Lake County, MI tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Lake County's own Treasurer page does not publish the auction date or the parcel list. It links out to Tax-Sale.info as "Auction Information", and the date, terms and parcels live on that platform under the Lake County catalog.
• •Lake County sells in a multi county group auction, so the auction page covers Benzie, Grand Traverse, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason and Wexford at once. Filter to the Lake catalog to see only Lake County parcels.
• •Catalog and auction URLs on Tax-Sale.info are issued per sale and change every year. Start from the platform's auction schedule to find the current Lake County catalog rather than reusing a prior year's link.
• •The "Lake (DNR)" catalog appearing in the same auction is Michigan Department of Natural Resources surplus land sold under separate DNR rules, not county tax foreclosed property. The two catalogs have different sellers and different terms.
• •Registration closes in practice well before the sale: the platform asks bidders to open an account at least 48 hours ahead so identity verification and the $1,000 deposit hold can clear in time.

Michigan rules

Redemption

Michigan has no post-sale redemption. The right to redeem runs during the forfeiture year and ends when the foreclosure judgment takes effect. Property forfeited to the county treasurer may be redeemed at any time on or before the March 31 immediately succeeding entry of a judgment foreclosing it, or within 21 days of entry in a contested case. On that date all redemption rights expire and fee simple title vests absolutely in the foreclosing governmental unit. Measured from the March 1 the taxes were returned as delinquent, that is about 25 months, and roughly three years from the year the taxes were levied. A circuit court may withhold a property from foreclosure for one year, or enter an order extending the redemption period as it finds equitable, if the owner is a minor heir, is incompetent, is without means of support, or is undergoing substantial financial hardship, so a parcel can drop off an auction list late.MCL 211.78g - forfeiture to the county treasurer on March 1 after 12 months delinquent, the $175 fee, the additional 1/2 percent per month, and what it costs to redeemMCL 211.78gVerified Aug 6, 2026

Deed deposit

Michigan fixes no statutory deposit. The foreclosing governmental unit may adopt its own procedures governing the conduct of the sale and payment for conveyance, so registration deposits, refunds, and any bidding caps are set county by county and by the auction platform. On Tax-Sale.info, the platform most Michigan counties use, bidding requires a $1,000 pre-authorization hold on a major credit card rather than a cash deposit. Confirm the figure in the county's published auction terms before registering.MCL 211.78m - the auction itself: right of first refusal ladder, the July to November sale window, minimum bid, bidder affidavit, payment, deed, and unsold propertyMCL 211.78mVerified Aug 6, 2026

Surplus proceeds

A person who held a legal interest in the property immediately before the judgment of foreclosure became effective may claim the remaining proceeds. Remaining proceeds are the amount paid to the foreclosing governmental unit for the property, minus the minimum bid, minus other fees and expenses of forfeiture, foreclosure, sale, maintenance, repair, and remediation not already inside the minimum bid, minus a sale commission payable to the unit equal to 5 percent of the amount paid for the property. The claimant must submit a notice of intention on a Department of Treasury form by the July 1 immediately following the effective date of the foreclosure, then file a motion in the same circuit court proceeding in which the foreclosure judgment was effective, during the period beginning February 1 immediately after the property was sold and ending the following May 15. The court sets a hearing, decides the relative priority and value of each claimant's interest, and orders payment. Once the order enters, any further claim relating to that property is barred.MCL 211.78t - claims to remaining proceeds after a tax foreclosure sale, the definition of remaining proceeds, and the 5 percent sale commissionMCL 211.78tVerified Aug 6, 2026

Governing statute

MCL 211.78 to 211.78oMCL 211.78 - legislative intent for the return, forfeiture, and foreclosure system, a county's election to have the state foreclose, and the definition of foreclosing governmental unitMCL 211.78Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.

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