If you’ve fallen behind on property taxes on a house in St. Mary’s, Charles, or Calvert County, you might have heard the words “tax sale” and assumed the county is about to auction off your house. That isn’t quite how it works in Maryland, but it is serious, and the longer you wait the more it costs.
This guide covers how the tax sale works in Southern Maryland, what “redemption” means, the dates each county has used, and the options you have, including selling the house before you lose it.
This article is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact your county Treasurer’s office or the Maryland Tax Sale Ombudsman.
What a Maryland Tax Sale Actually Sells
When real property taxes (and in some cases water and sewer bills) stay unpaid, Maryland counties don’t sell your house at the tax sale. They sell a lien on it. The bidder pays the county what’s owed and gets a certificate of sale.
The St. Mary’s County Treasurer puts it plainly: buying at tax sale “should be considered as no more than the purchase of the right to file an action to foreclose the right of redemption.”
So right after the sale you still own the house and can usually keep living there. What changes is that someone else now has a financial stake in it, and a clock has started.
How the Process Unfolds
1. Your account goes delinquent
The county Treasurer keeps track of unpaid property tax accounts. Calvert County says its annual sale covers real property that is two years delinquent, plus overdue water and sewer accounts for the county and the towns of North Beach and Chesapeake Beach.
2. Your name is published in the newspaper
Before each sale, Maryland law requires delinquent accounts to be advertised in a local newspaper for four consecutive weeks. Both the St. Mary’s and Calvert County Treasurers mention this step. If you see your property on that list, you still have time to pay the taxes before the sale and avoid it altogether.
3. The tax sale is held
Each county holds its own sale on its own date. These are the dates published on the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) tax sale schedule:
| County | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary’s | March 1 | March 7 | March 6 |
| Charles | May 13 | May 13 | May 12 |
| Calvert | April 19 | December 5 | May 22 |
St. Mary’s County says its sale is held each year on the first Friday of March, for the previous tax year. Charles County says its sale is held each May. As the table shows, Calvert’s date moves around, so check the county’s tax sale page and the SDAT schedule every year. (As of this writing, SDAT has not yet posted 2027 dates.)
4. The redemption period
After the sale you have the right of redemption. You can pay off the lien and keep the property. Under Maryland law, you can redeem any time until a court enters a judgment foreclosing your right to redeem.
To redeem, you pay the county:
- the amount the bidder paid on your behalf,
- interest and penalties, and
- any taxes that came due after the sale.
Payment has to be made with certified funds.
Bidder expenses. If you redeem early enough, you generally do not owe the bidder’s legal and administrative expenses. Under Maryland tax-sale law (including Tax-Property Article §14-833 notice timing and §14-843 expense rules) and county Treasurer guidance, that expense-free window is commonly described as four months after the sale for non-owner-occupied property and seven months for owner-occupied residential property. After that window, you’ll also have to reimburse the certificate holder for allowed expenses before the county can complete the redemption (often after the holder provides a letter of release). Ask your county Treasurer which rules apply to your account.
5. Foreclosure of the right of redemption
If you don’t redeem, the certificate holder can file suit in Circuit Court to foreclose your right of redemption. Under statewide Maryland law (Tax-Property Article §14-833), the earliest they can file is generally six months after the sale for non-owner-occupied property and nine months after the sale for owner-occupied residential property, and they must file within two years of the certificate date. (Some older county summaries still mention only the six-month figure; the nine-month owner-occupied wait is in the state statute and is also how the State Tax Sale Ombudsman describes it.)
If a judgment is entered, the bidder can take title. The St. Mary’s Treasurer warns that title can pass “free and clear of any liens that existed before the sale, including mortgage.”
In other words, a few thousand dollars of unpaid taxes can end up costing you every dollar of equity you have in the house.
Who to Call in Southern Maryland
- St. Mary’s County Treasurer. Ask for a redemption calculation sheet. The office’s “Help! My Property Is in Tax Sale” guide lists 301-475-4200 ext. 3300.
- Charles County Treasury. 200 Baltimore St., La Plata. 301-645-0685 (tax sale questions are often directed to 301-645-0686).
- Calvert County Treasurer. 150 Main St., Prince Frederick. 410-535-1600 or 301-855-1243.
- Maryland Tax Sale Ombudsman at SDAT. A free state office that explains the process to homeowners: (833) 732-8411 or sdat.taxsale@maryland.gov.
The St. Mary’s Treasurer’s best advice works in every county: “DO NOT REMAIN SILENT.” Answer every letter, show up at every court hearing, and if you have a mortgage, call your lender. Your lender may decide to pay the taxes to protect its own lien.
Your Options If You’re Facing a Tax Sale
Option 1: Pay before the sale
This is the cheapest way out. Once your name appears in the newspaper, the number only gets bigger.
Option 2: Redeem as fast as you can
If the sale already happened, redeeming within the expense-free window keeps the bidder’s fees off your bill. After that, interest and allowable expenses keep growing.
Option 3: Ask about a payment arrangement
Ask the Treasurer’s office what arrangements, if any, are available for your account. Policies vary by county and by year, so get the answer from the office directly.
Option 4: Sell the house while you still own it
If you can’t realistically catch up, or the house needs work you can’t afford, selling before a foreclosure judgment lets you keep your equity instead of losing it. Unpaid taxes and the redemption amount are paid off at settlement out of the sale proceeds, just like a mortgage payoff, and you walk away with the rest.
A normal listing works if you have time and the house is in good shape. If the redemption clock is running, the house needs repairs, or you just need it finished, a direct sale can close faster. We buy houses as-is across the region, including in Leonardtown, La Plata, and Prince Frederick. Our title company works out the exact payoff with the county.
If you’re also behind on your mortgage, read our guide on how to stop foreclosure. Tax-sale foreclosure and mortgage foreclosure are separate processes, and you may be dealing with both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still live in my house after a Maryland tax sale? Generally, yes. You still own it during the redemption period. The St. Mary’s Treasurer notes you can live in the property while the redemption period runs.
Can I sell my house after it went to tax sale? Yes, as long as your right of redemption hasn’t been foreclosed by the court. The lien is redeemed out of the sale proceeds at settlement.
Will the bidder contact me? Not right away. St. Mary’s County’s bidder rules, citing Maryland Tax-Property §14-843, bar bidders from contacting an owner-occupant for the first six months after the sale (four months for other properties).
What does it cost to redeem? It depends on the tax owed, the interest, and when you redeem. Only the Treasurer can give you the exact figure, so ask for a redemption calculation.
Talk to a Local Buyer, With No Obligation
Southern Maryland Home Buyers is a local company led by Steve Cavanaugh. We buy houses across Charles, St. Mary’s, and Calvert counties. If a tax sale is on your calendar and you’d like to know what a cash sale would leave you with, call (240) 523-3730 or fill out the short form here. You can also read how our process works. There’s no cost or obligation to get an offer.
Sources:
- Maryland SDAT Tax Sale Schedule
- Maryland SDAT Tax Sale FAQs
- Office of the State Tax Sale Ombudsman
- Maryland Tax-Property Article §14-833 (Justia)
- St. Mary’s County Treasurer — Successful Bidder Requirements (PDF) and Help! My Property is in Tax Sale (PDF)
- Charles County Treasury
- Calvert County Tax Sale Information