The City of Baltimore holds an annual tax lien certificate sale. The tax sale is used to collect delinquent real property taxes and other unpaid charges owed to the City, all of which are liens against the real property. It is a public, online auction of City lien interests on properties. The highest bidder in the auction pays the total amount of the property liens to the City and receives a tax sale certificate from the City which gives the bidder the right to obtain ownership of the property by filing a tax sale foreclosure lawsuit.
The owner of the property can prevent the highest bidder from obtaining ownership by "redeeming" the property. Redemption requires the owner or an interested party, such as a mortgage holder, to reimburse the successful bidder for the amount of liens and other charges paid to the City, as well as the bidder’s interest and other fees and costs set by law.
The Menu on the left lists various issues related to the tax sale process. Clicking on any of the issues will provide additional and valuable information about City tax sale resources. The list below provides links to other tax sale resources available from private groups and State government.
- TaxSaleHelpBaltimore.org for general tax sale assistance
- Veterans.Maryland.gov for information about tax exemptions for veterans
- DAT.State.MD.US for information about tax credits, exemptions, and assessments