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Tax Sale Atlas

Burke County, ND tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Burke 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 the county’s own official pages on Sep 4, 2026.

How tax deed sales work in Burke County, seat of Bowbells: 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
One annual sale, on the third Tuesday of November.
Format
In person
Registration
No advance online registration or deposit.
County office
(701) 377-2861
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 4, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Burke 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
Burke County Auditor
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
One annual sale, on the third Tuesday of November.
Registration
No advance online registration or deposit.
Sale list
Tax-forfeited property list with parcel numbers and minimum sale prices
When it runs
One annual sale, on the third Tuesday of November. The county's own terms sheet is headed "Terms of Annual Sale, Sale Date - November 18, 2025." The Auditor page carries the terms and the current tax-forfeited list, and the sale notice runs in the county's official newspaper ahead of the auction.
Registration and deposit

No advance online registration or deposit. North Dakota law disqualifies anyone who owes delinquent property taxes in any North Dakota county, so every bidder must sign the county's notarized Delinquent Tax Oath certifying they owe none. Bidding is open outcry to the highest bidder at or above the posted minimum sale price, and the winner pays cash or check immediately to the Burke County Treasurer's Office. A bid is an irrevocable offer. The winner states in writing the name and address the county deed should be issued in.

Sale format and venue
Burke County sells tax deeds, never tax lien certificates. Real estate taxes left unpaid for three years draw a foreclosure notice from the Auditor, and the county takes ownership on October 2 of that year. The Auditor then resells those parcels at the annual November auction. The Board of County Commissioners sets a minimum sale price on every parcel, and $20 in document recording fees is added to the winning bid. The county deeds only the interest it holds, gives no warranty of title, and keeps no abstracts, so inspect the parcel and research title, liens, easements and any post-sale special assessments before you bid. The former owner may redeem at any point up to the moment of sale by paying all taxes, specials and interest. Where the IRS has recorded a lien, the United States holds a 120 day right of redemption after the sale, refunding the price paid plus 6 percent per annum. The current list carries parcels forfeited in 2023, 2024 and 2025, so parcels unsold at one November auction stay available from the Auditor before the next one. Most inventory is town lots in Flaxton and Columbus, with minimum prices from $2,000 to about $30,700. Call the Auditor at (701) 377-2861 to confirm the current sale date, the parcels still available and the terms.
Source: Terms of Annual Sale and Delinquent Tax Oath, Burke County Auditor· Verified Sep 4, 2026

Burke County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Burke 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

    Use Tax-forfeited property list with parcel numbers and minimum sale prices for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    No advance online registration or deposit. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    One annual sale, on the third Tuesday of November. 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 Burke County Auditor as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Burke County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Tax-forfeited property list with parcel numbers and minimum sale prices. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    No advance online registration or deposit. North Dakota law disqualifies anyone who owes delinquent property taxes in any North Dakota county, so every bidder must sign the county's notarized Delinquent Tax Oath certifying they owe none. Bidding is open outcry to the highest bidder at or above the posted minimum sale price, and the winner pays cash or check immediately to the Burke County Treasurer's Office. A bid is an irrevocable offer. The winner states in writing the name and address the county deed should be issued in.

  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

Burke County Auditor

(701) 377-2861

PO Box 310, 103 Main Street, Bowbells, ND 58721

Official website

County notes

  • The Auditor's office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, closed noon to 12:30 PM for lunch and on federal holidays. Fax is (701) 377-2866.
  • Payment for a winning bid goes to the Burke County Treasurer's Office, PO Box 340, Bowbells, ND 58721, (701) 377-2917.
  • Bring the notarized Delinquent Tax Oath. North Dakota Century Code 57-28-15(7) bars anyone who owes delinquent property taxes in any North Dakota county from being the highest bidder.
  • Bidders should examine title, location and condition themselves. The county publishes no abstracts and makes no representation about codes, permits or zoning, and a survey is the buyer's own cost.
  • A copy of the deed is mailed to the purchaser after the Chairman of the Burke County Commission signs it, and the Auditor sends the original to the owner once recording is complete.

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 Burke 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 Burke County hold tax deed sales?

Burke County holds its tax deed sale once a year. One annual sale, on the third Tuesday of November. 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 Burke County Auditor 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.

Where can I find the Burke County tax sale list?

Burke County posts its tax sale list at burkecountynd.com. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

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

North Dakota tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Burke County Auditor