The short answer
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
How the clock works
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.
Who can redeem
The owner, or any other person that has an estate or interest in the property sold by the collector. In practice that includes mortgagees, deed of trust beneficiaries and other lienholders, each of whom the certificate holder must notify before filing the foreclosure.
What the owner pays to redeem
The total lien amount paid at the tax sale together with interest from the date of sale to the date of the redemption payment, plus any taxes, interest and penalties the certificate holder paid, plus any post-sale delinquent taxes, interest and penalties, which are excluded for owner-occupied residential property, plus the expenses and fees the holder may recover under Md. Code Ann., Tax-Prop. 14-843, plus the shortfall where vacant and abandoned property sold for less than the amount due. The high-bid premium is refunded to the holder without interest. The recoverable expenses are a closed list: nothing outside 14-843 may be charged. Before suit and more than 4 months after the sale, or more than 7 months for owner-occupied residential property, the holder may add recording costs, a title search fee up to 250 dollars, notice postage and certified mail, and attorney's fees up to 500 dollars. Once the foreclosure is filed the holder may add attorney's fees of 1,300 dollars, or 1,500 dollars where an affidavit of compliance has been filed, plus filing, service, publication, posting and other listed costs.
How your 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.
What happens when it ends
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.
A redeemed certificate, plus your accrued interest, is what makes the wait profitable; see how redemption periods work across states. An unredeemed certificate is instead your path to the property through a tax deed sale, which still does not convey marketable title on its own, so budget for a quiet title action.
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.