Behind on Property Taxes in Maryland? Understand Your Options Before Tax Sale

• Interest and penalties

  Overdue property taxes start adding interest, and some jurisdictions add penalties. The balance grows every month it stays unpaid.

• Tax liens

  Unpaid property taxes are a lien on the property. A buyer cannot get clear title until they are paid or otherwise resolved.

• Collection activity

  The county or Baltimore City sends delinquency notices and final notices, and the property may be advertised in the newspaper as part of the tax sale.

• Tax sale procedures

  If the balance is still unpaid by the local deadline, the jurisdiction can sell a tax sale certificate on the property at its annual tax sale.

• Additional legal or administrative costs

  After a tax sale, the amount needed to redeem can grow to include interest to the certificate holder and, later, certain legal fees and expenses.

Can You Sell a House With Delinquent Property Taxes?

Often, yes. If the property can be sold before the tax-sale process prevents transfer and there is enough equity, delinquent property taxes may be paid from the seller’s proceeds at closing.

The title company will usually identify the tax balance, including interest and penalties, and determine what must be paid to transfer title. It requests a current figure from the tax office, pays it from the sale proceeds, and the remaining money goes to the other payoffs and then to you.

If a tax sale certificate has already been sold, the title company will also need the redemption amount, which is usually higher than the original tax bill. That is why timing matters.

What Is a Maryland Tax Sale?

When eligible property taxes and certain other charges stay unpaid, Maryland counties and Baltimore City can sell a tax sale certificate on the property at a public auction. As the State Tax Sale Ombudsman explains, the unpaid debt and fees are what is sold, not the house itself. After the tax sale, the homeowner still owns the property.

The buyer of the certificate does not immediately own your house. What the buyer gets is a claim that you, or anyone else with an interest in the property, can pay off by redeeming. If no one redeems, the certificate holder can later file a case in circuit court asking to foreclose the right of redemption. Only after the court finally forecloses that right can ownership change.

Under state law, the certificate holder generally has to wait at least six months after the sale to file that case, or nine months for an owner-occupied home after sending required notices, and a certificate is void if no case is filed within two years. There are exceptions, for example for some vacant or abandoned properties, so don’t rely on these periods for your property without checking with the tax office or an attorney.

Sources: SDAT, Office of the State Tax Sale Ombudsman, Md. Code, Tax-Property §14-820, and §14-833, checked October 2026.

What Is the Right of Redemption?

In many tax-sale situations, the property owner has a period in which the tax-sale debt can be redeemed by paying the required amounts before foreclosure of the right of redemption is completed. Maryland law says the owner, or another person with an interest in the property, may redeem at any time until the right of redemption has been finally foreclosed.

Redeeming generally means paying the tax office the amount paid at the tax sale plus interest, any later taxes the certificate holder paid, and certain expenses the law allows. Interest rates differ by jurisdiction and property type. The longer the wait, the more it usually costs; in several counties, the certificate holder’s legal fees can be added after four months, or seven months for an owner-occupied home.

Because the amount and the window depend on your jurisdiction and where the case stands, ask the tax office for a written redemption figure and check whether a foreclosure case has been filed.

Sources: Md. Code, Tax-Property §14-827, §14-828, Prince George’s County Tax Sale Redemption, Montgomery County Tax Sale Information, and Anne Arundel County Tax Sale, checked October 2026.

Can You Still Sell After a Tax Sale Certificate Is Sold?

Sometimes. The answer depends on:

• Where the case is in the tax-sale process
• Whether the right of redemption remains open
• Amount needed to redeem
• Ownership and title status
• Other liens or mortgages
• Whether there is enough time to close

If the right of redemption is still open, a sale may be able to close with the redemption amount paid from the proceeds. If a foreclosure case has been filed, there is less time and more cost, and an attorney should look at the case. If the court has already foreclosed the right of redemption, the former owner generally can no longer sell the property.

When Might Selling the Property Make Sense?

Selling is one option among several. Owners most often consider it in situations like these:

• The property has substantial equity

  Selling may let you pay the taxes and keep the remaining equity instead of watching it shrink.

• The tax balance keeps growing

  Interest and, after a tax sale, redemption costs make waiting more expensive each month.

• You can’t afford the carrying costs

  Taxes, insurance, utilities, and upkeep continue whether or not anyone lives there.

• The property is vacant

  Empty houses cost money every month and can pick up code violations and break-ins.

• The property needs major repairs

  A buyer who purchases as-is can take on repairs. See selling a house with code violations.

• You inherited the property

  Back taxes and probate often show up together. See our inherited property guide.

• You live out of state

  Managing a tax deadline, repairs, and a sale from far away is hard.

• There are mortgage or lien problems too

  Several payoffs at once take coordination. See Maryland foreclosure help if the mortgage is also behind.

• Keeping it no longer makes sense

  If the numbers no longer work for you, a sale may be the cleaner way to move on.

If you want to keep the home and can catch up, paying, a payment arrangement, or redeeming may be the better path. If you do sell and the house is in good shape, listing with an agent may bring a higher price. It is worth comparing both.

How Maryland House Pros Can Help

Maryland House Pros, operated by Maryland Private Capital, evaluates properties with delinquent taxes, tax-sale concerns, liens, probate issues, code violations, and other difficult situations throughout Maryland.

The title company will determine the taxes, liens, payoffs, and other amounts that must be handled before closing.

Want a rough idea of the numbers first? Try our cash offer calculator, then subtract the tax balance and any other liens you know about.

What If the Property Also Has a Mortgage?

Both the mortgage payoff and the delinquent taxes may need to be paid or otherwise addressed at closing. Your equity, the money that may be left for you, depends on the whole picture:

1. Sale price
2. −minus Mortgage payoff
3. −minus Property taxes
4. −minus Other liens
5. −minus Closing costs
6. =equals Potential remaining proceeds

Some mortgage servicers pay delinquent taxes themselves to protect the loan and then add the amount to what you owe, so check your latest mortgage statement. If the mortgage is behind too, see our Maryland foreclosure help page.

What If the Property Was Inherited?

Inherited properties can have unpaid taxes and probate issues at the same time. Bills may keep going to the person who died, so the family may not learn about the delinquency until a notice arrives. Before the house can be sold, someone usually needs legal authority to sign, which may mean opening an estate with the Register of Wills.

Our Maryland Probate & Inherited Property Help page explains who can sell, how small estates work, and what heirs can do while probate is open. The State Tax Sale Ombudsman can also tell heirs what help is available.

What If There Are Other Liens?

Tax delinquency often exists alongside other claims, such as judgment liens, mortgages, code-enforcement liens, water or other municipal charges, or state and federal tax liens. Each one has its own payoff and release process, and the title company has to account for all of them before closing.

Our guide to Maryland Liens & Title Problems explains the common ones and what happens when the liens add up to more than the equity.

Maryland Tax Delinquency & Tax Sale FAQs

Maryland Property Tax & Tax Sale Resources

These official government sources have the current rules, dates, and balances. Check them before making a decision.

Tax Sale Help in Prince George’s County and Throughout Maryland

Our office is in Upper Marlboro, and much of our work is in Prince George’s County, including Upper Marlboro, Clinton, Bowie, Fort Washington, and Capitol Heights.

We also review properties with delinquent taxes in Baltimore, Montgomery County, Charles County, Anne Arundel County, and other parts of Maryland. Each one has its own tax office and tax sale calendar, so we work with a title company that knows the local process. If you’d rather talk first, our contact details are at the bottom of this page.