The Oakland County tax foreclosure list is published on Tax-Sale.info, the official auction platform used by the Oakland County Treasurer, and typically goes live in the summer before auctions run from August through October.1Oakland County, MI. Oakland County Treasurer’s Office – Land Sale Each listing shows the parcel identification number, the property address, and a minimum bid that covers the delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, fees, and the county’s administrative costs for the sale.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.78m A low minimum bid can be tempting, but a tax-foreclosed parcel comes with every problem the prior owner left behind, and the county makes no guarantees about any of it.
When the List Goes Live and How Sales Are Scheduled
Oakland County schedules its auctions in the third and fourth quarters of the year, roughly August through October.3Oakland County, MI. Property Tax Foreclosure Surplus Claims The parcel list generally posts to Tax-Sale.info during the summer, which gives you a window to research individual properties before bidding opens. Properties that receive no acceptable bid in the first round often reappear in a second-round sale later in the cycle, usually under different terms.
Check the platform early. The list can move quickly, and useful research on any given parcel takes longer than most first-time bidders expect.
Registering To Bid
You cannot bid without an account on Tax-Sale.info, and creating one requires identification that matches a government-issued ID. The platform places a $1,000 pre-authorization hold on a major credit card. If you win and pay on time, or if you don’t win anything, the hold drops off. If you win and fail to pay, the hold gets charged.4Tax-Sale.info. Frequently Asked Questions
Every bidder also signs a sworn affidavit under penalty of perjury, required by MCL 211.78m. The affidavit certifies that you hold no interest in any Oakland County property with delinquent taxes, and that you have no unpaid civil fines for local ordinance violations. That includes parking tickets, motor vehicle violations, and blight citations.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.78m The restriction reaches beyond the person bidding: it applies to anyone named on the deed and anyone assisting with the bid.4Tax-Sale.info. Frequently Asked Questions Filing a false affidavit is a felony, and a conviction permanently bars you from any future Michigan tax foreclosure auction.
Bidding through an LLC doesn’t get you around this. The same delinquent-tax and ordinance-violation rules apply to the entity’s owners and members as individuals. Complete all registration paperwork and affidavits before the first auction date.
How the Bidding Works
First-round auctions are competitive, open-bid sales conducted online. Once bidding opens on a parcel, you log in and place bids at set increments. A proxy tool lets you enter a maximum amount, and the platform bids on your behalf up to that ceiling without showing it to other bidders. Parcels close at scheduled times, and the highest bidder at close wins.
Second-round sales work differently. Properties that got no acceptable first-round bid are often offered again as sealed-bid submissions, where you submit one bid by a deadline and the highest offer takes it. The county adjusts terms between rounds, so read the specific rules for the auction you’re entering.
Paying On Time
Michigan law sets an outer limit on payment: no more than 21 days after the sale, though the county can require faster payment, including by the close of each auction day.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.78m The exact window and accepted payment methods for each Oakland County auction are posted on Tax-Sale.info in advance. Payment is typically wire transfer or certified funds only.
Miss the payment window and the sale is cancelled. The county can offer the property to the next-highest bidder, your $1,000 credit card hold is charged, and you and anyone associated with your bid land on the platform’s ban list. That list is public, and it applies to bidders, payors, deed recipients, and assisting bidders equally.4Tax-Sale.info. Frequently Asked Questions
What You Actually Receive at Closing
Once payment clears, the Oakland County Treasurer issues a quitclaim deed. Winning bidders also submit notarized paperwork provided by the auction platform after the sale.4Tax-Sale.info. Frequently Asked Questions Record the deed with the Oakland County Register of Deeds to become the legal owner of record. Recording costs $30 per document, which includes the $4 state survey and remonumentation fee.5Oakland County, MI. Fees and Forms
A quitclaim deed transfers only whatever interest the county holds. It carries no warranty that the title is clean. If a prior owner’s heir surfaces with a claim, if an unrecorded easement appears, or if the foreclosure notice was defective, the deed does nothing to protect you. Title insurers generally refuse to insure tax-sale properties immediately, because a former owner may still challenge the sale. The standard fix is a quiet title action in circuit court, which typically takes months and costs several thousand dollars in legal fees. It’s the reliable path to clear, insurable title.
Occupants Who Are Still There
Every property sells as-is, and that includes anyone still living inside. Some homes are vacant. Others have the former owner, family members, or tenants who haven’t moved. Removing them is your legal responsibility, and Michigan bans self-help. Changing the locks or physically removing someone without a court order can expose you to liability.
If the occupant is a tenant under a lease that predates the foreclosure, the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act requires at least 90 days’ written notice before eviction takes effect, and it applies to bona fide tenants whether the foreclosure was a mortgage default or a tax sale.6Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act – Comptroller’s Handbook If the occupant is the former owner with no lease, Michigan summary proceedings under MCL 600.5714 govern. You serve a notice to quit and then file in district court.
Environmental Liability and the 45-Day BEA Deadline
This is the trap that catches the most buyers. Under Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, if you buy a contaminated property you can become personally liable for cleanup costs unless you complete a Baseline Environmental Assessment within 45 days of the purchase date. The BEA must then be submitted to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy within six months of purchase.7Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 324.20126
A BEA documents the contamination that existed when you took ownership and establishes that you didn’t cause it. Miss either deadline and you lose that liability shield entirely, becoming responsible for contamination you had nothing to do with. The risk sits on every parcel, but it’s especially serious for former commercial lots, gas stations, dry cleaners, and industrial parcels. The assessment usually requires hiring an environmental consultant, which adds cost, but it’s a small fraction of what remediation runs. MCL 211.78m explicitly designates foreclosed property as a “facility” under Michigan’s environmental law, which is what makes the BEA protection available in the first place.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.78m
Due Diligence Before You Bid
The county is selling to clear a tax debt, not to guarantee an investment. No seller’s disclosure. No inspection contingency. No warranty of condition. Work through this list before bidding on any parcel:
- Run a title search at the Oakland County Register of Deeds for liens, easements, and competing claims. A federal tax lien, for example, can survive a tax foreclosure sale under certain conditions.
- Drive by the property. You generally cannot enter an occupied home, but exterior condition, the surrounding block, and visible structural issues tell you a great deal.
- Check EGLE’s environmental mapper for known contamination. A Phase I assessment before purchase is cheaper than a cleanup order after.
- Ask the local municipality about outstanding code violations, demolition orders, and zoning limits on what you can do with the parcel.
- Budget for the next tax bill. Once you own the property, current-year taxes are yours, and they reflect the assessed value rather than what you paid at auction.
Parcels that look like bargains on the list sometimes carry obligations that exceed their value. Bidders who do well at these auctions are the ones who finished the homework before the bidding window opened.
If You’re the Former Owner Looking at This List
Some readers reach this list from the other side, wondering what happens to the money when a former home sells for more than the tax debt. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County, governments cannot keep surplus proceeds from a tax foreclosure sale beyond what the former owner owed.8Supreme Court of the United States. Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota
Oakland County runs a formal surplus claims process on a fixed schedule. For a property foreclosed on April 1, 2026, you must submit a notarized intent-to-claim form to the Oakland County Treasurer by July 1, 2026. The property is sold at auction between July and November. In January, the Treasurer’s Office notifies claimants whether surplus proceeds exist. From February through May, claimants file with the circuit court, which sets priority and amounts. The treasurer issues payment within 21 days of the court’s order.9Oakland County, MI. Delinquent Property Taxes Miss the July 1 filing deadline and you can forfeit your right to any surplus.