Maryland tax-sale questions, answered

A tax sale is a sale of a tax lien. A lien is a legal claim against property for an unpaid debt. The county, or the City, sells that claim to a tax-sale buyer when property taxes or other charges that qualify for tax sale have not been paid.

The buyer receives a tax-sale certificate, a document showing that the buyer bought the lien. The person or company holding that certificate is called the certificate holder. The sale does not transfer ownership of your house. But if the required debt is not paid, the process can eventually lead to the loss of the property.

More: What is a Maryland tax sale?

At the tax sale, the buyer bought a lien: a legal claim against your property for an unpaid debt. You continue to own the property during the redemption period, which is the time when you can pay the required amount and keep it.

The buyer can later file a court case to foreclose the right of redemption. That means asking the court to end your right to pay and keep the property. If you received a notice or court papers, we can help you understand what they mean for your house.

Redemption means paying the required amount to clear the tax-sale lien, the legal claim against your property for the unpaid debt, and keep your property. You must do this before a court finally ends your right to redeem.

The amount can include the unpaid debt, interest, and fees or expenses allowed by Maryland law. Interest is an extra charge calculated over time. Ask for a current, itemized redemption amount: a list showing each charge that makes up the total you need to pay. We can help you find the amount you need to pay and where to send it. The original tax bill may no longer show everything you owe.

They are different processes. A tax sale concerns unpaid taxes or other property charges that qualify for tax sale. A mortgage foreclosure is a process a lender can use to sell property when a loan backed by that property is not paid.

Paying one debt does not automatically resolve the other. If you have both a tax-sale notice and mortgage notices, we can review them together with you.

The initial tax sale does not require you to move out. During the redemption period, the time when you can pay the required amount and keep the property, you remain the owner and can continue living there.

If you have received court papers or an order affecting the property, have an attorney review them promptly. A court order is a judge’s direction or decision. Your next step depends on what has happened in the case.

Ask for a current redemption amount: the total you must pay to clear the tax-sale claim against your property and keep it. It can include the unpaid debt, interest added over time, taxes paid by the buyer who holds the tax-sale certificate, and fees or expenses that Maryland law allows.

Ask the county tax-sale office, or the City’s tax-sale office, for an itemized amount, meaning a list of each charge, and payment instructions. If the buyer has an attorney, ask for a list of the attorney’s charges too. Confirm the date through which the quoted amount is good.

The sale date, the date the tax-sale certificate was issued, the type of property, and whether a court case has been filed can affect the calculation. If the charges are hard to follow, ask us to go through the statement with you.

More: Find your tax-sale office

Start with the county tax-sale office, or the City’s tax-sale office. The local office that collects property taxes is called the collector. Ask which amounts go to that office and which costs the buyer is allowed to charge must be handled with the buyer or the buyer’s attorney.

You may need to arrange more than one payment. Get written instructions before sending money. If a payment request is unfamiliar, use contact information from the tax-sale office to check that it is real.

If a court case is open, we can help you work out the payment steps and what must happen to end the case.

Do not assume the original tax bill is enough after a tax sale. Interest, an extra charge calculated over time, and expenses allowed by law may have been added.

Ask for the full redemption amount: the total needed to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property. If a lawsuit has been filed, confirm how to make the payment and end the court case.

Redemption interest is an extra charge added over time to the amount you must pay to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property. It generally runs from the tax-sale date until payment. Expenses allowed by law may also be added as the process moves forward.

Ask for a dated, itemized statement, meaning a list showing each charge separately. It should show the original debt, how the interest was calculated, and any fees or expenses. If a charge is unclear, we can help you check what was added.

A tax-sale lien is a legal claim against your property for an unpaid debt. Redemption interest is an extra charge calculated over time on that debt. The rate depends on the county or the City, the property, and when the buyer’s tax-sale certificate was issued. That certificate is the document showing that the buyer bought the tax-sale claim.

For owner-occupied residential property, meaning a home the owner lives in, Maryland law caps redemption interest at 10% per year for certificates issued on or after January 1, 2026. Older certificates can follow different rules. Ask the tax-sale office to confirm the rate and calculation for your certificate, or have us review the interest calculation with you.

Maryland law allows certain attorney’s fees and expenses. The limits and requirements depend on the property and how far the tax-sale process has gone, including whether a court case has been filed. A payment request alone does not explain whether every charge is allowed.

Ask for an itemized statement, a list showing each fee or expense separately. There is no single flat limit that covers every redemption, meaning payment to clear the tax-sale claim, at every stage. We can look at the fees with you and help you understand what you are being asked to pay.

Later tax bills still need attention. Whether they must be paid as part of redemption, the payment needed to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property, depends on the property, the date the tax-sale certificate was issued, and whether the buyer paid those taxes. The tax-sale certificate is the document recording the buyer’s purchase of the claim.

For owner-occupied residential property, meaning a home the owner lives in, a special rule applies to tax-sale certificates issued on or after January 1, 2026. Under the rule for later taxes, the required redemption payment excludes taxes, interest, and penalties that become due after the sale. That does not erase those bills. Taxes the buyer has paid are addressed separately. Ask the tax-sale office to show which charges belong in the redemption amount and which other taxes are still due. If the two amounts are confusing, we can help you sort through the bills.

