To buy a redeemable tax deed in Delaware you bid on the property at a county auction run by the county. The deed is yours at the sale. The former owner then keeps a statutory window to take the parcel back by paying you a redemption penalty, so your title stays defeasible until that window closes.
Each step below is drawn from Delaware statute, not general advice. The exact sale dates, platform, and deposit amounts are set county by county, so confirm the specifics on your county page before you register.
New here? There is no certificate step in Delaware. You bid on the property itself, so the money is at risk on the parcel from day one and the research has to happen before the auction, not after. Not sure which is for you? Start with tax lien vs tax deed.
Learn the timeline and lien priority
County real estate taxes are due July 1 in New Castle and Sussex Counties and June 1 in Kent County. New Castle County adds a 6 percent penalty after September 1 plus 1 percent a month on the unpaid principal, and must send at least one written demand by December 15 warning that legal proceedings follow if the taxes are not paid in December; proceedings may start on or after January 1. Kent and Sussex add 1.5 percent a month after September 30. Taxes are a lien on the real estate for 10 years from July 1 of the levy year, and for as long as the assessed owner still holds the parcel; in Kent and Sussex the lien has priority over all other liens, and priority in every county is otherwise as given in Title 25. A monition may be filed only while the tax is still a lien on the property. Understand this before you commit any money.
Wait out the redemption window
The 15 percent is a lump sum on the purchase price, not a rate that accrues by the day or by the year. The redemption window is 60 days from the court's approval of the sale, so the whole premium is earned over a hold of roughly three months from the auction. The clock starts at court approval, not at the auction. After the sheriff returns the writ, the Superior Court inquires into the regularity of the proceedings and approves the sale or sets it aside. County offices schedule that confirmation about a month after the sale (New Castle and Sussex: the first Friday after the third Monday of the month following the sale), so the owner's window in practice closes about three months after the auction. Sussex County tells buyers that access to a monition property is not granted until the 60 days after confirmation have run. If the purchaser refuses payment or cannot be found in the county, the owner may pay the amount into the Court. After redeeming, the owner may petition to have the redemption noted on the judgment record and then holds the parcel subject to the same liens as before the sale, except as the sale proceeds reduced them. To redeem, the owner pays The purchase price plus 15 percent of it, together with all costs incurred in the cause, paid to the purchaser or the purchaser's legal representatives, successors or assigns, or into the Court for the purchaser's use. If they redeem, that payoff is your return; if the window closes without a redemption, the parcel is yours outright.
Learn what sends a parcel to the auction
The tax collecting authority files a praecipe in the Prothonotary's office naming the assessed owner, the tax bills and the property. The Prothonotary enters the amount as a judgment on a special judgment docket, then on a further praecipe issues a monition to the sheriff. The sheriff posts the monition on a prominent part of the property and returns it within 10 days; the posting is notice to the owner and everyone with an interest. If the judgment and costs are not paid within 20 days after the sheriff's return, the Prothonotary issues a writ of venditioni exponas commanding the sheriff to expose the property to public sale. For parcels with an unknown owner for more than 5 continuous years the county may proceed without the owner-notice steps it cannot perform. Chapter 87 fixes no opening-bid formula for a monition sale. Kent County describes the sale as going to the highest bidder regardless of what is owed in taxes or water and sewer charges. The county's check on price is approval instead: where the sale notice says so, the Department of Finance or chief county financial officer may approve or disapprove the final bid for any public purpose, including the bidder's unpaid obligations or code violations elsewhere, and may re-expose the property to as many further sales as it chooses. New Castle County Council may authorize an agent to bid for the County, but never above the total taxes, charges, penalties and collection costs owed to the County.
Bid at the tax deed auction
The The county sheriff (New Castle, Kent or Sussex) conducts the sale under a writ of venditioni exponas issued by the Prothonotary of the Superior Court, on the application of the county tax collecting authority: the Chief Financial Officer (Office of Finance) in New Castle County, the Receiver of Taxes and County Treasurer in Kent County, and the Director of Finance in Sussex County. There is no shared outside law firm or auction contractor, and no online bidding platform. sells the property at public auction to the highest bidder. No statutory deposit. County rules require payment in full for tax sales. New Castle County: $10,000 in certified funds at registration to get a bidder card, and for a Vend Exp Monition (tax) sale 100 percent of the bid or $10,000, whichever is greater, due at the time of sale; cash is not accepted. Sussex County: a $4,000 deposit in cash or certified funds to register, and 100 percent of the monition purchase price due by 3:00 p.m. on the day of sale. Kent County: $2,000 in certified funds per property at the time of bidding, with the balance due to the Sheriff's Office by 2:00 p.m. that day. Same day. New Castle County and Sussex County collect 100 percent on the day of a tax sale, and Kent County collects the balance by 2:00 p.m. on the sale day. New Castle County charges a $500 late fee against the deposit where final payment is late and may suspend the bidder.
One more step: clear the title
Winning a tax deed does not hand you marketable title. Before you can resell to a normal buyer or insure the parcel, you will usually need a quiet title action, which takes months and costs money. Fold that cost into your maximum bid and read what you actually own after a tax deed before you bid. A tax deed also does not wipe out everything: select governmental and municipal liens can survive, and a federal tax lien carries a 120-day IRS redemption right, so check what survives a tax deed too.
Buying redeemable tax deeds in Delaware: common questions
How do you buy a redeemable tax deed in Delaware?
Can you buy Delaware redeemable tax deeds online?
More Delaware answers, including redemption and statute detail, are on the Delaware tax sale FAQ.
New to this? Start with tax lien vs tax deed and the full Delaware walkthrough, then value a parcel with the due diligence guide.
Steps verified Sep 25, 2026 against Delaware 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.