Kent County, Michigan Tax Sales

Counties / Michigan counties / Kent County

Quick answerKent County, Michigan follows Michigan tax sale law: the state sells tax deeds for delinquent property taxes. Rate / penalty: n/a - Michigan is a pure tax deed state: no lien certificate is sold to a private buyer, so there is no buyer interest rate. Redemption: No post-sale redemption. The owner's right to redeem ends March 31 following entry of the foreclosure judgment (or 21 days after judgment in a contest… LienToDeed is verifying this county's own sale-list source; the state rules below are the law that governs its sales.

How tax sales work in Kent County, Michigan

Michigan law controls every tax sale in Kent County — the county runs the sale, but what is sold, what it pays and how long the owner can redeem are all set by the state:

What Michigan sells	Tax deeds
Interest / penalty	n/a - Michigan is a pure tax deed state: no lien certificate is sold to a private buyer, so there is no buyer interest rate. Interest on delinquent taxes (1% per month, rising to 1.5% per month after forfeiture) accrues to the county, not to an investor.
Redemption period	No post-sale redemption. The owner's right to redeem ends March 31 following entry of the foreclosure judgment (or 21 days after judgment in a contested case), before the auction is held (MCL 211.78k).
When sales happen	Taxes are returned delinquent March 1, forfeited to the county treasurer the following March 1, and foreclosed in the third year; county treasurer auctions of foreclosed property are held roughly July through November, with a first sale at a minimum bid and later sales at reduced or no minimum bid.
Governing law	General Property Tax Act, Act 206 of 1893, MCL 211.78-211.78t (esp. MCL 211.78m, Sale of foreclosed property)
County (Census)	Kent County — county, Michigan · FIPS 26081

First-auction minimum bid is generally the total of delinquent taxes, interest, penalties and fees; unsold parcels are re-offered at lower minimums and can pass to land banks or local units. Deeds are quitclaim - buyers typically need a quiet-title action, and former owners may claim surplus proceeds after Rafaeli v. Oakland County.

The process, step by step

1 · The list publishes. Michigan sales run on this rhythm: Taxes are returned delinquent March 1, forfeited to the county treasurer the following March 1, and foreclosed in the third year. The county's sale list — the parcels actually being sold — is published ahead of the sale by the county office that runs it, and in many Michigan counties also through the state's sale channels (Title Check LLC via tax-sale.info runs the state sale and many county sales; Wayne County and a number of other counties use Bid4Assets; some counties use GovEase or hold county-run / in-person sales.).

2 · Register and fund — before sale day. Registration and bidder deposits are handled by the county or its sale platform and close before the sale, in most counties the day before. The amount and ID requirements are set in the county's own sale notice, not in state law — confirm them on the current published notice before you rely on them.

3 · Research every parcel. Compare the taxes owed against assessed value and recorded sales, check property type and occupancy signals, and price in the state's redemption rule above: it decides whether your money comes back with the statutory return, or your path runs to the property itself.

4 · Bid the number you wrote down. Set your max bid (deeds) or floor rate (liens) from the research, before the sale opens. The state's return is paid on the tax obligation — not on whatever extra a bidding war adds on top of it.

5 · After the sale. Owners redeem inside the window above; lists change as they do. Track the parcels you care about, because a watched property redeeming or withdrawing is information you want before — not after — you wire a deposit for the next sale.

What Kent County publishes — and our verification status

Under Michigan law, the county publishes its sale list as a public record ahead of each sale. What we have not done is guess at this county's exact channel: which office posts the list, in what format, and on what posting schedule are being verified county by county against the county's own publications. Until that check is complete, this page carries the verified state rules — not a live Kent County sale list — and says so plainly.

Coverage status: Kent County — verification in progress

Alerts activate county by county as each county's published list is verified. Join the Michigan watchlist and you are first in line when Kent County alerts switch on — plus you get the free Michigan sale calendar and law guide today.

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County facts (name, state, FIPS 26081) from the US Census Bureau county list; state rules verified 2026-10-30 — sources on the Michigan law page. Educational only, not investment advice.