After you redeem, meaning pay the required amount to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property, keep receipts for every payment. Ask the local tax collector for a certificate of redemption, the office’s written record that you completed redemption. Keep the written payment instructions and any confirmation from the buyer or attorney as well.

If a court case was filed, confirm that it has ended and keep the court paperwork. Do not assume a payment receipt alone tells you the status of the case.

Maryland generally allows redemption, meaning payment of the required amount to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property, until a court finally ends that right. There is no single deadline that you should calculate from the sale date alone.

A notice, a summons, or a court order may require action sooner. A summons tells you that a court case has been filed and directs you to respond. A court order is a judge’s direction or decision. The waiting period before a buyer can file a case is not a safe deadline for delaying payment. Read your papers and have an attorney review any court deadline promptly. You can ask Tess Law to review the dates in your papers.

It usually means the tax-sale buyer, also called the certificate holder, is contacting you about payment or the next step in the process. The buyer holds a lien, a legal claim against your property for an unpaid debt. Read the letter to identify the property, sale date, amount requested, and any deadline.

The buyer’s attorney works for the buyer. For advice about your situation, you can talk with us about the letter. If you are unsure who sent the letter, confirm the buyer’s identity and contact information with the tax-sale office.

More: What to do after a tax-sale notice

Your right of redemption is your right to pay the required amount after the tax sale and keep your property. A lawsuit to foreclose that right asks the court to end it. This is a later step in the tax-sale process.

The case is serious even if you are still living in the house. We can review the case with you and discuss payment or other available ways to address the property before the court ends your right to redeem.

Being served means you have been formally given papers about a court case. Save everything and note when you received it. Look for the summons, which directs you to respond, and the complaint, which explains what the person who filed the case is asking the court to do. Read the papers for deadlines and contact an attorney promptly. If you want Tess Law’s help, ask us to review what you received.

Bring the court papers, notices, tax bills, and payment records. A phone call to the tax-sale office or the buyer’s attorney does not replace responding to court papers or meeting a court deadline.

More: What to do after you get court papers

Filing the lawsuit does not by itself end your right to redeem, meaning pay the required amount to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property. You may still be able to redeem before the court finally ends that right.

Once a case is open, payment needs to be arranged with the local tax collector, the office that collects property taxes, and the tax-sale buyer or attorney. The court case also needs to be addressed. Ask for a current amount and confirm the steps needed to end the case. If you cannot agree on the amount or do not understand the papers, talk to us about completing payment while the case is open.

Start with the local tax-sale office. Ask for the sale record, the name of the buyer who holds the tax-sale certificate, and payment instructions. Also ask for the redemption amount, the total needed to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property. We can help you figure out whom to contact if you are unsure where to start.

Our contact directory covers the City and Maryland counties. You can search by county, the name of a tax-sale buyer or company, attorney, or law firm to find the contact information you need.

More: Search county and attorney contacts

If you cannot afford the payment needed to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your home, there may be assistance, loans, or other options. We can discuss what might work for your situation. Maryland’s Tax Sale Ombudsman is a state office that helps homeowners understand the process and find available resources. Call 833-732-8411 or email sdat.taxsale@maryland.gov.

You can also reach out to Maryland Legal Aid to ask whether you qualify for free legal help with a tax sale.

The Homeowner Protection Program has rules about who can qualify and how to apply. Applying does not guarantee acceptance or stop a court deadline. Ask whether you qualify and keep working on any deadlines while you seek help.

More: Maryland Tax Sale Ombudsman · Homeowner Protection Program

Ask the local tax-sale office whether a payment plan or assistance program is available for your property at this point in the process. Do not assume that paying part of the amount will complete redemption, the payment needed to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property, or give you more time.

A loan may be an option if you qualify. We can help you look at a loan and compare the total cost, monthly payment, fees, and time needed to receive the money. Confirm that it can arrive in time to complete redemption.

A sale may be possible while you still own the property. A tax-sale lien is a legal claim against the property for an unpaid debt. That claim and any other liens or debts affecting the property must be dealt with at closing, the final steps that complete the sale.

Get a current redemption amount, the payment needed to clear the tax-sale claim. Before you rely on a closing date, we can help you look at a sale, including the title, the property’s legal ownership and claims against it, and any open court case. Ask how much you would receive after the debts and sale costs are paid.

Bring the property address, tax account number, tax-sale notices, letters from the buyer or attorney, and any court papers. Also bring tax bills, payment receipts, and any redemption statement, a list of the charges you must pay to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property.

Explain whether you want to keep the property, need money to make that payment, or want to explore a sale. When you ask us to review your situation, include any dates listed in the papers so we can assess what needs attention first.

Tess Law can review notices and court papers, help you understand the amount and fees you are being asked to pay, and discuss a plan for the property. That may include redemption, meaning payment to clear the tax-sale claim and keep your property, a loan to fund the payment, or a sale.

Ask Tess Law to contact you, and tell us what you received and what you want to do. The available options depend on the property, the amount owed, and what has happened so far in the tax-sale process.