Skip to content
Tax Sale Atlas

Carter County, MT tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Carter County, MT tax sale, one of 2,862 counties in 36 states. Montana sells tax lien certificates paying up to 10%. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from state rules plus what the county publishes on Sep 11, 2026.

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

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

Next sale
Nothing is scheduled in advance.
Format
In person
County office
406-775-8735
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 11, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
Look up a sale detail

County Treasurer. In person at the county treasurer's office during regular office hours. Mont. Code Ann. 15-18-220(6) permits a county to conduct the auction electronically but does not require it, and there is no statewide platform.. As applied for. There is no deed sale calendar, and most parcels never reach an auction at all.

Record quality: medium. Last verified: 2026-09-11.

Mont. Code Ann. 15-18-220 - Sale at public auction, notice of auction, cancellation of assignment for unsuccessful auction, foreign entity prohibition (source accessed 2026-09-10)

Recorded reference information. Verify current sale conditions with the county. Read the full sale details.

Link to this detail

How Carter County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Carter County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Carter County holds no auction and sets no sale day.
Registration
There is no bidder registration, no deposit and no auction to register for.
When it runs
Carter County holds no auction and sets no sale day. The Treasurer's Office states that "Each August 1, all real estate properties with delinquent taxes from the year prior have a lien placed against the property" and that "These liens are available for sale to the general public." The lien belongs to the county from that date, and a private buyer takes it by assignment. The certified-mail notice an assignment requires cannot be sent before August 15 and must go out at least 2 weeks before payment, so the earliest a Carter County lien changes hands is around August 29. Anything not taken stays assignable at the counter for the rest of the year.
Registration and deposit

There is no bidder registration, no deposit and no auction to register for. Mail the person to whom the property was assessed a Notice of Pending Assignment by certified mail on the form printed in Mont. Code Ann. 15-17-323(6), showing the owner of record, mailing address and legal description. Send it no earlier than August 15, at least 2 weeks before you pay and no more than 60 days before the purchase. Then bring the certified mailing receipt to the Carter County Treasurer's Office and pay the delinquent taxes plus penalties, interest and costs. The treasurer issues an assignment certificate and mails a copy to the assessed owner. Carter County publishes no assignment form, no fee schedule and no written priority policy, so call 406-775-8735 before you mail anything to confirm the office's current request procedure, the assignment fee it charges, accepted payment methods, and how it ranks competing requests for the same parcel.

Sale format and venue
Carter County publishes no online tax lien list and no list of parcels available for assignment anywhere on its website. Under Mont. Code Ann. 15-17-122 the treasurer publishes or posts a notice of pending attachment on or before the last Monday in June, and that notice must state that a list of every delinquent property, with the name and address of the person assessed and the amounts of tax, penalty, interest and costs owed, is on file in the Treasurer's Office and open to inspection. That counter list and the published notice are the only itemized sources for this county, so request the list from the Treasurer's Office or inspect it at the courthouse at 214 East Park Street. Expect no bidding platform: Montana repealed its tax lien sale, the lien attaches to the county itself, and Mont. Code Ann. 15-17-323 requires the treasurer to assign it to any qualifying buyer at a fixed price rather than to the highest bidder, so nothing is bid up or down. Treat any third-party site advertising a Carter County tax lien auction as inaccurate, and note that a Montana sheriff's sale notice is a mortgage foreclosure, not a tax sale. In person at the Carter County Treasurer's Office counter, 214 East Park Street in Ekalaka. Montana runs no tax lien auction, so this county has no online bidding platform, no registration portal and no auction vendor. Call 406-775-8735 to ask whether the office will accept an assignment request by mail.
Source: Taxes and Delinquent Taxes, Carter County Treasurer· Verified Sep 11, 2026

Tax deed sale

In person at the county treasurer's office during regular office hours. Mont. Code Ann. 15-18-220(6) permits a county to conduct the auction electronically but does not require it, and there is no statewide platform.
Run by
County Treasurer
Frequency
As applied for. There is no deed sale calendar, and most parcels never reach an auction at all.
Typical timing
Nothing is scheduled in advance.
When it runs
Nothing is scheduled in advance. Once the redemption period runs out, 3 years after attachment or 2 years for an unimproved subdivided lot with delinquent improvement district assessments, the path forks on what is standing on the parcel. Ordinary property is deeded straight to the assignee under Mont. Code Ann. 15-18-211 for a 25 dollar deed fee plus the county's notice costs, with no auction and no bidders. Property with a dwelling currently occupied by the legal titleholder of record goes to a public auction instead: the assignee files a tax deed application with the treasurer after the redemption period expires, and the treasurer must hold the auction in the county within 60 days of receiving it. The treasurer publishes the auction notice with the date, time, location, legal description, deposit requirement and minimum opening bid. The auction runs during the treasurer's regular office hours and may be conducted electronically.
Registration and deposit

