The statutory ceiling
This rate is set by statute rather than bid down at the sale, so every certificate sold carries it. Competition happens on price instead. There is no statutory minimum return.
No minimum rate
Maryland sets no statutory minimum return. Because the rate is not bid down, competition shows up in the price instead, which is what erodes your yield.
How interest accrues
Redemption interest runs from the date of the tax sale to the date of the redemption payment on the total lien amount paid at the sale, at the rate set under Md. Code Ann., Tax-Prop. 14-820. That rate is 6 percent a year unless the county's figure applies: the statute names 10 percent for Calvert, Caroline, Dorchester and Garrett counties and 14 percent for Carroll County, allows those and other counties to fix their own rate, and caps the rate on owner-occupied residential property at 10 percent a year. Interest does not run on the part of the bid above the lien amount, because that residue is never paid to the collector while the certificate is outstanding, and it does not run on the high-bid premium, which is refunded without interest. There is no minimum-return floor in the redemption statute, and Maryland pays nothing extra for a fast redemption.
How the bidding works
Maryland does not bid the interest rate down, so there is no zero-rate outcome. Every certificate carries the rate of redemption that the statute or the county sets, and bidders compete on price instead. The lien may not be sold for less than the certified taxes plus interest, penalties and the expenses of the sale, and the property goes to the person who makes the highest good faith accepted bid. Where the collector adopts a high-bid premium, the highest bidder also pays 20 percent of the amount by which the bid exceeds 40 percent of the property's full cash value, and Baltimore City and Prince George's County measure that excess against the greater of the lien amount or 40 percent of full cash value. The premium is refunded without interest on redemption or on delivery of the deed, so it is dead capital in the meantime, and it is forfeited entirely if the holder never files the foreclosure in time. Abandoned property that is a vacant lot or is cited as unfit for habitation may be sold below the full lien amount at a minimum bid the collector sets.
When the certificates sell
The statute does not fix a month. It requires the collector to sell all property on which the tax is in arrears at the time required by local law, and it provides that missing that time does not invalidate the tax or a later sale. In practice the sales cluster in May and June. On the state schedule for 2026, St. Mary's County sells in March, most jurisdictions sell between May 11 and June 26, and Caroline County and Baltimore County sell in August. Check the county date before planning a bid.
The headline figure is a ceiling, not a forecast. To see what a certificate actually pays over a real holding period, run the numbers in the yield calculator, and compare Maryland against other states on interest rates by state.
Verified Aug 9, 2026 against Maryland 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 county office before you bid.