How to buy tax-sale property in Minnesota (2026)
You buy a deed, but the former owner can still redeem the property for a set period. The owner has 3 years from the sale to pay you back. Bidding drives the rate down, and you earn up to 12% a year. You win by offering the lowest interest rate. Sales are held once a year, typically in May.
- Redemption period
- 36 mo
- Interest / penalty
- Bid down · 12%
- Bid method
- Bid down interest
- Sale timing
- Annual · May
How to bid here · Minnesota
HybridWhether the sale is online, in person, by sealed bid, or a mix. The format decides how you register and whether you can react to other bids. See the full glossary for more terms.- 1.Watch for the county auditor's published notice of the intended public sale, which lists each parcel's description and appraised value and, for an online auction, specifies the auction website and date; notice is published at least 30 days before the sale (Minn. Stat. 282.005, subd. 4(a); 282.02)
- 2.Before the sale, an interested party (an owner, lienholder, or other party who has filed under section 276.041) may repurchase the parcel by paying all delinquent taxes, assessments, penalties, interest, and costs (Minn. Stat. 282.005, subd. 3)
- 3.At the auction the county auditor calculates and makes available the minimum bid (delinquent taxes, special assessments, penalties, interest, and costs) and the initial price (the estimated market value); the property may not sell below the initial price for the first 30 days, after which the price drops to the minimum bid (Minn. Stat. 282.005, subd. 4(b))
- 4.Bid at the public auction, which may be conducted online, and the property is sold to the highest bidder (Minn. Stat. 282.005, subd. 4(a))
- 5.Pay the purchase price; parcels are sold for cash only unless the county board has resolved to sell on terms, in which case at least ten percent is paid at purchase with the balance in no more than ten equal annual installments (Minn. Stat. 282.01, subd. 4(a))
- 6.On a terms sale, receive a certificate from the county auditor setting forth the terms of sale (Minn. Stat. 282.01, subd. 5)
- 7.If the sale produces a surplus over the minimum bid, the county auditor notifies interested parties, who may claim the surplus within six months (Minn. Stat. 282.005, subd. 6)
- RegistrationSigning up as a bidder before the sale. Counties set the deadlines and paperwork, which may include an application, identification, and a no-delinquent-taxes statement. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
- DepositMoney you must post before or at the sale, often a flat amount or a percentage of your bid. It is usually applied to the purchase price if you win and is often non-refundable if you fail to pay. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
- FormsPaperwork a county may collect before you can bid, such as a bidder ID card or a W-9 for tax reporting. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Bidder ID card: UnknownW-9: Unknown
- EligibilityRules about who may bid. Some counties restrict non-residents or bar anyone who owes delinquent taxes from participating. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Residency required: UnknownNo delinquent taxes: Unknown
County officers and employees (auditor, treasurer, county attorney, court administrator, assessor, supervisor of assessments, deputies, clerks, commissioners for tax-forfeited lands and their assistants) may not purchase at the sale, personally or as an agent or attorney for another (Minn. Stat. 282.016(a))
A county auditor may prohibit a person or entity from purchasing if it owns another property in the county with delinquent taxes, held a rental license revoked within five years, or had a land-sale contract canceled within five years (Minn. Stat. 282.016(c))
- PaymentHow and when you must pay after winning. Certified or cleared funds are common and personal checks usually are not; missing the deadline typically forfeits your deposit. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Cash
at the time of purchase for cash sales; if the county board has resolved to sell on terms, at least ten percent of the purchase price is paid at the time of purchase (Minn. Stat. 282.01, subd. 4(a))
Minnesota sells tax-forfeited land, not liens: after forfeiture the county auditor offers parcels at a public auction to the highest bidder, and the sale may be conducted online (Minn. Stat. 282.005, subd. 4(a)). A bidder must clear the minimum bid and, for the first 30 days, the initial price set at estimated market value (282.005, subd. 4(b)); an interested party may repurchase before the sale (282.005, subd. 3). Parcels are sold for cash only unless the county board has resolved to sell on terms, in which case at least ten percent is paid at purchase and the purchaser receives a certificate from the county auditor (282.01, subd. 4(a), subd. 5); forfeited agricultural lands sold on terms require at least 15 percent in cash (282.15). The statute bars county officers and employees from buying (282.016(a)) and lets a county auditor disqualify bidders with delinquent county property, a revoked rental license, or a canceled land-sale contract (282.016(c)). The statute does not create a bidder registration system, registration fee, deposit, bidder-ID or W-9 requirement, or residency rule, so those fields are left unknown.
Citations
Sale type
Minn. Stat. § 280.03
official source“If the land shall not be redeemed as provided in chapter 281, such certificate shall pass to the purchaser an estate therein, in fee simple”
Redemption
Minn. Stat. § 281.17(a)-(b)
official source“the period of redemption for lands sold to the state at a tax judgment sale shall be three years from the date of sale to the state of Minnesota.”
Interest / penalty
Minn. Stat. § 280.02
official source“No bid shall be accepted when the proposed rate of interest exceeds 12 percent per annum.”
Bid method
Minn. Stat. § 280.02
official source“shall then sell the same to the person who shall offer to pay the amount for which the same is to be sold, at the lowest annual rate of interest on such amount.”
Sale schedule
Minn. Stat. § 280.01
official source“On the second Monday in May, in each year, the county auditor shall sell all parcels of land against which judgment has been entered and remains unsatisfied for the taxes of the preceding year or years.”
Lands sold to state at tax judgment sale. | Prose: redeemable deed | interest bid down at sale; capped at 12%/yr | 3 years (1 year for targeted community) | public vendue; bid down to lowest rate of interest (max 12%); state bids in if no bidder | second Monday in May
Frequently asked questions
- What do I actually buy at a Minnesota tax sale?
- The investor buys a deed to the property, but the former owner keeps a window to redeem and reclaim title.
- How long does the owner have to redeem the property in Minnesota?
- 36 months (3 years) from the sale date
- What interest or penalty do I earn on a Minnesota tax sale?
- Bidding starts at a maximum rate of 12% per year and goes down.
- How is the winning bidder chosen in Minnesota?
- Bidders compete by offering the lowest interest rate rather than the highest price.
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