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Tax Sale Atlas

Benson County, ND tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Benson County, ND tax sale, one of 2,606 counties in 31 states. North Dakota sells the deed itself, so no statutory investor interest rate applies. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from state rules plus what the county publishes on Sep 4, 2026.

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

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

Next sale
Third Tuesday of November, each year.
Format
In person
County office
701-473-5340, option 0
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 4, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Benson County sells delinquent taxes

No tax lien certificate sale

North Dakota sells no tax lien certificate to investors. Under N.D.C.C. 57-28-09 the county auditor issues the tax deed to the county itself once the lien is foreclosed, so the county is the only party ever holding the delinquency.

Tax deed sale

In person
Run by
Benson County Auditor's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Third Tuesday of November, each year.
When it runs
Third Tuesday of November, each year. North Dakota fixes the date statewide: the annual sale of land acquired by tax deed "must be held at the county auditor's office or the usual place of holding district court in the county beginning on the third Tuesday of November of each year." In Benson County that means the courthouse in Minnewaukan.
Registration and deposit

Bidding is in person and open to the public, with no online bidder registration and no pre-qualification portal. Call the Auditor's Office at 701-473-5340, option 0, ahead of the third Tuesday in November to confirm the sale room and what funds a winning bidder must bring, because the amount bid is payable to the county treasurer promptly after the sale.

Sale format and venue
Benson County does not run this sale online and does not post the parcel list on its website, so plan to work the auction in person at the Benson County Courthouse, 311 B Ave S in Minnewaukan. The list of parcels, with each property's legal description, street address and minimum sale price, is posted at the Auditor's Office at least fifteen days before the sale and published once in the official county newspaper at least ten days before it, so the first week of November is when the inventory becomes public. Call the Auditor's Office at 701-473-5340, option 0, if you want the list as soon as it is posted. Only land the county already holds by tax deed is offered, each parcel sells to the highest qualified bidder at no less than the minimum price fixed before the sale, and payment is either cash or one quarter down with the balance in equal annual installments over up to ten years under a contract for deed. Parcels that draw no bid can be bought at private sale from the county before the next November auction.
Source: N.D. Cent. Code ch. 57-28, Rights of County When Lands Not Redeemed· Verified Sep 4, 2026

Benson County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Benson 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

    Benson County publishes no tax sale list online. The Benson County Auditor's Office 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 701-473-5340, option 0 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

    Third Tuesday of November, each 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 Benson County Auditor's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Benson County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    There is no online list to price against. Benson County advertises the parcels before the sale rather than posting them, so get the advertisement from the office on 701-473-5340, option 0 and price from the parcel numbers it carries.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidding is in person and open to the public, with no online bidder registration and no pre-qualification portal. Call the Auditor's Office at 701-473-5340, option 0, ahead of the third Tuesday in November to confirm the sale room and what funds a winning bidder must bring, because the amount bid is payable to the county treasurer promptly after the sale.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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

Any parcel that does not sell at the November auction may be bought from the county auditor at private sale before the next annual sale, for not less than its minimum sale price. Some boards also list unsold parcels through licensed real estate brokers.

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

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax sale office

Benson County Auditor's Office

701-473-5340, option 0

Benson County Courthouse, 311 B Ave S, PO Box 206, Minnewaukan, ND 58351

Official website

County notes

  • Benson County combines the auditor and treasurer roles under one elected official, Bonnie Erickson. The Auditor's Office, reached at 701-473-5340 option 0, conducts the tax deed sale; the Treasurer's Office, option 1 at PO Box 204, Minnewaukan, ND 58351, takes the money.
  • The county's own delinquency schedule sets the clock that feeds the November auction: taxes are due January 1 and delinquent March 2, penalties step from 3 percent on March 2 to 12 percent by October 15, and a tax lien attaches to the parcel by November 1 of the delinquent year with a $1 per parcel cost added. Parcels three years delinquent pick up a further $50 per parcel charge on May 1. Only after the county forecloses that lien and takes the deed does a parcel reach the sale.
  • The courthouse at 311 B Ave S, Minnewaukan is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm, and the county fax is 701-473-5571. Budget a call rather than a website visit for sale questions.
  • Benson County property valuations are searchable through the state assessor portal at benson.northdakotaassessors.com, and current tax accounts through the county's Tyler iTax portal, which are the two places to underwrite a parcel before the auction since the county publishes no bidder packet.

North Dakota rules

Redemption
There are two distinct windows and neither is a redemption against a private buyer. Up to October 1, paying the amount in the foreclosure notice stops the process. After the tax deed vests in the county, the former owner, the former owner's executor or administrator, or a parent, spouse or child of the former owner may repurchase the property so long as the county still holds tax title, for cash or on a contract for deed. A city holding a delinquent special assessment has a prior right to buy at the appraised value, exercisable within 30 days of the auditor's notice. Once the county sells at the annual auction, the purchaser's deed is not subject to any of this.
Deed deposit
None. Chapter 57-28 sets no bidder deposit and no registration fee. Each parcel is sold at auction to the highest qualified bidder for no less than the minimum sale price, and the terms are settled at the sale: the full amount in cash paid promptly to the county treasurer, or one quarter of the purchase price in cash with the balance in equal annual installments over not more than ten years under a contract for deed. A bidder who owes delinquent property taxes in any North Dakota county is disqualified from purchasing.
Governing statute
N.D.C.C. ch. 57-28

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 North Dakotarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Benson County, North Dakota sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax deeds. North Dakota sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the County Auditor sells the property itself at a public tax sale.

How often does Benson County hold tax deed sales?

Benson County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Third Tuesday of November, each 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. North Dakota's redemption rule: None after the county's annual sale. Before that, the owner may satisfy the tax lien up to the October 1 foreclosure date, and after the county takes the deed a statutory right of repurchase runs for as long as the tax title remains in the county. Call the Benson County Auditor'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.

Verified Sep 4, 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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Call Benson County Auditor's Office