Oregon runs 2 different redemption windows
Which one applies is decided by the parcel, not by the state, so read the condition before trusting the headline figure.
How the clock works
Redemption in Oregon runs before the public ever buys. After judgment the parcels are held by the county for two years from the date of the judgment of foreclosure, unless redeemed sooner, and the former owner keeps possession during that period unless waste is committed. At least one year before the period ends the tax collector mails a notice of expiration of redemption, and 10 to 30 days before it ends the tax collector publishes a general notice. Unredeemed parcels are then deeded to the county, and all rights of redemption terminate when the deed to the county is executed. A buyer at the county's later sale therefore takes property that is no longer subject to any redemption right. ORS 275.180 separately lets the county governing body sell a parcel back to the record owner or contract purchaser of record at any time, without notice, for the taxes and interest charged when the county acquired it plus six percent a year; that is a discretionary repurchase, not a redemption right.
Who can redeem
Any person having an interest in the property at the date of the judgment of foreclosure, any heir or devisee of such a person, any person holding a lien of record on the property, or any municipal corporation having a lien on the property. A holder of a mortgage or lien on only part of a parcel may redeem that part by paying the proportionate amount.
What the owner pays to redeem
The full amount applicable to the property under the judgment, with interest as provided by law, plus a penalty of five percent of the judgment amount and a fee: 50 dollars if redeemed before the certified-mail notice of expiration is given, and afterward the greater of 50 dollars or the county's actual title search cost. The penalty and fee are in lieu of all foreclosure costs. Before judgment, a parcel can instead be removed from the proceeding by paying what is owed, plus a five percent penalty once the foreclosure list has been published.
How your interest accrues
Not applicable to investors. Delinquent taxes accrue interest to the county at one and one-third percent per month under ORS 311.505(2). Once taxes are placed on the foreclosure list, that same rate keeps running until judgment under ORS 312.030(2), and the foreclosure judgment then bears interest at the legal rate under ORS 312.090, which ORS 82.010(2) sets at nine percent a year for judgments. A buyer of county tax-foreclosed property earns no interest; the return comes from the property itself.
How the sale works
Not applicable, and two statutory steps look like a sale but are not one. First, the annual foreclosure list is published once in a newspaper under ORS 312.040; that is notice of the foreclosure lawsuit, not a list of parcels for sale. Second, the court's order under ORS 312.100 that the parcels be sold directly to the county is a paper transfer to the county that admits no bidders, issues nothing to investors, and starts the two-year redemption period. Neither is an investor auction. The real public sale comes at least two years later, after the tax collector deeds the parcel to the county under ORS 312.200, when the county sells it under ORS 312.520 and the sheriff's sale procedure in ORS 275.110 to 275.190.
What happens when it ends
A statutory clock, not an investor's application. Real property taxes go delinquent after May 15. Once three years have elapsed from the earliest delinquency, the parcel is subject to foreclosure; within two months after the day of delinquency each year the tax collector prepares the foreclosure list, and three months after the day of delinquency the tax collector, with the district attorney, institutes one general in rem proceeding in circuit court. The court gives judgment and orders the parcels sold directly to the county. The owner then has two years from the judgment to redeem, and every parcel not redeemed is deeded to the county by the tax collector. Only after that deed can the county offer the property to the public. A county may by ordinance shorten the wait for property subjected to waste or abandonment under ORS 312.122.
A redeemed certificate, plus your accrued interest, is what makes the wait profitable; see how redemption periods work across states. An unredeemed certificate is instead your path to the property through a tax deed sale, which still does not convey marketable title on its own, so budget for a quiet title action.
Verified Sep 25, 2026 against Oregon statutes.
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.