When the sale is held
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.
When taxes go delinquent
Maryland property tax is due on July 1 of each taxable year. It may be paid without interest on or before September 30, and it is in arrears after September 30. Interest then runs monthly: two-thirds of 1 percent a month is the default rate for county and municipal tax, and named jurisdictions charge more, with Garrett County at 1.5 percent a month and Washington County, Somerset County and the City of Salisbury at 1 percent, while charter counties and Baltimore City set their own rate by law. Overdue State property tax runs at 1 percent a month. All unpaid taxes on real property are liens on that property from the date they became payable until they are paid, and a first lien attaches from the date the tax is due, which is what makes a Maryland certificate senior collateral. Parcels still in arrears go to the county tax sale under Title 14, Subtitle 8, Part III.
What happens after the sale
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.
Leftover parcels between sales
A county or other taxing agency must buy in and hold any property offered at the tax sale for which there is no private purchaser, and the collector issues the certificate of sale in the county's name. Once it holds that certificate the governing body may sell and assign it, or after foreclosure sell the property itself. That assignment is the Maryland equivalent of an over-the-counter purchase, and an assigned certificate carries the same right to foreclose as one bought at the sale, since a certificate of sale is assignable and the assignment vests all the right, title and interest of the original purchaser. Whether a county actually offers its held certificates, how it prices them, and whether it publishes a list are local decisions, so ask the collector of taxes. A county may also ask the court to have a private holder's certificate assigned to the county when the foreclosure has stalled, in which case the private holder forfeits both its rights and the money it paid.
These dates are the statewide statutory schedule. The exact auction date, registration deadline, and platform are set county by county, so confirm them on the Maryland county pages before you plan a bid. For the mechanics of the sale itself, see how to buy in Maryland.
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.