Montgomery County, Maryland

Tax Lien1,082,273 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 LIEN certificate via unique Montgomery sealed-bid process (not a live online auction like many MD counties). Annual sale on second Monday in June. Properties packaged into groups; group bids get priority over individual-parcel bids. Bid expressed as a factor of full cash value (4 decimal places). High-bid premium = 20% of amount by which bid exceeds 40% of full cash value. Certificate void if foreclosure of right of redemption not filed within 2 years. Owner-occupied vs non-owner-occupied expense waiting periods differ (7 vs 4 months). Next sale after June 8, 2026: June 14, 2027.

Auction logistics

Format

Sealed bid (in-person delivery / courier / email; not a live online auction)

Frequency

Annually, second Monday in June (2026: June 8; 2027: June 14)

Platform

Montgomery County Dept. of Finance — Division of Treasury (sealed bid) ↗

Deposit rules

No separate small retail deposit like PG County — full payment of tax sale amount + high-bid premium due by wire same next day (by 4:00 p.m. ET June 9 for 2026 winners). Bids accepted 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. ET sale day at 27 Courthouse Square, Suite 200, Rockville, or email taxliensalebid.finance@montgomerycountymd.gov. Non-paying winners can be barred from future sales.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Certificate holder must foreclose the right of redemption in Circuit Court to obtain deed. Federal tax liens and some governmental liens can survive. Certificate expires if foreclosure not started within 2 years of sale.

Quiet title

Foreclosure of the right of redemption in Circuit Court is mandatory to obtain title — that action is the core title-clearing step under MD Tax-Property Art. Title 14.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Montgomery County Department of Finance — Tax Sale ↗

Clerk of court

Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk (land records / foreclosure of redemption) ↗

Property appraiser

Maryland State Department of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT) — Montgomery ↗

GIS / parcel map

Montgomery County MCAtlas / property map ↗

Areas trending up

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

Downtown Crown / Gaithersburg / Life Sciences corridor

Biotech employment and mixed-use densification supporting multifamily demand

Silver Spring / Takoma / East County Purple Line edge

Transit expansion and relative value vs. Bethesda/Chevy Chase cores

Bethesda / White Flint / North Bethesda

Metro-oriented redevelopment with constrained single-family supply