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Tax Sale Atlas

Passaic County, NJ tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Passaic County, NJ tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. New Jersey sells tax lien certificates paying up to 18%. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from state rules plus what the county publishes on Sep 28, 2026.

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

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

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Look up a sale detail

Municipal tax collector of each of the county's 16 municipalities (Passaic County itself holds no tax sale). annual

Record quality: medium. Last verified: 2026-09-28.

Tax Sale Listing - 2026 (news notice), City of Clifton (source accessed 2026-09-28)

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

Link to this detail

How Passaic County sells delinquent taxes

From lien to deed

New Jersey holds no tax deed auction. A certificate holder who is not redeemed files an action in the Superior Court to foreclose the right of redemption: a private purchaser at any time after two years from the sale, the municipality (or anyone who takes the certificate from it by assignment or transfer) after six months, and any holder at any time if the property meets the statutory definition of abandoned property. Judgment bars redemption and vests title in the holder. Since P.L.2024, c.39 the owner or the owner's heirs may, before final judgment, demand that the foreclosure proceed by a sheriff's sale or a sheriff's Internet auction to preserve equity; that sale is run by the county sheriff and is a foreclosure sale of one parcel, not a tax sale, so a sheriff's sale listing is never the date of a municipality's certificate sale. Separately, a municipality holding its own certificates may foreclose by an in rem action once more than six months have passed since the sale and 21 months of taxes are unpaid.

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Municipal tax collector of each of the county's 16 municipalities (Passaic County itself holds no tax sale)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Each municipality sets its own sale date.
When it runs
Each municipality sets its own sale date. Documented 2026 sales: Clifton on October 15, Pompton Lakes on October 15 and West Milford on October 19. The City of Passaic last sold on December 16, 2025, and North Haledon on July 16, 2025.
Registration and deposit

Clifton, West Milford and the City of Passaic run online sales, each on its own newjerseytaxsale.com site. The City of Passaic required payment by wire before the sale closed. Pompton Lakes and North Haledon sell in person at the municipal building, and payment is due before the sale ends. North Haledon accepted only cash or certified checks.

Sale format and venue
New Jersey tax sale certificates are sold town by town, not by the county. Bidders bid the interest rate down from 18 percent, and the certificate goes to the lowest rate. The format differs between towns: some sell online and others hold the sale in person at town hall, so check the date, platform and list for each municipality. Each documented town posts its list on its own website or auction site, and every town must also publish its list in the local newspaper before the sale.
Source: Tax Sale Listing - 2026 (news notice), City of Clifton· Verified Sep 28, 2026

Passaic County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Passaic 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

    Passaic County publishes no tax sale list online. The Municipal tax collector of each of the county's 16 municipalities (Passaic County itself holds no tax sale) 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.

  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

    Each municipality sets its own sale date. Each city or town picks its own platform or in-person venue. Confirm the date and registration window with that town’s collector before you bid.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Municipal tax collector of each of the county's 16 municipalities (Passaic County itself holds no tax sale) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Passaic County

  1. Start with the live sale list

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

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Clifton, West Milford and the City of Passaic run online sales, each on its own newjerseytaxsale.com site. The City of Passaic required payment by wire before the sale closed. Pompton Lakes and North Haledon sell in person at the municipal building, and payment is due before the sale ends. North Haledon accepted only cash or certified checks.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the New Jersey 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

Certificates on parcels that drew no bid are struck off to the municipality at 18 percent. A municipality's governing body may later sell a certificate it holds by assignment or at a separate public sale, at its discretion. Ask the tax collector of the specific municipality.

