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Tax Sale Atlas

Burleigh County, ND tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Burleigh 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 Burleigh County, seat of Bismarck: 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
The annual tax sale is held on the third Tuesday of November.
Format
In person
County office
(701) 222-6718
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 4, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Burleigh 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
Burleigh County Auditor/Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
The annual tax sale is held on the third Tuesday of November.
Sale list
Delinquent Property Tax List and Terms of Annual Sale, Burleigh County Auditor/Treasurer
When it runs
The annual tax sale is held on the third Tuesday of November. The county states "3rd Tuesday of November - Annual sale is held," and the commission calendar sets the 2026 sale for November 17 at 10:00 AM.
Registration and deposit

North Dakota law requires every bidder to qualify before bidding by signing an affidavit certifying they owe no delinquent property taxes in any North Dakota county. Bidders qualify with the Auditor/Treasurer at the sale, since the county runs no online registration portal. Winning bidders pay cash or check immediately, add a $20 County Recorder filing fee, and state in writing the names in which the county deed is issued.

Sale format and venue
Burleigh County sells land it already owns after tax lien foreclosure, so a buyer receives a county tax deed rather than a lien certificate. Each parcel is auctioned separately to the highest bidder at no less than a minimum sale price the county commission sets at its early October meeting. That minimum covers the taxes, penalties, interest and certified special assessment installments on the parcel, plus $20 in recording fees. Payment is cash or check deposited immediately with the Auditor/Treasurer. The deed passes whatever interest the county holds with no warranty of title, and the county keeps no abstracts, so bidders should run their own title and site work before the sale. The former owner may redeem at any point up to the moment of sale by paying the full delinquency, and where the IRS holds a recorded lien the United States keeps a 120 day right of redemption after the sale.
Source: Delinquent Tax Property, Burleigh County Finance/Treasurer· Verified Sep 4, 2026

Burleigh County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Burleigh 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 Delinquent Property Tax List and Terms of Annual Sale, Burleigh County Auditor/Treasurer for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  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

    The annual tax sale is held 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 Burleigh County Auditor/Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Burleigh County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent Property Tax List and Terms of Annual Sale, Burleigh County Auditor/Treasurer. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    North Dakota law requires every bidder to qualify before bidding by signing an affidavit certifying they owe no delinquent property taxes in any North Dakota county. Bidders qualify with the Auditor/Treasurer at the sale, since the county runs no online registration portal. Winning bidders pay cash or check immediately, add a $20 County Recorder filing fee, and state in writing the names in which the county deed is issued.

  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.

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County offices

Tax sale office

Burleigh County Auditor/Treasurer

(701) 222-6718

221 N 5th St, Bismarck, ND 58501 (mailing: PO Box 5518, Bismarck, ND 58506)

Official website

County notes

  • Bidding happens in person with the County Auditor at 221 N 5th St in Bismarck. The county uses no online auction platform for its tax deed sale.
  • The tax lien is foreclosed on October 1 in the third year of delinquency and the county takes title before the November sale. An owner can still stop a parcel from selling by bringing all taxes, specials, interest and penalties current with the Auditor/Treasurer before the sale start time.
  • The list of properties offered is posted in the Auditor/Treasurer's office and on the county website at least 15 days before the sale, and in the official county newspaper at least 10 days before.
  • Special assessments levied by agencies other than the county can remain outstanding after the sale, so price those in before bidding.
  • A bid is an irrevocable offer to purchase. The county deed is signed by the chair of the Burleigh County Commission and mailed to the buyer, and the County Recorder sends the original after recording.

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 Burleigh 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 Burleigh County hold tax deed sales?

Burleigh County holds its tax deed sale once a year. The annual tax sale is held 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 Burleigh County Auditor/Treasurer 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 Burleigh County tax sale list?

Burleigh County posts its tax sale list at burleigh.gov. 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 Burleigh County Auditor/Treasurer