Howard County, Maryland

Tax Lien339,668 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Lien

Redemption periodstate default

6 months minimum before foreclosure action can start; up to 1 year+

Investor returnstate default

6–24% per annum, varies by county

Governing statutestate default

Maryland Tax-Property Code Title 14

Notes

Maryland tax sale certificate county. Howard County Department of Finance holds annual online tax sale of tax lien certificates for delinquent taxes, water/sewer, and other liens at taxsale.howardcountymd.gov (county-hosted platform, not RealAuction). 2026 sale held Wednesday June 10, 2026 (registration opened May 21; closed June 3 5:00 p.m.; budget closed June 9 5:00 p.m.; sale closed June 10 12:00 p.m. EST). Certificate is a lien only. Over-the-counter unsold certificates sometimes offered later. Surplus/excess funds claims via Circuit Court.

Auction logistics

Format

Online

Frequency

Annual (2026: June 10, 2026 online)

Platform

Howard County Finance — Property Tax Sale portal ↗

Deposit rules

Register on taxsale.howardcountymd.gov in the published window; complete budget/funding steps by deadline (2026 budget close June 9 5:00 p.m. EST). Payment of winning certificates per Terms of Sale PDF. Contact taxsale@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-2299. Certificates voided without buyer fault refund only amounts paid — no other warranty.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Tax lien certificate does not convey fee title. Federal liens and other recorded interests need analysis. Sale subject to title defects, easements, and matters of record per county disclaimer.

Quiet title

Foreclosure of right of redemption plus often quiet title needed for marketable insured title under MD Tax-Property Title 14 Subtitle 8 practice.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Howard County Department of Finance — Tax Sale ↗

410-313-2299

Clerk of court

Howard County Circuit Court Clerk ↗

Property appraiser

Maryland SDAT — Howard County ↗

GIS / parcel map

Howard County GIS / SDAT ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Columbia Town Center / Downtown Columbia

Planned-community employment and multifamily pipeline with strong renter demand

Ellicott City / Route 40 corridor

Historic core and commercial density; flood-zone diligence critical on river parcels

Maple Lawn / south Howard

Master-planned growth and biotech-adjacent jobs supporting mid-to-upper SF demand