York County, ME tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the York 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 York County, seat of Alfred: 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.
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How York County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Each York County city and town sells its own tax-acquired property through its treasurer or tax collector and municipal officers; York County government holds no tax sale.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No countywide date.
- Registration
- No bidder registration.
When it runs
No countywide date. Each municipality must give the former owner at least 90 days' written notice before listing a foreclosed property with a licensed real estate broker, and different towns list on different dates.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Investors in York County buy municipality-owned tax-acquired property, never a lien. Each town records its own tax lien certificate, and the property forecloses to the town 18 months after filing if unpaid. The town then lists it with a licensed broker at the highest reasonable price and pays the former owner any proceeds above taxes, interest, fees and costs. No York County municipality publishes a standing online list of tax-acquired property, so ask each town's tax collector for its current list and listing broker.
Source: 36 M.R.S. 943-C, Sale of foreclosed properties· Verified Sep 28, 2026
York County tax sale list and auction calendar
For York 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
York County publishes no tax sale list online. The Each York County city and town sells its own tax-acquired property through its treasurer or tax collector and municipal officers; York County government 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.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 York County city and town sells its own tax-acquired property through its treasurer or tax collector and municipal officers; York County government holds no tax sale. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in York County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
There is no online list to price against. York County advertises the parcels before the sale rather than posting them, so get the advertisement from the office 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
Tax sale office
York County Government (towns sell tax-acquired property; contact each town's tax collector)
45 Kennebunk Road, Alfred, ME 04002
Official websiteCounty notes
- York County government in Alfred does not sell tax-acquired property; each city and town sells its own after its tax liens foreclose.
- Sanford: the Treasurer/Tax Collector is at 919 Main Street, Sanford, ME 04073, phone 207-324-9125. The Sanford Land Bank Authority (207-324-9145) buys, holds and disposes of real property to bring residential property back into use; ask either office for the city's list of tax-acquired property.
- Biddeford: contact City Hall at 205 Main Street, Biddeford, ME 04005, phone 207-571-0700, for the city's list of tax-acquired property and its listing broker.
- Saco: contact Saco City Hall at 300 Main Street, Saco, ME 04072, phone 207-282-1032, for the city's list of tax-acquired property.
- Old Orchard Beach: the Tax Collector is at 1 Portland Avenue, Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064, phone 207-934-5714 ext. 1531; ask for the town's list of tax-acquired property.
- York: the Clerk and Tax Collector's Office is at 186 York Street, York, ME 03909, phone 207-363-1003.
- Kittery (200 Rogers Road, 207-439-0452) and Wells (208 Sanford Road, 207-646-5113) post town solicitations on a bid postings page with email and text alerts; watch it for any sealed-bid sale of a tax-acquired parcel that a broker could not sell.
- For every other York County town, no list of tax-acquired property is published online; call the town office, ask whether it holds foreclosed property and which broker lists it, and watch local real estate listings.
- Any sale surplus above the taxes, interest, fees and costs owed goes to the former owner, not the buyer.
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 York 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 York County hold tax deed sales?
York 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 York County city and town sells its own tax-acquired property through its treasurer or tax collector and municipal officers; York County government 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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