Bidders at a Montana tax deed auction do not pre-register, but three requirements bind at the auction itself. An entity must give the treasurer written proof that it is a domestic entity before the treasurer will accept its opening bid, and a foreign entity may not buy at all. The high bidder posts a nonrefundable deposit at the time of sale of 5 percent of the bid or 200 dollars, whichever is greater, applied to the price on full payment, and the treasurer may ask bidders to show they can post it. Full payment of the purchase price plus the treasurer's auction costs is due within 24 hours of the sale, excluding weekends and legal holidays, and a bidder who misses it loses the parcel to the next highest bidder. Confirm the accepted payment methods with the county treasurer before the auction opens.

Sale format and venue
The opening bid is the amount needed to redeem the lien, plus everything the assignee paid on application, plus the tax deed and recording fees, plus an amount equal to half the most recent assessed value of the land and of the dwelling. An independent appraisal meeting Montana Board of Real Estate Appraisers standards and conducted within 6 months may stand in for the assessed value. The treasurer may not take a bid below that figure. The half-value component, and anything bid above the opening bid, is surplus: the treasurer repays the assignee first where someone else buys, then pays the surplus to the legal titleholder of record within 30 days. If nobody bids, or no bidder pays, or the assignee wins and fails to pay inside the 24 hours, the treasurer cancels the assignment and files a notice of cancellation, and the investor loses the lien position entirely. The owner may redeem right up to the day of the auction.
Source: Mont. Code Ann. 15-18-220 - Sale at public auction, notice of auction, cancellation of assignment for unsuccessful auction, foreign entity prohibitionMont. Code Ann. 15-18-220· Verified Sep 10, 2026

Carter County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Carter 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. If the parcels on this list are vacant land rather than houses, what buying land at a tax sale hands you is the place to start.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Carter County publishes no tax sale list online. The County Treasurer advertises the parcels ahead of the sale rather than posting them, so the list reaches bidders through the county legal newspaper and the office itself. Call 406-775-8735 to ask for the current advertisement.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    Nothing is scheduled in advance. 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 County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Carter County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    There is no online list to price against. Carter County advertises the parcels before the sale rather than posting them, so get the advertisement from the office on 406-775-8735 and price from the parcel numbers it carries.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidders at a Montana tax deed auction do not pre-register, but three requirements bind at the auction itself. An entity must give the treasurer written proof that it is a domestic entity before the treasurer will accept its opening bid, and a foreign entity may not buy at all. The high bidder posts a nonrefundable deposit at the time of sale of 5 percent of the bid or 200 dollars, whichever is greater, applied to the price on full payment, and the treasurer may ask bidders to show they can post it. Full payment of the purchase price plus the treasurer's auction costs is due within 24 hours of the sale, excluding weekends and legal holidays, and a bidder who misses it loses the parcel to the next highest bidder. Confirm the accepted payment methods with the county treasurer before the auction opens.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Montana due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth. Which liens survive is state law, so read what survives a tax deed in Montana before you price the title work.

  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

Every Montana tax lien is effectively over the counter, because assignment is the only way one is ever acquired. The county holds each lien from the day it attaches, and the treasurer must assign it to any person who mails the assessed owner the statutory notice and pays the delinquent taxes, penalties, interest and costs plus the county's assignment fee. After the late August allocation step, whatever is left sits with the treasurer and can be assigned on demand for the rest of the year, subject to the same notice rules: not earlier than August 15, mailed at least 2 weeks before payment and no more than 60 days before it. Older tax years are assignable the same way. Separately, land the county itself took by tax deed is sold at a public auction the county commissioners must order within 6 months of acquiring title, at a price the board fixes in advance, with the list of lands and the time and place published by the county clerk. That county land auction is not a tax lien or tax deed sale and the delinquent taxpayer may repurchase up to 24 hours before the first offering.

