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Tax Sale Atlas

Anne Arundel County, MD tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Anne Arundel County, seat of Annapolis: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Maryland tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Once a year.
Format
RealAuction
Registration
Register online at the county tax sale website.
County office
(410) 222-1735
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 9, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Anne Arundel County sells delinquent taxes

From lien to deed

Maryland holds no county tax deed auction. Title passes only through a judicial foreclosure of the right of redemption brought by the holder of the certificate of sale. The holder may file the complaint at any time after 6 months from the date of sale, or after 9 months for owner-occupied residential property, and only after serving two statutory notices on the owner and the mortgagee. The first of those notices cannot be sent until 4 months after the sale, or 7 months for owner-occupied residential property, the second follows at least a week later, and the complaint cannot be filed until at least 2 months after the first notice and 30 days after the second. Where a government agency certifies that a building needs substantial repairs, the holder may file after 60 days, and abandoned property sold below the lien amount may be filed on immediately.

Tax certificate sale (lien)

RealAuction
Run by
Anne Arundel County Office of Finance, Tax Sale Division (Collector of State and County Taxes)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Once a year.
Registration
Register online at the county tax sale website.
Sale list
Liens remaining from the June 3, 2026 tax sale (PDF)
When it runs
Once a year. The FAQ states the date is "A date in May or June of each year as set by the Controller of Anne Arundel County. The date of the 2026 tax sale is June 3, 2026." The county tax sale page states "The tax sale is held on a date in June as determined by the Controller." Bids are accepted from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on the sale date.
Registration and deposit

Register online at the county tax sale website. For the 2026 sale, online registration opened May 1, 2026 and closed May 29, 2026, with a non-refundable $100 registration fee paid by wire transfer; the collector's terms give the cutoff as 4:00 p.m. Eastern and the FAQ gives 4:30 p.m. Eastern, so confirm the exact hour with the office. All bidders must submit banking information for verification, including returning bidders. Corporate bidders must register under their full corporate name, be qualified to do business in Maryland, and are limited to one agent. Winning bidders pay the certificate amount plus any high-bid premium by wire transfer by 12:00 p.m. the day after the sale, and the verified bank account is debited automatically.

Sale format and venue
Internet-based public auction; only the tax lien certificate is sold, not the property. Bidding is highest bid, with a high-bid premium under Tax-Property 14-817(b)(2) equal to 20 percent of the amount by which the winning bid exceeds 40 percent of the property's full cash value; the county holds the premium and returns it without interest on redemption, foreclosure, or a voided sale. Anne Arundel County Code 4-1-105(b) sets redemption interest at 18 percent per annum, reduced to 10 percent per annum for owner-occupied residential property under Tax-Property 14-820(c). A final list of properties is posted to the auction site after 4:30 p.m. Eastern the day before the sale, and the sale is advertised weekly for four successive weeks, historically in The Capital Gazette and the Baltimore Sun. At the county's discretion a supplemental auction of unsold liens may be held about one week after the sale, open only to bidders registered for the original auction; liens still unsold afterward may be purchased by mail, and the county publishes the remaining-lien list at no cost. Certificates are mailed within six months of the sale and are void if no action to foreclose the right of redemption is filed within two years. Auction site questions go to RealAuction customer service at 877-361-7325; policy questions go to the county Tax Sale Division.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Anne Arundel County Office of Finance, Collector's Terms for the 2026 Tax Sale (PDF)· Verified Aug 9, 2026

Anne Arundel County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Anne Arundel 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.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use Liens remaining from the June 3, 2026 tax sale (PDF) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Register online at the county tax sale website. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Once a year. Bidding runs on RealAuction; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Anne Arundel County Office of Finance, Tax Sale Division (Collector of State and County Taxes) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Anne Arundel County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Liens remaining from the June 3, 2026 tax sale (PDF). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Register online at the county tax sale website. For the 2026 sale, online registration opened May 1, 2026 and closed May 29, 2026, with a non-refundable $100 registration fee paid by wire transfer; the collector's terms give the cutoff as 4:00 p.m. Eastern and the FAQ gives 4:30 p.m. Eastern, so confirm the exact hour with the office. All bidders must submit banking information for verification, including returning bidders. Corporate bidders must register under their full corporate name, be qualified to do business in Maryland, and are limited to one agent. Winning bidders pay the certificate amount plus any high-bid premium by wire transfer by 12:00 p.m. the day after the sale, and the verified bank account is debited automatically.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Maryland due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.

