- Does Michigan sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Tax deeds only. For taxes levied after December 31, 1998, Michigan counties sell no tax lien certificates to investors. The county treasurer, acting as the foreclosing governmental unit, forfeits the property, forecloses it through the circuit court, and sells the property itself at auction. The winning bidder receives a deed vesting fee simple title.
- How long does a Michigan property stay delinquent before it is auctioned?
- About three years from the levy year. Unpaid taxes are returned as delinquent to the county treasurer on March 1. On the March 1 twelve months later the property is forfeited to the treasurer and a $175 fee is added. The foreclosing governmental unit files its petition by June 15, the circuit court hears it no more than 30 days before the following March 1, and title vests absolutely if the amounts due are not paid by the March 31 immediately succeeding that judgment. The auction follows between the third Tuesday in July and the first Tuesday in November.
- Can the former owner redeem after a Michigan tax deed sale?
- No. All redemption rights expire on the March 31 immediately succeeding entry of the judgment of foreclosure, or 21 days after entry in a contested case, which is months before the auction opens. There is no post-sale redemption period. The one moving part before that date is judicial: a circuit court may withhold a property from foreclosure for a year, or extend the redemption period, for a minor heir, an incompetent owner, an owner without means of support, or an owner in substantial financial hardship.
- What is the minimum bid at a Michigan tax foreclosure auction?
- The minimum bid is set by the foreclosing governmental unit and must include all delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, and fees due on the property. It may also include the unit's expenses for the forfeiture, foreclosure, maintenance, repair, remediation, or administration of the property, including mailing, publication, personal service, legal, personnel, outside contractor, and auction costs. If a unit holds more than one sale, the final sale requires no minimum bid at all, though the unit may set a reasonable opening bid to recover the cost of the sale.
- When are Michigan tax foreclosure auctions held?
- Sales begin on the third Tuesday in July immediately succeeding entry of the judgment of foreclosure and must be completed before the immediately succeeding first Tuesday in November. Within that window each county picks its own dates, and a county may hold several sales as long as the final one is at least 28 days after the preceding one. Notice of the time and location is published at least 30 days ahead. On the dominant statewide platform, most county sales run in August and early September, with a reduced minimum bid re-offer in late September and a no reserve sale in late October.
- What deposit is required, and when is payment due?
- Michigan sets no statutory deposit. The foreclosing governmental unit adopts its own procedures for conducting the sale and taking payment, so deposits and registration rules vary by county and platform; on Tax-Sale.info, bidding requires a $1,000 pre-authorization hold on a credit card. What statute does fix is the payment ceiling: full payment is required at the close of each day's bidding or by a date not more than 21 days after the sale, and platforms often set a shorter deadline. The buyer must also prove that any property taxes owed at the time of the sale were paid to the local tax collecting unit, or the sale is cancelled.
- What does a Michigan winning bid actually cost?
- The statute sets the minimum bid and lets the foreclosing governmental unit charge a fee above the bid for recording the deed, but it fixes no buyer's premium. The platform terms decide the rest. On Tax-Sale.info the total owed is the winning bid, plus a buyer's premium of 10 percent of the winning bid, plus the current year's summer taxes, plus a $30 deed recording fee. Those are platform terms rather than statewide law, so check the published terms for the specific county sale before you bid.
- Does a Michigan tax deed give clear title?
- Not on its own. The foreclosure judgment extinguishes almost every other lien and interest, but the statute preserves visible or recorded easements and rights of way, private deed restrictions, recorded oil and gas lease interests, preserved oil and gas interests, interests assessable as personal property, future installments of special assessments, and environmental liens and restrictions recorded under the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. A defect in the foreclosure can also stop the deed from vesting title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they resell or insure.
- Can a Michigan bidder buy any parcel that reaches the auction?
- No. Government units get the first pass. The state may buy a parcel at the greater of the minimum bid or fair market value up to the first Tuesday in July, and if it declines, a city, village, township, city authority, county, or county authority may buy it next. Bidders must also file an affidavit under penalty of perjury that they hold no more than a minimal interest in any tax-delinquent property in the same county and owe no ordinance fines of the kind authorized by section 4l of the Home Rule City Act in the local unit, or the sale is cancelled.
- Who gets the money left over after a Michigan tax foreclosure sale?
- A person who held a legal interest in the property immediately before the foreclosure judgment took effect can claim it. Remaining proceeds are the sale price minus the minimum bid, minus other forfeiture, foreclosure, sale, maintenance, repair, and remediation costs, minus a 5 percent sale commission to the foreclosing governmental unit. The claimant must file a notice of intention by the July 1 after the foreclosure takes effect, then a motion in the same circuit court case between the February 1 after the sale and the following May 15. Missing that May 15 bars the claim.
Verified Aug 6, 2026 against Michigan 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.