before the borough offers the parcel rather than running against the winning bidder; check the rule above for any exception, and note that a federal tax lien can carry its own 120-day IRS redemption right. See how redemption periods work across states. What winning the tax deed sale conveys is set by statute, in the card above; budget for a quiet title action if an insurer will not accept that title.
Verified Sep 27, 2026 against Alaska statutes.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the office that runs the sale before you bid.