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Tax Sale Atlas

Macomb County, MI tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Macomb County, seat of Mt. Clemens: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Michigan tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Format
ZEUS
Registration
Bidding is entirely online at zeusauction.com.
County office
586-469-5190
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Macomb County sells delinquent taxes

No tax lien certificate sale

Michigan counties do not sell tax lien certificates to investors. For taxes levied after December 31, 1998, delinquent property is subject to forfeiture, foreclosure, and sale, so the county treasurer sells the property itself.

Tax deed sale

SRI / ZEUS
Run by
Macomb County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Registration
Bidding is entirely online at zeusauction.com.
Sale list
Macomb County foreclosure sale list
When it runs
The Treasurer's auction page states that "The Macomb County Treasurer auctions tax foreclosed property at one or more public auctions" held "between the third Tuesday in July and the first Tuesday in November." In practice Macomb runs two online sales in that window: a minimum-bid sale in September and, if needed, a no-minimum-bid sale in October. The county's published auction rules set the 2025 minimum-bid sale to start Tuesday, September 9, 2025 and the no-minimum-bid sale to commence Wednesday, October 15, 2025, with each parcel or lot carrying its own posted ending time and bidding opening at 10:00 a.m. The Treasurer's forfeiture and foreclosure timeline likewise places the public auction in September or October, roughly six months after the March 31 judgment of foreclosure. The county states that information on the 2026 auction will be posted on the auction page once it is available.
Registration and deposit

Bidding is entirely online at zeusauction.com. Registration is free and has two steps: per the Treasurer, "First you must register for the auction site. Once registered for the auction site you must register for the Macomb County auction specifically." Registering for the site alone does not register you for the Macomb sale. Under the county's auction rules, bidders must pre-register online by 4:00 p.m. the day before the sale opens, complete a W-9, and print, sign and upload the signed auction rules document in the auction system, affirming under MCL 211.78m and Macomb County policy that they are qualified to bid. Successful bidders sign a purchase affidavit and a bid verification document stating they do not hold a delinquent-tax interest in the county or owe unpaid city ordinance fines. No deposit is collected up front. The full purchase price is due by 4:00 p.m. the day after the auction, payable only by cash, cashier or certified check, or wire transfer to the Macomb County Treasurer. Personal checks, business checks, money orders and charge cards are not accepted. Bidders who fail to close are banned from all future Macomb County Treasurer tax-reverted auctions and owe costs plus a fee of $2,500 per parcel.

Sale format and venue
Michigan is a tax deed state and Macomb County opted in, so the Macomb County Treasurer is the foreclosing governmental unit and sells the deed directly. There is no tax lien certificate sale. Title passes to the Treasurer on the March 31 judgment of foreclosure, and the property is auctioned that September or October. Buyers receive a quit-claim deed conveying only such title as the Treasurer received through foreclosure; the county makes no representation about title insurance availability and warns a quiet title action may be needed. Minimum bids are printed on the sale list for the September auction and may rise to cover sale costs; for the October no-minimum auction the county sets a reasonable opening bid to recover the cost of sale under MCL 211.78m(5). Winning bidders must pay the current year's taxes within 21 days of purchase, and properties remain subject to future special assessment installments and to environmental liens. Local units of government hold a first right of refusal, and the Treasurer reserves the right to remove any parcel from the sale for any reason, so the published list can shrink before bidding opens. All property is sold as is and where is, structures may not be entered, and buyers are responsible for determining occupancy. One platform caution for investors: Tax-Sale.info, run by Title Check LLC, conducts the tax foreclosure auctions for a large share of Michigan counties but its county roster does not include Macomb. Macomb runs its sale on Zeus Auction instead, so a Tax-Sale.info search will not surface Macomb parcels.
Register on SRI / ZEUS

Macomb County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Macomb 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 Macomb County foreclosure sale list for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.
  2. Register to bid

    Bidding is entirely online at zeusauction.com. Full requirements are in the sale card above.
  3. Sale day

    Bidding runs on Michigan public land auction schedule and parcel lists; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.
  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Macomb County Treasurer's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Macomb County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Macomb County foreclosure sale list. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.
  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidding is entirely online at zeusauction.com. Registration is free and has two steps: per the Treasurer, "First you must register for the auction site. Once registered for the auction site you must register for the Macomb County auction specifically." Registering for the site alone does not register you for the Macomb sale. Under the county's auction rules, bidders must pre-register online by 4:00 p.m. the day before the sale opens, complete a W-9, and print, sign and upload the signed auction rules document in the auction system, affirming under MCL 211.78m and Macomb County policy that they are qualified to bid. Successful bidders sign a purchase affidavit and a bid verification document stating they do not hold a delinquent-tax interest in the county or owe unpaid city ordinance fines. No deposit is collected up front. The full purchase price is due by 4:00 p.m. the day after the auction, payable only by cash, cashier or certified check, or wire transfer to the Macomb County Treasurer. Personal checks, business checks, money orders and charge cards are not accepted. Bidders who fail to close are banned from all future Macomb County Treasurer tax-reverted auctions and owe costs plus a fee of $2,500 per parcel.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Michigan 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.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax sale office

Macomb County Treasurer's Office

586-469-5190

1 South Main St., 2nd Floor, Mount Clemens, MI 48043

Official website

County notes

  • Treasurer of record is Lawrence Rocca; the office is at the county Administration Building, 1 South Main St., 2nd Floor, Mount Clemens, MI 48043, open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., email [email protected].
  • The auction page lists a second number, 586-469-5100, which the Treasurer's office page identifies as the county administration line rather than the Treasurer's direct number.
  • The current sale list is published as a dated PDF linked from the auction and claims page; the July 10, 2026 file is titled "Foreclosure List for Macomb County" and covers 2026 foreclosures of 2023 and prior taxes, showing parcel number, tax due, interest and fees due, total due, delinquent tax years, legal description and property address.
  • The county's forfeiture and foreclosure timeline describes a three-year process: taxes go delinquent to the Treasurer on March 1 with a 4% fee and 1% monthly interest, the property is forfeited the following March 1 with added fees and 1.5% monthly interest, foreclosure judgment vests title in the Treasurer on March 31 of the third year, and the auction follows that September or October.
  • Surplus proceeds are claimed on Michigan Form 5743, which must be filed by July 1 immediately following the effective date of the foreclosure; the Treasurer responds with Form 5744. A separate Fox v. Saginaw County class action settlement covers properties sold 2013 through 2020.
  • Auction rules are republished each year; the version verified here is dated 8/5/2025 and the county notes the rules are subject to change and should be reviewed frequently before each sale.

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.
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.
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.
Governing statute
MCL 211.78 to 211.78o

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 Michiganrules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Macomb County, Michigan sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax deeds. Michigan sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the county sells the property itself at a public tax sale.

How often does Macomb County hold tax deed sales?

Macomb County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Michigan's redemption rule: Until the March 31 immediately succeeding entry of the judgment of foreclosure, or 21 days after entry in a contested case; no redemption after that. Call the Macomb County Treasurer's Office 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 Macomb County tax sale list?

Macomb County posts its tax sale list at macombgov.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 7, 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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