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Montana calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

Carter County Treasurer's Office

406-775-8735

P.O. Box 317, Ekalaka, MT 59324 (courthouse office at 214 East Park Street, Ekalaka, MT 59324)

Official website

County notes

  • The Treasurer's Office is the single point of contact for liens, assignments and tax deeds in Carter County. Its own page tells buyers to contact the office for information about liens, tax lien sales and tax deeds rather than pointing to any online system, and the office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
  • Delinquent taxes carry a 2 percent penalty plus interest of 5/6 of 1 percent per month. Those accrued amounts are part of what an assignee pays the county, so the cost of taking a lien rises every month the parcel stays unredeemed.
  • Only real estate liens are assignable here. Carter County collects delinquent mobile home and personal property taxes by writ of execution through the Sheriff, who may seize and sell the property, with personal property writs executed in the fall and mobile home writs in the spring. Those are not investor opportunities and produce no certificate.
  • Carter County publishes no written tax lien assignment policy. Mont. Code Ann. 15-17-323(1)(b) requires each treasurer to adopt one for the case where more than one person seeks the same lien, developed with the county clerk and recorder and the county attorney, and Montana counties handle this three different ways: first come at the counter, a ranked parcel list with a cutoff, or a lottery. Ask the Carter County Treasurer which applies and whether a cutoff date exists before you mail a notice of pending assignment.
  • Real estate property tax is billed in two installments, due November 30 and May 31. Mobile home tax halves are due May 31 and November 30, and personal property tax is due in full June 30.

Montana rules

Max interest rate
10% per year, fixed by statute (nothing is bid)
Minimum return
No statutory floor; every certificate earns the same statutory rate
Redemption
The clock runs from attachment of the tax lien, which happens no later than the first working day in August, and it ends on the first working day in August of the third year after that. Redemption stays open for the whole period and the assignee cannot shorten it. On the residential auction track the right to redeem runs further still: the statutory notice tells the parties that a tax deed will be auctioned unless the lien is redeemed before the date of the auction, and 15-18-112(4) lets a particular tax year be redeemed until a deed has issued under 15-18-211 or 15-18-220. Interest and costs keep accruing until the day of redemption, and the county treasurer, not the assignee, calculates the payoff as of the date of payment. A redemption before the lien is assigned goes to the county; after assignment the treasurer pays the assignee.
Deed deposit
The high bidder posts a nonrefundable deposit with the county treasurer at the time of sale of 5 percent of the bid or 200 dollars, whichever is greater, and the deposit is applied to the sale price on full payment. Notice of the deposit requirement must be posted at the auction site, and the treasurer may require bidders to show they can post it. The treasurer may refuse to recognize a bid from someone who previously bid and then refused to honor the bid.
Surplus proceeds
Montana pays the owner's equity out rather than letting it be forfeited. The portion of the opening bid equal to half the most recent assessed value of the land and of the dwelling is treated as surplus funds, and so is anything a winning bid adds above the opening bid. Where the deed is bought by someone other than the assignee, the treasurer first repays the assignee the amount paid for the assignment, including delinquent taxes, penalties, interest and costs, plus everything paid on the tax deed application under 15-18-219(2). The treasurer then distributes the surplus to the legal titleholder of record within 30 days of receiving payment from the purchaser, whether or not the titleholder lives in Montana. On the ordinary non-auction track there is no sale, no bidding and no surplus: the assignee receives the deed itself.
Governing statute
Mont. Code Ann. Title 15, ch. 17

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 Montanarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Carter County, Montana sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Carter County follows Montana's tax lien state system.

When is the Carter County tax certificate sale?

Carter County holds no auction and sets no sale day. The Treasurer's Office states that "Each August 1, all real estate properties with delinquent taxes from the year prior have a lien placed against the property" and that "These liens are available for sale to the general public." The lien belongs to the county from that date, and a private buyer takes it by assignment. The certified-mail notice an assignment requires cannot be sent before August 15 and must go out at least 2 weeks before payment, so the earliest a Carter County lien changes hands is around August 29. Anything not taken stays assignable at the counter for the rest of the year. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Carter County hold tax deed sales?

Carter County holds its tax deed sale As applied for. There is no deed sale calendar, and most parcels never reach an auction at all. Nothing is scheduled in advance. 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. Montana's redemption rule: 3 years from attachment of the tax lien, ending on the first working day in August; 2 years for a subdivided residential or commercial lot with delinquent improvement district assessments and no habitable dwelling or commercial structure. Call the County Treasurer 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.

Verified Sep 11, 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.

More Montana counties

Browse all 56 Montana counties

Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Montana tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Carter County Treasurer's Office