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Tax Sale Atlas

Wicomico County, MD tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Wicomico County, seat of Salisbury: 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
Annually in June.
Format
In person
Registration
All bidders must register to be eligible to bid.
County office
410-548-4840
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 9, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Wicomico 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
Wicomico County Department of Finance, acting as Director of Finance and Collector of State and County Taxes
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Annually in June.
Registration
All bidders must register to be eligible to bid.
Sale list
2026 tax sale property list (published notice)
When it runs
Annually in June. The county's tax sale page states "Tax sale will be June 9, 2026 at 10AM at the Wicomico Civic Center. Pre-registration will end on June 8, 2026. The day of sale registration will be between 8:30-9:30." The published notice sets the auction for "TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2026 at or about the hour of 10:00 a.m. (E.D.T.)". Unsold certificates are then offered over the counter from June 23, 2026 through December 31, 2026.
Registration and deposit

All bidders must register to be eligible to bid. Registration is completed at the Department of Finance, or the form is downloaded from the county website and returned to the Department of Finance before 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 8, 2026, delivered to Room 102 of the Government Office Building, mailed to PO Box 4036, N. Division St, Salisbury, MD 21803, or faxed to 410-548-4807. A completed W-9 must accompany the registration form. The county encourages pre-registration, but same day registration is allowed at the Civic Center until 9:30 a.m., and bidder numbers are picked up at the registration window in Danang Room 1 on auction day. Property owners who are delinquent in the payment of taxes, assessments or encumbrances may not bid. Over the counter purchasers register separately by filing the Tax Lien Certificate Purchase Agreement plus a W-9 with the Department of Finance.

Sale format and venue
Wicomico County runs its tax lien certificate sale in person, not online. There is no internet bidding platform: bidders attend the auction at the Wicomico County Civic Center and bid live. The published terms state the sale is open to the public, that properties receiving no opening bid are deemed withdrawn, and that the purchaser pays the Collector on the day of sale, by cash or check, the full amount of taxes and other charges due together with interest, penalties and sale expenses. Payments are accepted for up to one hour after the final property is auctioned. The residue of the purchase price remains on credit until a final decree forecloses the right of redemption, and the Director of Finance then issues the certificate of sale. All costs of foreclosing the right of redemption and of title work are at the purchaser's expense, and properties are sold as is with no warranty as to title. Accounts not paid in full by April 30 enter the sale process, and the county advertises each property four times before the June sale (May 13, May 20, May 27 and June 3 in 2026). Listings of Wicomico liens on third-party aggregator sites are not the county sale; registration and bidding run through the Department of Finance. Live in-person auction in the Midway Room of the Wicomico County Civic Center, 500 Glen Ave, Salisbury
Source: Wicomico County Department of Finance, Tax Sale Information· Verified Aug 9, 2026

Wicomico County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Wicomico 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 2026 tax sale property list (published notice) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    All bidders must register to be eligible to bid. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Annually in June. 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 Wicomico County Department of Finance, acting as Director of Finance and Collector of State and County Taxes as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Wicomico County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from 2026 tax sale property list (published notice). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    All bidders must register to be eligible to bid. Registration is completed at the Department of Finance, or the form is downloaded from the county website and returned to the Department of Finance before 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 8, 2026, delivered to Room 102 of the Government Office Building, mailed to PO Box 4036, N. Division St, Salisbury, MD 21803, or faxed to 410-548-4807. A completed W-9 must accompany the registration form. The county encourages pre-registration, but same day registration is allowed at the Civic Center until 9:30 a.m., and bidder numbers are picked up at the registration window in Danang Room 1 on auction day. Property owners who are delinquent in the payment of taxes, assessments or encumbrances may not bid. Over the counter purchasers register separately by filing the Tax Lien Certificate Purchase Agreement plus a W-9 with the Department of Finance.

  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)

Wicomico County Department of Finance

410-548-4840

Government Office Building, 125 N. Division St., Room 102, Salisbury, MD 21801. Mailing address: P.O. Box 4036, Salisbury, MD 21803

Official website

County notes

  • Payment restrictions begin May 1 each year on delinquent bills: full payment of all outstanding amounts due the county and municipality plus interest, penalties and advertising costs, with no partial payments, no personal checks and no electronic personal checks. Cash, money order, bank check, credit card or debit card are accepted, but no credit or debit card is accepted within the five days before the sale.
  • To remove a property from the 2026 sale, the owner had to pay by cash, money order, cashier's or certified check on or before Monday, June 8, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.; cards were accepted only through Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.
  • The county's published terms set no separate bidder deposit. The winning bidder settles the taxes, interest, penalties and sale expenses on sale day and the balance of the bid stays on credit.
  • The Department of Finance sets bidder terms under Md. Code Ann., Tax-Property section 14-817 and requires certificate holders to keep a current mailing address, email, phone or fax on file so redemptions can be processed. If a holder does not respond in a timely manner, the county may complete the redemption without including the holder's legal and other allowable fees.
  • The tax sale contact named on the 2026 bidder and purchaser agreements is Mary Bratten, Tax Coordinator, 125 N Division St #102, Salisbury, MD 21801, 410-548-4840, [email protected].
  • The county also publishes a tax sale excess funds list and an over the counter list of certificates still available after the June auction.
  • Wicomico County's general information line is 410-548-4801; the Department of Finance line for tax sale matters is 410-548-4840 (fax 410-548-4807).

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 Wicomico 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 Wicomico County tax certificate sale?

Annually in June. The county's tax sale page states "Tax sale will be June 9, 2026 at 10AM at the Wicomico Civic Center. Pre-registration will end on June 8, 2026. The day of sale registration will be between 8:30-9:30." The published notice sets the auction for "TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2026 at or about the hour of 10:00 a.m. (E.D.T.)". Unsold certificates are then offered over the counter from June 23, 2026 through December 31, 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 Wicomico County Department of Finance, acting as Director of Finance and 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 Wicomico County tax sale list?

Wicomico County posts its tax sale list at wicomicocounty.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 Wicomico County Department of Finance