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

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County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

Municipal tax collector in each Passaic County municipality

County notes

  • Clifton: the City of Clifton sells 2025 and prior delinquent taxes and municipal charges in an online auction on October 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM. The full list of parcels, delinquencies and costs is free to view at clifton.newjerseytaxsale.com.
  • West Milford: the Township lists its sale date as October 19, 2026. The Tax Collector's pages link to the online sale at westmilford.newjerseytaxsale.com and post the Tax Sale Listing as a PDF list.
  • Pompton Lakes: the Borough holds an in-person sale on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the Municipal Building, 25 Lenox Avenue. The list is posted on the Tax Collector page (updated September 23, 2026), and parcels not paid for before the sale ends are resold. Tax Collector Anisa K. Mainiero, 973-835-0143 ext. 229.
  • City of Passaic: the most recent sale was held online on December 16, 2025 at passaiccity.newjerseytaxsale.com, with bids accepted until 8:30 AM. Payment was due by wire before the sale ended. The list was published in the 2025 Tax Sale Ad on the Tax Collector page. Tax Collector Sean Nolan, 330 Passaic Street, 973-365-5530.
  • North Haledon: the 2025 sale was held in person on Thursday, July 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM in the Council Chambers, 103 Overlook Avenue. Only cash or certified checks were accepted. The list appeared in the notice on the Tax Department page and in the newspaper. Tax Collector Maureen Kurzynski, 973-427-5810.
  • Hawthorne: the Tax Office is at 445 Lafayette Avenue, Suite 101 (973-427-4423). The borough posts no sale date online, so call the Certified Tax Collector for the date and list.
  • Paterson: the Revenue Collection division of the Finance Department at City Hall, 155 Market Street, collects property taxes. The city posts no sale date online, so contact the office and watch the local paper for the list.
  • Totowa: parcels with unpaid prior-year taxes go into the Borough's annual tax sale. The lien sold covers unpaid taxes, special assessments, water and utility charges and accrued interest. Contact the Tax Department for the date.
  • Wanaque: contact Certified Tax Collector Ann M. Smolen at 973-839-3000 ext. 7127 for the sale date and list.
  • Bloomingdale, Haledon, Little Falls, Prospect Park, Ringwood, Wayne and Woodland Park: each town publishes its sale notice and list in the local newspaper and at the tax collector's office.

New Jersey rules

Max interest rate
18% per year, bid down at auction
Minimum return
2 to 6% one-time penalty at redemption, by certificate size, added to the interest
Redemption
The right to redeem lasts until it is cut off by a foreclosure judgment, not for a fixed term. What varies by parcel is how soon the holder may start that action: two years after the sale for a private purchaser, six months for the municipality or its assignee, and any time for abandoned property. Once a foreclosure complaint is filed and notice of it is filed with the tax collector, redemption is made in that court action and carries the court-fixed attorney's fees and costs. All other redemptions must go through the municipal tax collector's office; a lienholder who knowingly takes a redemption outside that office forfeits the certificate.
Surplus proceeds
Surplus arises only from a sheriff's sale or Internet auction demanded by the owner under N.J.S.A. 54:5-87(b). The sheriff deducts the cost of the sale and deposits the surplus with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and the owner or heirs claim it by motion under N.J.S.2A:50-37 and the Rules of Court; that is the exclusive route. If the owner does not demand a sale, the holder may foreclose without one and the owner has no claim against the holder for any equity. In an abandoned-property foreclosure the court may bar claims to surplus equity and no sheriff's sale is required.
Governing statute
N.J.S.A. Title 54, Chapter 5

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 New Jerseyrules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Passaic County, New Jersey sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In New Jersey investors buy the lien, not the property; the Municipal tax collector runs the sale.

When is the Passaic County tax certificate sale?

Each municipality sets its own sale date. Documented 2026 sales: Clifton on October 15, Pompton Lakes on October 15 and West Milford on October 19. The City of Passaic last sold on December 16, 2025, and North Haledon on July 16, 2025. Always confirm the exact date with the Municipal tax collector 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. New Jersey's redemption rule: 2 years from the sale before a private certificate holder can file to foreclose; the owner can redeem until the court's final judgment. Call the Municipal tax collector of each of the county's 16 municipalities (Passaic County itself holds no tax sale) 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 28, 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.

New Jersey tax salesDue diligence guide