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Tax Sale Atlas

Sussex County, NJ tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Sussex 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 the city and town notices on Sep 28, 2026.

How tax lien sales work in Sussex County, seat of Newton: 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.

Next sale
Set by each city or town
County seat collector
973-579-0970
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
Look up a sale detail

Each municipal tax collector in Sussex County's 24 municipalities; the county does not hold a tax sale. Each municipality holds its own annual sale

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

N.J.S.A. 54:5-32 - Sale in fee subject to redemption (New Jersey Legislature statutes database) (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 Sussex 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
Each municipal tax collector in Sussex County's 24 municipalities; the county does not hold a tax sale
Frequency
Each municipality holds its own annual sale
Typical timing
Each municipality sets its own date.
When it runs
Each municipality sets its own date. The 2026 online sales run from September 9 (Sparta) through October 22 (Hopatcong), with most towns selling in October. Wantage and Stillwater held their most recent sales on December 3, 2025.
Registration and deposit

For towns on RealAuction, such as Newton, register on that town's own newjerseytaxsale.com site and post a deposit of 10% of intended winnings, premiums included, with a $1,000 minimum, paid by ACH only and due about one week before the sale. Winning bids are paid by wire transfer on sale day. For in-person sales, contact the town's tax collector for bidder terms.

Sale format and venue
Sussex County holds no tax sale; each of its 24 municipalities sells its own certificates, so dates, lists and terms differ. Bidding starts at 18 percent interest and is bid down; under N.J.S.A. 54:5-32, once a bid falls below 1 percent, bidders offer a cash premium instead, and the premium earns no interest. The RealAuction town sites (one newjerseytaxsale.com site per town) take rate bids in 1 percent steps, so on those sites the premium stage starts at 0 percent, with premiums in $100 steps. Newton, Andover Township, Byram, Hamburg, Hopatcong, Montague, Sparta, Stanhope and Vernon sell on their own sites; Wantage sells in person.
Source: N.J.S.A. 54:5-32 - Sale in fee subject to redemption (New Jersey Legislature statutes database)N.J.S.A. 54:5-32· Verified Sep 28, 2026

Sussex County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Sussex County tax sale 2026 searches, use the city and town sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the collector of the city or town holding the sale before you bid.

  1. Confirm the advertised parcel list

    Each city or town sells separately and posts its own list. The municipal notes on this page say where each one appears.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the collector of the city or town holding the sale how and when to register; many close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    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, treat the collector of the city or town holding the sale as the source for which parcels are actually offered. Do not rely on a third-party list for final parcel status.

Before you bid in Sussex County

  1. Confirm the parcel list before pricing

    There is no county list: each town posts its own. Get the list from the town whose sale you plan to attend and confirm the advertised parcels with its collector before you price a bid.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    For towns on RealAuction, such as Newton, register on that town's own newjerseytaxsale.com site and post a deposit of 10% of intended winnings, premiums included, with a $1,000 minimum, paid by ACH only and due about one week before the sale. Winning bids are paid by wire transfer on sale day. For in-person sales, contact the town's tax collector for bidder terms.

  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.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

Local offices

County seat collector (sells that town’s parcels only)

Sussex County Board of Taxation (assessment office; does not run tax sales)

973-579-0970

83 Spring Street, Suite 301, Newton, NJ 07860

Official website

County notes

  • Newton (county seat): the Town of Newton sells online at newton.newjerseytaxsale.com on October 7, 2026 at 8:30 AM ET. Deposits are due September 30 at 4:00 PM ET, and wire payment is due by 2:00 PM ET on sale day. The list appears on the auction site's Preview Items page. The Tax Collector is at 39 Trinity Street, Newton, (973) 383-3521.
  • Andover Township sells online at andovertownship.newjerseytaxsale.com on October 2, 2026 at 8:00 AM ET, with deposits due September 25 at 4:00 PM ET. The list appears on its auction site.
  • Montague sells online at montague.newjerseytaxsale.com on October 15, 2026 at 8:30 AM ET, with deposits due October 8. The list appears on its auction site.
  • Byram and Hamburg each sell online on October 16, 2026 at 8:30 AM ET, at byram.newjerseytaxsale.com and hamburg.newjerseytaxsale.com, with deposits due October 9. Each town's list appears on its own auction site.
  • Stanhope sells online at stanhope.newjerseytaxsale.com, with the sale closing at 8:30 AM ET on October 20, 2026 and deposits due October 13. The Borough posts its 2026 legal notice and list on the Tax Collector page, (973) 347-0159 ext. 13.
  • Hopatcong sells online at hopatcong.newjerseytaxsale.com on October 22, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET, with deposits due October 15. The list appears on its auction site.
  • Sparta and Vernon have already held their 2026 online sales, Sparta on September 9 and Vernon on September 23, at sparta.newjerseytaxsale.com and vernon.newjerseytaxsale.com.
  • Wantage Township sells in person at the Municipal Building, 888 State Highway 23. Its most recent sale was December 3, 2025 at 10 a.m. The list is posted on the Township Tax Office page. The Tax Collector's number is 973-875-7194, option 4.
  • Stillwater Township held its most recent tax sale on December 3, 2025, and posts the list on its Tax Department page. Confirm the next date and format with the Tax Collector.
  • Hardyston has a RealAuction site at hardyston.newjerseytaxsale.com. Contact the Hardyston Tax Collector for the next date.
  • Andover Borough, Branchville, Frankford, Franklin, Fredon, Green, Hampton, Lafayette, Ogdensburg, Sandyston, Sussex Borough and Walpack publish their sale notices and lists in the local newspaper and at each collector's office. Call the town's tax collector for the date and format.

New Jersey rules

Max interest rate
18% per year, bid down at auction
Minimum return
One-time penalty at redemption by certificate amount (2% over $200, 4% over $5,000, 6% over $10,000), 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 Jersey rules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Sussex 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 Sussex County tax certificate sale?

Each municipality sets its own date. The 2026 online sales run from September 9 (Sparta) through October 22 (Hopatcong), with most towns selling in October. Wantage and Stillwater held their most recent sales on December 3, 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 tax collector of the city or town where the property is 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 office that runs the sale before you bid.

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Call Sussex County Board of Taxation