The short answer
At least 4 years from the sale; the right ends when a valid tax deed application is filed and accepted, which can happen from 4 to 6 years after the sale
Wyoming runs 3 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
The legal owner may redeem at any time after the sale until a valid tax deed application has been filed with and accepted by the county treasurer. Because the treasurer cannot accept an application until four years after the sale, every owner has at least four years; after that the window stays open until the holder applies, and the holder must apply by the sixth year or lose the deed route. Redemption money is paid to the county treasurer, who holds it for the certificate holder, issues a certificate of redemption and notifies the holder. Where the county holds the certificate, the treasurer deeds the parcel to the county after four years. Where the holder instead forecloses in district court, anyone with an interest in the property may redeem until the court confirms the sheriff's sale.
Who can redeem
The legal owner or the owner's assigns. A mortgagee, or a buyer at a mortgage foreclosure sale, may partially redeem a certificate as to the portion of the parcel in which it holds an interest, and the rest of the certificate stays in force. On the judicial foreclosure route, any person having an interest in the property may redeem before the court confirms the sale.
What the owner pays to redeem
The amount the parcel sold for at the tax sale, including the advertising charge and the certificate fee, plus a 3 percent penalty, plus interest at 15 percent a year since the date of sale; plus any later taxes the certificate holder paid, with 15 percent a year on those; plus, if the holder has already given notice of intent to apply for a tax deed, the holder's actual expenses up to 250 dollars on a sworn statement. The treasurer charges up to 20 dollars for the certificate of redemption. Attorney's fees are excluded. A redemption from a county-held certificate pays the interest and the later taxes but not the 3 percent penalty.
How your interest accrues
Interest runs at 15 percent a year from the date of sale on the full amount paid at the sale, including the advertising charge of up to 20 dollars and the certificate of purchase fee of up to 20 dollars, and a one-time 3 percent penalty is added on top. Subsequent taxes the certificate holder pays also earn 15 percent a year. The statute states the rate per annum and does not state a compounding rule; county handouts, Albany County's among them, describe the interest as applied to the days held since the sale date. The 15 percent applies to every certificate from the 1982 tax sale onward; the statute keeps an 8 percent rate only for older certificates. If the holder has already given notice of intent to apply for a tax deed, the redeeming owner also reimburses the holder's actual expenses up to 250 dollars on a sworn statement.
Why nothing is bid at this sale
Wyoming runs no auction on rate or price. Under W.S. 39-13-108(e)(iii)(B) any person who offers to pay the taxes, interest, penalties and costs due on a parcel is considered its purchaser and must pay immediately, so every buyer pays the same figure and earns the same statutory return. The statute says nothing about choosing among several people making that same offer, and the county treasurers fill that gap with a lottery: Laramie, Campbell and Albany counties each assign every registered buyer one number, draw a number for each parcel as it is announced, and let the holder of the drawn number buy or pass, and Natrona County runs the same drawing in the treasurer's office. A parcel that cannot be sold for the amount due is bid in for the county by the treasurer at the same sale, which is not a separate event and is not open to investors. Other things a date-scraper will find that are NOT an investor sale: the newspaper notices of intent to apply for a tax deed that certificate holders publish under 39-13-108(e)(v)(B), the county clerk's 60-day notice before a tax deed issues to the county under 39-13-108(e)(iv)(A), and a county commissioners' private sale of land the county already took by tax deed under 39-13-108(e)(iv)(B), which sells the parcel itself and has no statutory schedule.
What happens when it ends
Wyoming holds no county tax deed auction. A certificate holder whose certificate is not redeemed may apply to the county treasurer for a tax deed not less than four nor more than six years after the original sale, returning the certificate, paying the 25 dollar deed fee and proving notice. At least three months before applying, the holder must serve written notice on every person in actual possession or occupancy and on the person the property was taxed to, if they can be found in the county; if nobody occupies the property and the taxpayer cannot be found, the holder instead publishes the notice once a week for three weeks in a county newspaper, the first publication not more than five months and the last not less than three months before applying. Either way the holder must also send notice by certified or registered mail to the record owner and any mortgagees whose addresses are known. The notice states when the holder bought, the name the parcel was taxed in, its description, the tax year, when redemption expires, when the deed application will be made, and any special assessments. Where the county itself holds an unredeemed certificate, the treasurer issues and records a tax deed to the county after four years, following at least 60 days' notice from the county clerk to the person assessed and any mortgagees. The published notices of intent to apply are not sales.
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 Wyoming 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.