Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Hybrid793,144 residents

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

Sale typestate default

Hybrid

Redemption periodstate default

6 months from sale/taking (often extends in practice via litigation)

Investor returnstate default

16% per annum statutory on redemption

Governing statutestate default

Massachusetts General Laws Ch. 60

Notes

Massachusetts tax titles are MUNICIPAL. Suffolk County is essentially Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop — each city/town runs its own tax taking/sale under M.G.L. c. 60. City of Boston Treasury / tax title processes dominate volume. Land Court foreclosure of the right of redemption is the standard path to marketable title. Post-Tyler excess-proceeds rules apply statewide.

Auction logistics

Format

Varies by municipality (in-person or online public auction / tax title assignment)

Frequency

Periodically, as each city schedules tax sales or post–Land Court disposition

Platform

Municipal treasurer (example: City of Boston — Treasury / Tax Title) ↗

Deposit rules

Set by each municipality’s collector/treasurer for that sale — no single county rule. Confirm Boston or other town terms, deposits, and certified funds before bidding.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Tax title / Land Court process. Federal liens and some municipal betterments can survive. Verify water/sewer and betterment liens with the city.

Quiet title

Land Court foreclosure of the right of redemption is effectively required for marketable title after tax taking.

Deal maths for Massachusetts

Assessment ratio: 1× of market value
Typical quiet title: $3,000–$7,000 · 12 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

M.G.L. c. 59, § 38 requires assessment at full and fair cash valuation, with no classification ratio applied to the assessed value. The Department of Revenue certifies each municipality's values on a five-year cycle, with interim-year adjustments between certifications.

Offices and records

Tax collector

City of Boston Assessing / Treasury (or Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop collectors) ↗

Clerk of court

Suffolk Registry of Deeds + Massachusetts Land Court ↗

Property appraiser

City of Boston Assessing — Property Search ↗

GIS / parcel map

Analyze Boston / Boston Assessing parcel maps ↗

Areas trending up

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

Seaport / South Boston waterfront

Employment density and constrained supply supporting premium demand into 2026

Dorchester / Fields Corner–Ashmont

Relative value within Boston with transit access and active small-investor rehab

East Boston / Airport edge

Transit and employment adjacency with ongoing multifamily and workforce housing demand