  4. 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

A county or other taxing agency must buy in any property offered at the sale for which there is no private purchaser, and the governing body may then sell and assign that certificate of sale, or after foreclosure sell the property. Several counties run this as a post-sale assignment sale of the unsold liens at lien value, usually open only to bidders who registered for the auction. Availability, pricing and whether a list is published are local decisions, so ask the collector of taxes.

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

Anne Arundel County Office of Finance, Tax Sale Division

(410) 222-1735

44 Calvert Street, Room 110, Annapolis, MD 21401

Official website

County notes

  • Anne Arundel County runs a lien sale only. The county FAQ answers the question of whether it holds a deed sale in addition to a lien sale with "Anne Arundel County does not hold a deed sale." Title is obtained only by filing an action in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County to foreclose the right of redemption.
  • Email for the Tax Sale Division is [email protected]. Redemption payments by mail go to Anne Arundel County Office of Finance, Attn: Tax Sale, PO Box 427, Annapolis, MD 21404-427. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Fee reimbursement timing: a certificate holder may claim a title search fee up to $250 and attorney fees up to $500 starting four months after the sale for non-owner-occupied property and seven months for owner-occupied residential property. A complaint to foreclose may be filed starting six months after the sale for non-owner-occupied property and nine months for owner-occupied residential property.
  • After a final judgment, the county charges $125 to review and approve the tax sale foreclosure deed, will not approve it until 30 days after judgment, and expects the deed submitted within 90 days of judgment under Tax-Property 14-844(d).
  • The collector's terms and FAQ are hosted at 2023-dated file paths on the county site but the documents themselves carry current 2026 sale terms; check the county tax sale page each spring for the refreshed versions rather than relying on the file path date.

Maryland rules

Max interest rate
6% per year, set by statute (bidding is on price)
Minimum return
No statutory minimum return; what you earn is set by the price at the sale
Redemption
Maryland sets no fixed redemption deadline. The right to redeem continues until it is finally barred by decree of the circuit court in which the foreclosure proceeding is filed. What the statute fixes is the earliest date the certificate holder may start that case, and the outside date by which the holder must start it. A certificate is void unless a proceeding to foreclose the right of redemption is filed within 2 years of the date of the certificate of sale, and if the certificate goes void the holder's rights end and the money paid at the sale is forfeited and applied to the taxes in arrears. A Baltimore City certificate on abandoned property sold below the lien amount must be filed on within 3 months and reverts to the city otherwise.
Surplus proceeds
Any balance over the amount needed for taxes, interest, penalties and the costs of sale belongs to the person entitled to it, which is normally the former owner. Each county must establish a process for claiming that balance, the process must apply uniformly to all claims in the county, and it may not require a court order unless payment of the balance is disputed. Within 90 days after delivering a deed to a purchaser, the collector must notify the prior owner of record of the amount of the balance and of how to claim it. Where the balance is disputed, the collector pays it into a court of competent jurisdiction pending an order on distribution.
Governing statute
Md. Code Ann., Tax-Prop. Title 14, Subtitle 8, Part III

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.

See the full Marylandrules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Anne Arundel County, Maryland sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In Maryland investors buy the lien, not the property; the County Collector of Taxes runs the sale.

When is the Anne Arundel County tax certificate sale?

Once a year. The FAQ states the date is "A date in May or June of each year as set by the Controller of Anne Arundel County. The date of the 2026 tax sale is June 3, 2026." The county tax sale page states "The tax sale is held on a date in June as determined by the Controller." Bids are accepted from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on the sale date. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector of Taxes before the sale.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Maryland's redemption rule: Open until the circuit court forecloses the right of redemption; the holder may file that case 6 months after the sale, or 9 months for owner-occupied residential property. Call the Anne Arundel County Office of Finance, Tax Sale Division (Collector of State and County Taxes) 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 Anne Arundel County tax sale list?

Anne Arundel County posts its tax sale list at aacounty.org. 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 Aug 9, 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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Maryland tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Anne Arundel County Office of FinanceOpen auction