When the sale is held
No state office assigns or publishes tax sale dates. Each town or city collector sets its own date and publishes it in the levy notice: posted near the collector's office, recorded in the town clerk's land records, mailed to the taxpayer and lienholders, and published weekly for three weeks in a newspaper circulating in the town, first 9 to 12 weeks before the sale. Sales are often adjourned or cancelled when the owner pays, and an adjournment can be announced orally at the sale, so a published date is not final until the sale is held.
When taxes go delinquent
Each municipality's legislative body decides whether its tax is due in one, two or four installments and sets the due dates. An installment not paid by the same date of the following month (for a July 1 due date, by August 1) becomes delinquent and carries interest at 18 percent a year from the due date, counted as 1.5 percent for each month or part of a month, with a minimum charge of $2 per installment unless the town waives it. The tax is a lien on the real estate from the assessment date (October 1 in most towns) of the year before the tax falls due and, while it lasts, takes precedence over all transfers and encumbrances. The lien lapses two years after the due date unless the collector continues it by recording a certificate in the land records within that time; a continued lien stays valid for up to fifteen years from the due date. No statute sets a minimum delinquency age before a tax sale: once the collector has made written demand, the collector may levy on the real estate and advertise a sale.
What sends a parcel to the sale
Unpaid real estate tax after the collector has made written demand (12-155). No statute sets a minimum delinquency age. The collector levies by posting a notice near the collector's office, filing it in the town clerk's land records (where it acts as a lis pendens) and sending it by certified mail to the taxpayer and every mortgagee and lienholder of record, all not more than 12 and not less than 9 weeks before the sale. The notice is also published once a week for three weeks in a newspaper circulating in the town, the last not more than four nor less than two weeks before the sale, and mailed a second time to the taxpayer and lienholders. The tax lien itself must be alive (within two years of the due date or continued by a recorded certificate) for the levy to be made on it.
These dates are the statewide statutory schedule. The exact auction date, registration deadline, and platform are set county by county, so confirm them on the Connecticut county pages before you plan a bid. For the mechanics of the sale itself, see how to buy in Connecticut.
Verified Sep 27, 2026 against Connecticut 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 county office before you bid.