DeedPilot

St. Joseph County, Michigan

Tax Deed61,171 residentsLive auctions →

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

Sale typestate default

Tax Deed

Redemption periodstate default

Forfeiture/foreclosure process ends redemption rights before auction (roughly 2 years of delinquency)

Investor returnstate default

N/A — outright deed transfer

Governing statutestate default

Michigan Compiled Laws §211.78 et seq.

Notes

Michigan PA 123 tax-deed (foreclosing governmental unit) county. St. Joseph County Treasurer forfeits then forecloses multi-year delinquencies; post-judgment inventory sells at public auction. Next tax foreclosure auction scheduled Wednesday, August 5, 2026, conducted by Title-Check, LLC — listings at tax-sale.info (800-259-7470). Former owners may claim leftover proceeds under MCL 211.78t (Forms 5743/5744; Circuit Court motion window). Centreville / Sturgis / Three Rivers market near Indiana border.

Auction logistics

Format

Online / public auction via Title-Check (tax-sale.info)

Frequency

Annually (2026 auction Aug 5; confirm subsequent years on stjosephcountymi.gov Treasurer page)

Deposit rules

Register and fund per Title-Check / tax-sale.info terms for the St. Joseph County sale. Properties sold after foreclosure judgment — typically no owner redemption at auction stage. Read bidder packet for deposit, balance deadline, and deed type. Call Treasurer 269-467-5525 for process questions.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale
MI tax foreclosure judgment generally extinguishes most private liens; federal tax liens and certain easements/covenants can survive. Surplus-proceeds claims by former owners are a separate statutory track — not a cloud on purchaser title if process followed.
Quiet title
Sometimes used if notice defects appear; many MI tax deeds insure after underwriter review of judgment chain.

Deal maths for Michigan

Assessment ratio
0.5× of market value
Typical quiet title
$2,000–$4,000 · 9 mo
Recording and transfer
$300

Michigan state equalized value is 50% of true cash value by constitution (Mich. Const. art. IX, § 3); taxable value may be lower still. The SEV published with these auction listings is taken from the delinquent tax year that was foreclosed upon, so it is typically several years stale — in a rising market it understates current value, and in a falling one it overstates it.

Offices and records

Areas trending up

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

Sturgis city / industrial park edge

Manufacturing employment and Indiana-border retail with workforce SF demand

Three Rivers / US-131 corridor

Service-center retail and river-adjacent inventory

Centreville / county-seat fringe

Government services and entry-priced SF

Sources