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Tax Sale Atlas

Montgomery County, MD tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Montgomery County, seat of Rockville: 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
Tax sale scheduled for June 14, 2027.Monday · 2027
Format
In person
Registration
There is no bidder pre-registration portal and no deposit.
County office
240-777-0311
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 9, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Montgomery 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)

In person
Run by
Montgomery County Department of Finance, Division of Treasury. Bids are addressed to the Tax Sale Administrator, and the notice of sale is signed by Michael Coveyou, Director of Finance and Tax Collector.
Frequency
annual
Next sale
Tax sale scheduled for June 14, 2027.
Registration
There is no bidder pre-registration portal and no deposit.
Sale list
Notice of Tax Sale, where the county advertises the property groups
When it runs
Annual, on the second Monday of June. The county states: "The public sealed bid sale is conducted annually on the second Monday of June of each Levy Year." For Levy Year 2025 the sale ran Monday, June 8, 2026, between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and the same page states "The next Tax Sale will be held on Monday, June 14, 2027." Property groups are advertised in the Washington Post once a week for four successive weeks (May 14, May 21, May 28 and June 4 in 2026), and payoffs that pull a property from a group are accepted until 4:30 p.m. on June 5, 2026.
Registration and deposit

There is no bidder pre-registration portal and no deposit. A bid counts only if it carries the bidder name, address and daytime telephone number, the name to appear on the certificate of sale, the group number for group bids (plus the tax account numbers for bids on individual liens), and a bid factor expressed as a multiple of full cash value to no more than four decimal places. Bids must be received between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. ET on sale day, addressed to the Tax Sale Administrator, Division of Treasury, 27 Courthouse Square, Suite 200, Rockville, MD 20850, delivered by express mail, overnight or courier delivery, or in person, or emailed to [email protected] with Windows compatible attachments. Faxed bids are refused. Winning bidders must then enroll in the county central vendor registration system (CVRS) and provide banking information, because redemption payouts are refunded by ACH.

Sale format and venue
Montgomery County sells tax liens by sealed bid rather than by live outcry or an online auction, a format it has used since 1998. Delinquent accounts from the election districts are split into randomly assembled groups of roughly equal size, and each group is numbered for bidding. Bidders may take one group, several groups, or individual liens, but bidders taking whole groups rank ahead of bidders picking individual liens. Identical group bids are settled by lottery no later than 9:00 a.m. ET the day after the sale. Winners are notified by telephone by 10:00 a.m. ET that same Tuesday and must pay the full advertised amount plus any high bid premium by 4:00 p.m. ET the same day, by electronic funds transfer only. The high bid premium is 20 percent of the amount by which the bid exceeds 40 percent of the property full cash value, set to zero if the result is negative. Redemption interest stated on the certificate is 6 percent per year for owner occupied property and 20 percent per year for property that is not owner occupied, accruing daily from the sale date. Third party auction calendars sometimes list this sale as an auction event at the Rockville treasury counter; treat those as courtesy listings, since the county accepts only sealed bids delivered inside the stated window. Sealed bid handled in house by the Division of Treasury. No online auction platform is used.
Source: Montgomery County Department of Finance, Tax Sale Information and Procedures· Verified Aug 9, 2026

Montgomery County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Montgomery 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 Notice of Tax Sale, where the county advertises the property groups for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    There is no bidder pre-registration portal and no deposit. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Tax sale scheduled for June 14, 2027. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Montgomery County Department of Finance, Division of Treasury. Bids are addressed to the Tax Sale Administrator, and the notice of sale is signed by Michael Coveyou, Director of Finance and Tax Collector. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Montgomery County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Notice of Tax Sale, where the county advertises the property groups. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    There is no bidder pre-registration portal and no deposit. A bid counts only if it carries the bidder name, address and daytime telephone number, the name to appear on the certificate of sale, the group number for group bids (plus the tax account numbers for bids on individual liens), and a bid factor expressed as a multiple of full cash value to no more than four decimal places. Bids must be received between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. ET on sale day, addressed to the Tax Sale Administrator, Division of Treasury, 27 Courthouse Square, Suite 200, Rockville, MD 20850, delivered by express mail, overnight or courier delivery, or in person, or emailed to [email protected] with Windows compatible attachments. Faxed bids are refused. Winning bidders must then enroll in the county central vendor registration system (CVRS) and provide banking information, because redemption payouts are refunded by ACH.

  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)

Montgomery County Department of Finance, Division of Treasury

240-777-0311

27 Courthouse Square, Suite 200, Rockville, MD 20850

Official website

County notes

  • Maryland sells liens, not deeds, so there is no separate county deed auction here. Title moves only through a Circuit Court action to foreclose the right of redemption.
  • The certificate is void if the holder does not begin an action to foreclose the right of redemption within two years of the certificate date, and all purchaser rights then cease.
  • Redemption during the first four months on property that is not owner occupied, and the first seven months on owner occupied property, does not require reimbursing the certificate holder for expenses or legal fees.
  • Groups and individual liens that go unsold may be offered later to the highest bidder until sold, at the county's option.
  • The county warns in writing that its tax sale procedures are unique to Montgomery County and differ from those used elsewhere in Maryland, and it recommends legal advice before bidding.
  • If the county later finds a sale invalid or void, the only remedy is a refund of the purchase price and any high bid premium, both without interest.
  • The county publishes lien sale results going back to 2003 plus a surplus and excess funds list.

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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County tax certificate sale?

Annual, on the second Monday of June. The county states: "The public sealed bid sale is conducted annually on the second Monday of June of each Levy Year." For Levy Year 2025 the sale ran Monday, June 8, 2026, between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and the same page states "The next Tax Sale will be held on Monday, June 14, 2027." Property groups are advertised in the Washington Post once a week for four successive weeks (May 14, May 21, May 28 and June 4 in 2026), and payoffs that pull a property from a group are accepted until 4:30 p.m. on June 5, 2026. The sale is held in person. 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 Montgomery County Department of Finance, Division of Treasury. Bids are addressed to the Tax Sale Administrator, and the notice of sale is signed by Michael Coveyou, Director of Finance and Tax Collector. 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 Montgomery County tax sale list?

Montgomery County posts its tax sale list at montgomerycountymd.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 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.

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Call Montgomery County Department of Finance