Baltimore City tax sale timeline: the dates that decide whether you keep the house

Baltimore City runs the most aggressive tax sale in Maryland. The threshold to land on the list is low, the calendar is fixed, and once a lien is sold the interest and the foreclosure clock both start against the owner. Most people who lose a rowhome to tax sale did not owe much when it began. This is the timeline, date by date, and where a sale of the house fits into it.

Early February: the final bill and legal notice

The city starts the process each year by mailing a final bill and legal notice to every property with unpaid city liens. City liens are broader than property tax: they include unpaid water and sewer charges, code-enforcement citations, alley and footway assessments, and registration fees. An owner-occupied house becomes eligible for the sale once its liens total $1,000 or more; any other property is eligible at $750. A single missed tax bill or a large water bill can be enough.

February 15 to April 15: the deferral window

The city’s Tax Sale Deferral Program, run by the Departments of Finance and Housing, lets an eligible owner-occupant keep the home out of that year’s sale. Applications are normally accepted from February 15 to April 15, and in 2026 the deadline was extended to May 31. A deferral protects the house for one year; it does not erase the bill, and a property that is still behind goes into the following year’s sale. If you live in the house and cannot pay by April, apply.

April 30: last day to pay and stay off the list

Pay the full lien amount by April 30 and the property comes off the list. The city advertises the sale in a newspaper of record in the weeks before, and the list is public, which is why owners start receiving letters and phone calls from investors in April.

Third week of May: the sale

The sale is held online, normally in the third week of May; the 2026 sale was May 18. What is sold is the lien, not the house. The winning bidder pays the city what is owed and receives a certificate of sale. The owner still owns the house, still lives in it, and still owes the money, now to the certificate holder, with interest.

After the sale: interest at 10% or 18%

From the sale date, redemption interest runs at 10 percent a year on an owner-occupied home and 18 percent on everything else. To redeem, the owner pays the city the lien amount plus that interest, and the city passes the money to the certificate holder. Redemption can begin in late May, right after the sale, and the sooner it happens the less it costs.

Four months after the sale: fees get added

Beginning four months after the sale, the certificate holder may add legal fees and expenses defined by state law to the redemption amount. This is where a $1,200 lien starts turning into a $4,000 payoff. Redeeming before the four-month mark keeps the number close to the original bill plus interest.

Six or nine months after the sale: the foreclosure clock

A certificate holder may file suit in Circuit Court to foreclose the owner’s right of redemption six months after the sale on a non-owner-occupied property, and nine months after the sale on an owner-occupied one. A property in need of substantial repair can be filed on sooner. The holder must file within two years of the sale or the certificate is void. Once the suit is filed, the owner can still redeem until the court enters judgment, but now the redemption amount includes the holder’s litigation costs. After judgment, the house belongs to the certificate holder.

Where selling the house fits

Before the sale date, a closing pays the city out of your proceeds at settlement, the same way a mortgage payoff works, and no lien is ever sold. After the sale but before judgment, the title company redeems the certificate out of your proceeds at closing and the sale proceeds normally. The later it gets, the more of your equity goes to interest and fees, but the house is sellable at every point until the court enters judgment. We buy Baltimore City rowhomes at every stage of this calendar, including houses already in tax sale and houses with a foreclosure suit filed, and we close with a licensed Maryland title company on a date that beats the next deadline. Our Baltimore City page covers the other city rules, and our tax lien page covers the statewide process.