Knox County, ME tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Knox 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 Knox County, seat of Rockland: 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 sale date.
- Registration
- No bidder registration exists.
- County office
- 207-594-0300
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Knox County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Each Knox County municipality (the City of Rockland, 16 towns and Matinicus Isle Plantation) sells its own tax-acquired property. Maine Revenue Services sells State tax-acquired land in the county's Unorganized Territory (Criehaven and Muscle Ridge Islands). Knox County itself holds no tax sale.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No countywide sale date.
- Registration
- No bidder registration exists.
When it runs
No countywide sale date. Under 36 M.R.S. 943-C a municipality must notify the former owner at least 90 days before listing, then list the property with a licensed real estate broker for up to 12 months; each town sets its own schedule.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Knox County has no single auction. Tax-acquired property is sold town by town, normally through a licensed real estate broker listing at the highest reasonable price and conveyed by quitclaim deed. If a town cannot sign a broker after 3 attempts, or the broker cannot sell within 12 months, the town may sell by any method its legislative body authorizes, such as sealed bid. Proceeds above taxes, interest, fees and costs go back to the former owner. None of the Knox County municipal sites reviewed publishes a tax-acquired property sale or date, so contact the town office where the parcel sits and watch local broker listings and the Courier-Gazette legal notices.
Source: 36 M.R.S. 943-C, Sale of foreclosed properties (broker listing, excess proceeds to former owner)· Verified Sep 28, 2026
Knox County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Knox 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
Use Maine Revenue Services State tax-acquired property list (Unorganized Territory only) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
No countywide sale 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 Knox County municipality (the City of Rockland, 16 towns and Matinicus Isle Plantation) sells its own tax-acquired property. Maine Revenue Services sells State tax-acquired land in the county's Unorganized Territory (Criehaven and Muscle Ridge Islands). Knox County itself holds no tax sale. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Knox County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Maine Revenue Services State tax-acquired property list (Unorganized Territory only). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.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
- Knox County does not sell tax-acquired property; each of its 18 municipalities sells its own, and Maine Revenue Services sells State land in Criehaven and Muscle Ridge Islands townships.
- Rockland: City Hall, 270 Pleasant Street, Rockland, 207-594-0300. The city posts property and asset sales on its Bid Postings list; watch that list for tax-acquired parcels.
- Camden: Tax Collector at the Town Office, 29 Elm Street, Camden, 207-236-3353. Camden has offered town-owned real estate through Requests for Expressions of Interest on its Bids and RFPs list.
- Rockport: Town Clerk and Tax Collector, 101 Main Street, Rockport, 207-236-9648. Town sales appear on the Bidding Opportunities list at rockportmaine.gov/bids.
- Thomaston: Tax Collector, 13 Valley Street, Thomaston, 207-354-6107. The town publishes no tax-acquired property list; ask the Tax Collector about parcels the town holds.
- Warren: Town Office, 167 Western Road, Warren, 207-273-2421. No tax-acquired property list is published; call the office.
- Vinalhaven: Town Office, 19 Washington School Road, Vinalhaven, 207-863-4471. No tax-acquired property list is published; call the office.
- Unorganized Territory: Maine Revenue Services lists State tax-acquired parcels with On Point Realty (agent Tasha Massey, 207-754-5058); its list page names the parcels for sale statewide.
- Appleton, Cushing, Friendship, Hope, Isle au Haut, North Haven, Owls Head, St. George, South Thomaston, Union, Washington and Matinicus Isle Plantation publish no tax-acquired property sale; contact each town office and check local broker listings.
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 Knox 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 Knox County hold tax deed sales?
Knox County holds tax deed sales once a year. No countywide sale 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 Knox County municipality (the City of Rockland, 16 towns and Matinicus Isle Plantation) sells its own tax-acquired property. Maine Revenue Services sells State tax-acquired land in the county's Unorganized Territory (Criehaven and Muscle Ridge Islands). Knox County itself 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.
Where can I find the Knox County tax sale list?
Knox County posts its tax sale list at maine.gov. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.
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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