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Tax Sale Atlas

Ramsey County, ND tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Ramsey 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 Ramsey County, seat of Devils Lake: 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
Annual tax sale scheduled for November 17, 2026.Tuesday · 2026
Format
In person
County office
701-662-7007
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 4, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Ramsey 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
Ramsey County Auditor
Frequency
annual
Next sale
Annual tax sale scheduled for November 17, 2026.
Sale list
2026 tax forfeited property sale notice and parcel list
When it runs
The annual sale of real estate forfeited to the county runs on the third Tuesday of November. The 2026 sale is set for Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 5:45 p.m., and the county notice states the sale "will continue from day to day until completed."
Registration and deposit

Every bidder must complete a notarized Delinquent Tax Oath certifying they owe no delinquent property taxes in any North Dakota county, and deliver it to the Auditor at 524 4th Avenue NE, Unit 6, Devils Lake before the sale. The Auditor reviews each oath before bidding opens and issues approved bidders an auction bid card with a bidder number. Anyone without a fully completed, notarized oath is not eligible to bid. Winning bidders then file a Successful Bidder Form naming the party the county deed is issued to.

Sale format and venue
Ramsey County takes tax deed to the parcels first and then auctions its own interest, so bidders buy land the county already owns rather than a lien. Each parcel is offered separately and sold to the highest bidder at no less than the posted minimum appraisal price, which folds in taxes, penalties, interest and certified special assessment installments through the 2025 tax year plus estimated 2026 taxes and specials. Payment in full is due at the close of the sale by cash, check or money order. Ramsey County no longer allows contract for deed on tax delinquent property, so the statewide installment option is not available here. The county conveys by County Deed with no warranty as to title, boundaries, condition, zoning, liens, easements or occupants, and buyers cannot take possession or improve a parcel until the recorded deed is delivered. A $20 recording fee applies per document, and where the IRS holds a lien the United States keeps a 120 day right of redemption after the sale. Parcels that do not sell stay available for purchase afterward through the Auditor at 701-662-7007. Live in-person auction in the County Commissioners room, first floor of the Ramsey County Courthouse, 524 4th Avenue NE, Devils Lake

Ramsey County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Ramsey 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 2026 tax forfeited property sale notice and parcel list 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

    Annual tax sale scheduled for November 17, 2026. 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 Ramsey County Auditor as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Ramsey County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from 2026 tax forfeited property sale notice and parcel list. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.
  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Every bidder must complete a notarized Delinquent Tax Oath certifying they owe no delinquent property taxes in any North Dakota county, and deliver it to the Auditor at 524 4th Avenue NE, Unit 6, Devils Lake before the sale. The Auditor reviews each oath before bidding opens and issues approved bidders an auction bid card with a bidder number. Anyone without a fully completed, notarized oath is not eligible to bid. Winning bidders then file a Successful Bidder Form naming the party the county deed is issued to.

  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

Ramsey County Auditor

701-662-7007

524 4th Avenue NE, Unit 6, Devils Lake, ND 58301

Official website

County notes

  • Two separate lists matter here. The Notice of Foreclosure of Tax Lien names parcels still owned by the taxpayer that become county property in fee unless the tax, specials, interest, penalties and foreclosure costs are paid by October 1. Only after that date do parcels move onto the November sale notice as county-owned property open to bidders.
  • The 2026 foreclosure notice covers 2023 delinquent taxes and carries an October 1 payoff deadline, so the November auction inventory is whatever remains unpaid after that cutoff.
  • The sale notice links every listed parcel to the county GIS parcel viewer, which is the practical way to locate a lot or quarter section before bidding. Ramsey County states plainly that the burden of research, inspection and any survey falls on the buyer at the buyer's own expense.
  • Inventory is a mix of Devils Lake city lots and small-town lots in Crary, Edmore, Starkweather, Brocket, Penn, Southam and Poplar Grove, plus occasional quarter sections of farmland in the rural townships.
  • Bidder eligibility is checked before the gavel, not after. Arrive with the notarized oath already signed, since notarization is not handled at the door and an unnotarized form disqualifies the bidder for the whole sale.

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 Ramsey 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 Ramsey County hold tax deed sales?

Ramsey County holds its tax deed sale once a 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 Ramsey 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 Ramsey County tax sale list?

Ramsey County posts its tax sale list at ramseycountynd.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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