Cumberland County, ME tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Cumberland County, ME tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. Maine sells the deed itself, so no statutory investor interest rate applies. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from state rules plus what the county publishes on Sep 28, 2026.
How tax deed sales work in Cumberland County, seat of Portland: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Maine tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- No countywide date.
- Registration
- No bidder registration.
- County office
- 207-874-8300
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Cumberland County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Each city and town in Cumberland County sells its own tax-acquired property; the county holds no tax sale.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No countywide date.
- Registration
- No bidder registration.
When it runs
No countywide date. Each municipality sells whenever it has foreclosed property its council or select board chooses to sell, and many have none in a given year.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Buyers purchase property the municipality already owns after foreclosure, never a lien. Several towns' written disposition policies (Portland 2016, Brunswick 2017) describe sealed bids or proposals and predate the current 943-C broker-listing process, so confirm the current method with the town office before relying on them. Each documented town's list of available property appears on its own tax-acquired property page or through its broker; ask the town office where no list is posted.
Source: 36 M.R.S. 943-C, Sale of foreclosed properties· Verified Sep 28, 2026
Cumberland County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Cumberland County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid. If the parcels on this list are vacant land rather than houses, what buying land at a tax sale hands you is the place to start.
Get the advertised list
Cumberland County publishes no tax sale list online. The Each city and town in Cumberland County sells its own tax-acquired property; the county holds no tax sale. advertises the parcels ahead of the sale rather than posting them, so the list reaches bidders through the county legal newspaper and the office itself. Call 207-874-8300 to ask for the current advertisement.Register to bid
Sale day
No countywide date. Each city or town picks its own platform or in-person venue. Confirm the date and registration window with that town’s collector before you bid.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Each city and town in Cumberland County sells its own tax-acquired property; the county holds no tax sale. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Cumberland County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
There is no online list to price against. Cumberland County advertises the parcels before the sale rather than posting them, so get the advertisement from the office on 207-874-8300 and price from the parcel numbers it carries.Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Maine due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth. Which liens survive is state law, so read what survives a tax deed in Maine before you price the title work.Set a walk-away number
Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
unsold properties
No over-the-counter lien list. Tax-acquired property is listed with a broker on the open market; ask the municipal office what it holds and which broker lists it.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter purchases work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Maine calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
County notes
- Portland: the City-Owned and Tax-Acquired Property Committee, a staff committee, selects properties for sale, sets sale conditions and the marketing method, and reviews bids and proposals for the City Manager. City Hall is at 389 Congress Street, 207-874-8300.
- Portland's disposition rules list a real estate broker contract among its marketing methods and bar the prior owner from repurchasing through a bid or proposal; the City's list of current city-owned and tax-acquired projects is linked from its tax-acquired property page.
- Standish: the Town Council decides whether to sell, and properties it chooses to sell are typically put up for sale in August or September. The list of available property appears on the Finance Department's Tax Acquired Property page. Town Hall, 175 Northeast Road, Standish, 207-642-3461.
- Raymond: in March 2026 the town sought a licensed broker to market and sell its tax-acquired and surplus property under 36 M.R.S. 943-C, with proposals opened April 17, 2026; look for Raymond's list through that broker or the Town Manager at 401 Webbs Mills Road.
- Brunswick: the Town Council's Tax Acquired Real Estate Policy governs review and sale of foreclosed property and provides for sale by sealed bid; contact the Finance Department, Tax Collection Division, 85 Union Street, 207-725-6657.
- Westbrook: the Finance/Tax Collection Department handles lien foreclosure and publishes a Policy on Tax-Acquired Property; City Hall is at 2 York Street, 207-854-9105.
- Windham: tax liens are placed in August and mature 18 months later by automatic foreclosure; ask the Tax Collection office about any tax-acquired property list.
- The other cities and towns in the county, including South Portland, Scarborough, Gorham, Falmouth, Freeport, Cumberland, Gray, Casco, Naples and Harpswell, post no tax-acquired property list; contact each town office for current property and the broker it uses.
Maine rules
- Redemption
- The owner, or anyone with an interest, may pay the tax, interest and costs at any time within 18 months after the lien certificate is filed in the registry of deeds. 30 to 45 days before the foreclosure date the treasurer must notify the owner named on the lien and each record mortgage holder; anyone not given timely notice may redeem until 30 days after the notice is actually given. After foreclosure there is no right to redeem, although the municipality may choose to sell or convey the property back to the former owner, and the former owner is paid any excess when the property is sold.
- Deed deposit
- No statutory deposit. A broker sale follows ordinary purchase-and-sale terms the municipality negotiates; where a municipality sells by its own method after a failed listing, its legislative body's authorization and published terms set any deposit.
- Surplus proceeds
- The former owner (the owner of record at foreclosure, or heirs, devisees or personal representatives) receives the sale proceeds above: all taxes owed; the taxes that would have been assessed while the municipality owned it; accrued interest; advertising, mailing, recording, listing and broker fees not covered by the broker agreement; other costs of selling, maintaining or improving the property, including documented administrative costs and reasonable attorney's fees; the cost of the lien and foreclosure process; and unpaid sewer, water or other utility charges and municipal fees. The former owner may request an itemized accounting. The municipality mails notice at least 30 days before paying, publishes notice for 3 weeks if the owner cannot be found, and sends unclaimed proceeds to the Unclaimed Property Fund 30 days after the last notice. If the municipality keeps the property, it pays the excess using an independent licensed appraisal instead of a sale price. Accepting the excess waives the former owner's right to challenge the taking.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cumberland County, Maine sell tax liens or tax deeds?
Tax deeds. Maine sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the Each municipality sells the property itself at a public tax sale.
How often does Cumberland County hold tax deed sales?
Cumberland County holds tax deed sales once a year. No countywide date. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
It depends on where the property is in the process. Once the redemption right below has ended, paying the old taxes no longer takes it out of the sale. Maine's redemption rule: 18 months from the filing of the tax lien certificate, then the lien forecloses automatically and the municipality owns the property. Call the Each city and town in Cumberland County sells its own tax-acquired property; the county holds no tax sale. as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.
Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state sources.
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.
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