The short answer
18 months from the filing of the tax lien certificate, then the lien forecloses automatically and the municipality owns the property
Maine runs 7 different redemption windows
Which one applies is decided by the parcel, not by the state, so read the condition before trusting the headline figure.
How the clock works
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.
Who can redeem
The party named on the tax lien mortgage, a record mortgagee, or anyone else with an interest in the real estate, by paying the amount due before foreclosure.
What the owner pays to redeem
The unpaid tax, interest at the municipality's voted rate (no higher than the Treasurer of State's maximum for that tax year, 7.00 percent for 2026, unless 505(4-A) applies), and lien costs: the registry fees for recording and discharging the lien, $13, the $3 notice fee for the pre-foreclosure notice if sent, and certified mail fees.
What sends a parcel to the sale
Automatic foreclosure: the tax lien mortgage, with interest and costs, not paid within 18 months after the lien certificate was filed in the registry of deeds. No court order and no sale is needed; title vests in the municipality. A municipality may instead waive the automatic foreclosure before it occurs and foreclose in court (944, 945). In the Unorganized Territory the State's mortgage forecloses if unpaid by March 30 of the year after the certificate is filed.
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.
In Maine the owner's ordinary redemption right closes before the city or town offers the parcel rather than running against the winning bidder; check the rule above for any exception, and note that a federal tax lien can carry its own 120-day IRS redemption right. See how redemption periods work across states. What winning the tax deed sale conveys is set by statute, in the card above; budget for a quiet title action if an insurer will not accept that title.
Verified Sep 28, 2026 against Maine 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 office that runs the sale before you bid.