Franklin County, Vermont

Tax Lien51,066 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

1 year from sale (town may set differently by charter)

Investor returnstate default

Up to 12% per annum

Governing statutestate default

Vermont Statutes Title 32, Ch. 133

Notes

Vermont municipal (not county) tax-sale jurisdiction. Franklin County FIPS is a geographic label only — delinquent real estate tax sales are conducted by each town's delinquent tax collector under 32 V.S.A. §5252, not by a county office. Research the specific town (e.g. St. Albans City/Town, Swanton, Enosburg, Fairfax) for sale notices, deposits, and redemption. Post-Tyler due-process scrutiny makes notice quality and title insurance critical. Northwest VT / Lake Champlain / I-89 Canada-border market.

Auction logistics

Format

Municipal (town delinquent tax collector) — no county-run sale

Frequency

Varies by town — no county-wide schedule; watch town warnings and local legal ads

Platform

Town delinquent tax collectors within Franklin County (confirm parcel town) ↗

Deposit rules

Town-specific tax sale rules — confirm deposit, payment form, and balance deadline with the town treasurer/delinquent tax collector named in the sale notice. No Franklin County deposit schedule exists.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Municipal tax sale subject to redemption. Federal liens can survive; verify local assessments and any water/sewer liens with the town.

Quiet title

Often needed for marketable title after a Vermont tax sale, especially under heightened notice scrutiny.

Deal maths for Vermont

Assessment ratio: 1× of market value
Typical quiet title: $1,800–$5,000 · 5 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

Vermont requires property to be listed at 100% of fair market value. The Department of Taxes publishes a Common Level of Appraisal for every town each year, measuring listed value against equalized fair market value, and a town's CLA is set to 100% in the year it reappraises. From FY26 a Statewide Adjustment — effectively the average level of appraisal for the whole state — is also applied to education tax rates.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Town delinquent tax collector (parcel municipality) — VT Title 32 framework ↗

Clerk of court

Town clerk land records for the parcel's municipality ↗

Property appraiser

Town listers / assessors for the parcel municipality ↗

GIS / parcel map

Vermont parcel mapping / town resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

St. Albans City / downtown core

County-seat services and rail/highway access with strongest local SF liquidity

Fairfax / I-89 south fringe

Chittenden County commute spillover supporting newer housing demand

Swanton / Lake Champlain north edge

Border-trade and lake-adjacent demand with seasonal occupancy caveats