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Tax Sale Atlas

Union County, NJ tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Union 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 Union County, seat of Elizabeth: 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
Each municipality sets its own sale date, so dates are spread through the year.
Format
In person
Registration
Register separately with each municipality whose sale you plan to bid in.
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

Municipal tax collector of each of Union County's 21 municipalities (there is no county-run sale). In person. annual

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

Notice of Tax Sale, October 15, 2026, Township of Union Collector of Taxes (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 Union 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)

In person
Run by
Municipal tax collector of each of Union County's 21 municipalities (there is no county-run sale)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Each municipality sets its own sale date, so dates are spread through the year.
Registration
Register separately with each municipality whose sale you plan to bid in.
When it runs
Each municipality sets its own sale date, so dates are spread through the year. Recent and scheduled Union County sales ran from June to December, for example Elizabeth in June and the Township of Union and Rahway in October.
Registration and deposit

Register separately with each municipality whose sale you plan to bid in. Online towns take registration and bidding instructions on their own newjerseytaxsale.com site; in-person towns take bids at the sale itself and require payment before the sale ends, typically by cash, certified check, money order or wire, with no personal checks. Bidding starts at 18 percent interest and is bid down, then moves to a premium bid once 0 percent is reached.

Sale format and venue
Union County holds no tax sale of its own. Each of its 21 municipalities sells tax sale certificates through its own tax collector, on its own date, using its own method. Towns that sell online post their list on their newjerseytaxsale.com auction site; every town also publishes its list in a local newspaper before the sale and posts it at town hall. Check each town's collector for the current list, date and bidder rules. Varies by municipality: some towns sell online through RealAuction's per-town newjerseytaxsale.com sites, others hold a live auction at the municipal building.
Source: Notice of Tax Sale, October 15, 2026, Township of Union Collector of Taxes· Verified Sep 28, 2026

Union County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Union 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

    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

    Register separately with each municipality whose sale you plan to bid in. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Each municipality sets its own sale date, so dates are spread through the year. 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 Municipal tax collector of each of Union County's 21 municipalities (there is no county-run sale) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Union County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    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

    Register separately with each municipality whose sale you plan to bid in. Online towns take registration and bidding instructions on their own newjerseytaxsale.com site; in-person towns take bids at the sale itself and require payment before the sale ends, typically by cash, certified check, money order or wire, with no personal checks. Bidding starts at 18 percent interest and is bid down, then moves to a premium bid once 0 percent is reached.

  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.

County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

Municipal tax collector (each of Union County's 21 municipalities runs its own sale)

County notes

  • Elizabeth (county seat): the City of Elizabeth Tax Collector holds its annual sale online, typically in June; the most recent sale was an online auction on June 8, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. The list of parcels and bidding instructions appear at elizabeth.newjerseytaxsale.com. Tax office: 908-820-4111.
  • Township of Union: the Collector of Taxes will sell at a live public auction on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. in the main meeting room of the Municipal Building, 1976 Morris Avenue, Union. Bids start at 18 percent; payment is due before the sale concludes by certified check, money order or wire transfer, and the sale list is posted on the township website.
  • Rahway: the City of Rahway Tax Collector will sell at a live public auction on Friday, October 30, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 1 City Hall Plaza. Payment is cash, certified check or money order only, with no personal checks. The list is posted online through the city's tax sale list page. Tax Collector: 732-827-2050.
  • Linden: the City of Linden Tax Collector held its most recent sale as an online auction on June 5, 2026 at linden.newjerseytaxsale.com, with the tax sale list published by the city. Office: 301 North Wood Avenue, Linden, 908-474-8434.
  • Roselle: the Borough of Roselle held its most recent sale online on December 3, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. The list of parcels and bidding instructions appear at roselle.newjerseytaxsale.com. Tax Collector: 108 W. Third Avenue, Roselle, 908-259-3027.
  • Cranford: the Township of Cranford sells online through cranford.newjerseytaxsale.com, where its tax sale list appears; confirm the next date with the Tax Collector at 908-709-7229.
  • New Providence: the Borough of New Providence has tentatively scheduled its 2026 tax sale for December 9, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.; the borough held no sale in 2025. Tax Collector: 908-665-8031.
  • Berkeley Heights, Clark, Fanwood, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Mountainside, Plainfield, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Westfield and Winfield do not post a current sale date online; their sale notices and lists appear in the local newspaper and at each town's tax collector's office.
  • New Jersey requires each town to publish its sale list in a local newspaper once a week for four weeks before the sale and to post it in public places in the municipality, so the newspaper notice is the most reliable way to track the smaller towns.

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 Union 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 Union County tax certificate sale?

Each municipality sets its own sale date, so dates are spread through the year. Recent and scheduled Union County sales ran from June to December, for example Elizabeth in June and the Township of Union and Rahway in October. The sale is held in person. 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 Union County's 21 municipalities (there is no county-run 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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