Hancock County, ME tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Hancock County, ME tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. Maine towns sell tax-acquired property through brokers, so no statutory investor interest rate applies. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from state rules plus city and town notices on Sep 28, 2026.
How tax deed sales work in Hancock County, seat of Ellsworth: sale calendar, broker listings, 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
- Set by each city or town
- Registration
- No bidder registration.
- County seat collector
- (207) 667-2563
On this page
How Hancock County sells delinquent taxes
Sale of tax-acquired property
- Run by
- Each town and city in Hancock County sells its own tax-acquired property, usually through its treasurer or tax collector and select board or council. Hancock County itself holds no tax sale. In the county's Unorganized Territory, Maine Revenue Services sells State tax-acquired land.
- Frequency
- No fixed schedule; each town lists property when it is ready
- Typical timing
- No countywide sale date.
- Registration
- No bidder registration.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Hancock County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Hancock County tax sale 2026 searches, use the city and town sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the collector of the city or town holding the sale 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.
Confirm the advertised parcel list
Use State of Maine, Unorganized Territory: Maine Revenue Services tax-acquired property page (statewide, not a county list) as a starting reference. Check which sale or list it covers; a Lands Available or office information page is separate from an auction parcel list. Ask the sale office for the advertised parcels for the auction you plan to attend.Register to bid
Sale day
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, treat the collector of the city or town holding the sale as the source for which parcels are actually offered. Do not rely on a third-party list for final parcel status.
Before you bid in Hancock County
4 checks
Confirm the parcel list before pricing
Open State of Maine, Unorganized Territory: Maine Revenue Services tax-acquired property page (statewide, not a county list). Confirm whether this reference contains the auction parcels or covers a different list. Get the advertised parcel list from the town before you price a bid, and recheck it before the sale.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.
Local offices
County notes
- Ellsworth: the City's Tax Acquired Properties for Sale page is its list, and it states there are no physical properties for sale; tax-acquired timeshare weeks are handled through Acadia Village Resort. Call City Hall at (207) 667-2563.
- Ellsworth sold tax-acquired property at 16 Fifth Street in March 2023 by an online-only auction on Keenan Auction; watch the City's notices for its next sale method.
- Deer Isle: the Treasurer/Tax Collector's Foreclosures page is the town's list and states the town has no foreclosed properties; call 207-348-6060, 70 Church Street, PO Box 46, Deer Isle, ME 04627.
- Blue Hill: the town keeps a Tax-Acquired Properties page as its list, which names no parcels; call the Town Office at 207-374-2281, 18 Union St., Blue Hill, ME 04614.
- Bucksport, Bar Harbor and Mount Desert publish no tax-acquired list online, and their bid pages carry no property sales; call Bucksport at (207) 469-7368, Bar Harbor at 207-288-4098 or Mount Desert at (207) 276-5531.
- Every other Hancock County town and island community sells its own tax-acquired property; call the town office and ask what it holds and which broker lists it.
- Hancock County contains Unorganized Territory, where Maine Revenue Services lists State tax-acquired land with a broker (On Point Realty) and buyers contact the agent named on each listing.
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.
What the deed conveys: Quitclaim only, with no warranty. A challenge to the validity of the tax taking may be brought for 5 years after the redemption period expires (liens recorded after October 13, 2014), 2 years for commercial real estate on liens recorded after June 30, 2026, and only 6 months after a code enforcement officer certifies residential tax-acquired property abandoned (liens recorded after December 1, 2021). The former owner's receipt of excess proceeds waives that challenge. A former owner or mortgagee who was not given the required notices may have a late redemption right (see redemption). Budget for a title search and, where a title insurer requires it, a quiet-title action under 946. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Hancock County, Maine sell tax liens or tax deeds?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Hancock County tax sale list?
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 office that runs the sale before you bid.
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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.