Planning tool
Redemption countdown planner
Estimate a planning date from the purchase date and the rule you have already confirmed. It helps you organize a calendar; it does not decide your legal rights.
Pre-filled from the state guide. Always confirm the exact period and its start event in the official sale notice or statute before relying on a date.
Enter a purchase date to see a planning date.
Keep the actual investment record together
Track the purchase date, source documents, redemption date, notes, and reminders in your portfolio. Use the calculator as one check, not as a substitute for the county's records.
What a tax sale redemption period is
A tax sale redemption period is the time a former owner has, after a property is sold for unpaid property tax, to pay the debt plus interest or penalty and keep the property. The length is set by state law and differs widely. Of the 51 jurisdictions TaxLienSimple tracks, 19 sell tax lien certificates, 10 sell redeemable tax deeds, 18 sell tax deeds and 4 use both. In a lien or redeemable deed state the buyer is usually repaid with interest when the owner redeems, and can only move toward ownership once the period has run and the notice steps are complete. Most tax deed states give little or no redemption after the sale.
Redemption periods by state
From each state's statute, as summarized in our state guides. Confirm the rule for your property type with the county before relying on a date.
| State | Sale type | Redemption rule |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | lien | 3yr min 10yr |
| Alaska | deed | 1yr+ after municipality takes title; owner may repurchase up to 10yrs if unsold |
| Arizona | lien | 3yr min 10yr max |
| Arkansas | deed | Until 4 p.m. the business day before the sale; none on or after sale date |
| California | deed | None (terminates close of business last business day before sale, RTC 3707) |
| Colorado | lien | Holder may apply for deed auction 3yrs after sale; owner redeems until deed issues |
| Connecticut | redeemable deed | 6mo (60d if abandoned, by ordinance) |
| Delaware | redeemable deed | 60d to 1yr |
| District of Columbia | lien | Until right is barred; purchaser may sue to foreclose after 6mo |
| Florida | lien | Holder may apply for deed 2yrs after Apr 1 of issue year; certificate expires at 7yrs |
| Georgia | redeemable deed | 12mo from sale, then until purchaser serves barment notice |
| Hawaii | redeemable deed | 1yr |
| Idaho | deed | Until 3yrs after delinquency; after tax deed, 14mo or until county sells |
| Illinois | lien | 3yrs; 1yr vacant non-farm, 7+ unit, commercial, industrial. New text: certs issued 7-10-26 on |
| Indiana | lien | 1yr |
| Iowa | lien | 1yr 9mo |
| Kansas | deed | Owner may redeem before the sheriff's sale; foreclosure filed after Sept 1 of 2nd year |
| Kentucky | lien | No fixed term; owner may pay until foreclosure; buyer may sue 1yr after delinquency |
| Louisiana | lien | None for post-2026 liens; owner pays termination price until suit ends; holder waits 3yrs to sue |
| Maine | hybrid | 18mo |
| Maryland | lien | Until right is foreclosed; suit after 6mo (9mo owner-occupied); cert void if no suit in 2yrs |
| Massachusetts | hybrid | Holder may petition Land Court after 12mo; owner redeems any time before petition is filed |
| Michigan | deed | Until March 31 following the foreclosure judgment (roughly 2yr from delinquency); then title vests in the county |
| Minnesota | deed | 3yrs from sale to the state; 1yr for targeted-community non-homestead and waste-disposal lands |
| Mississippi | redeemable deed | 2yr |
| Missouri | lien | Absolute right for 1yr after sale, then until the buyer gets the deed |
| Montana | lien | By first working day of August, 3yrs after lien attaches; 2yrs only for some special-assessment lots |
| Nebraska | lien | Ends when buyer applies for deed; earliest 3yrs after sale (2yrs for land-bank vacant property) |
| Nevada | deed | 2yrs after 1st Monday of June of certificate year (1yr abandoned); can pay until 3 business days pre-sale |
| New Hampshire | lien | 2yr (tax deed issues 2 years after lien execution, RSA 80:76) |
| New Jersey | lien | Until foreclosure judgment is final; private holder may sue 2yrs after sale (municipal 6mo) |
| New Mexico | deed | None after the sale (state Taxation and Revenue FAQ) |
| New York | hybrid | 2yr |
| North Carolina | deed | Owner may pay any time before the foreclosure sale is confirmed; none after |
| North Dakota | deed | Until Oct 1 foreclosure date; after county deed, owner or family may repurchase while county holds title |
| Ohio | lien | Treasurer sets 3 to 6yr certificate period; owner may redeem until court confirms foreclosure sale |
| Oklahoma | deed | None post-sale (owner may redeem only before resale auction begins) |
| Oregon | deed | 2yrs from foreclosure judgment while county holds property (shorter for waste or abandonment) |
| Pennsylvania | deed | Owner may pay until the sale; none after (Philadelphia and Allegheny follow other acts) |
| Rhode Island | redeemable deed | Until a petition to foreclose is filed; petition allowed 1yr after sale |
| South Carolina | redeemable deed | 12mo |
| South Dakota | lien | Any time before tax deed issues; holder may start deed process 3yrs after sale, must within 6yrs |
| Tennessee | redeemable deed | 1yr, reducible to 180/90/30 days by delinquency length or vacancy |
| Texas | redeemable deed | 180d/2yr |
| Utah | deed | Until the May or June tax sale, 4yrs after delinquency; none after the sale |
| Vermont | redeemable deed | 1yr |
| Virginia | deed | Owner may redeem any time before the sale; none after |
| Washington | deed | Until the day before the sale; after sale, only minors or incompetent owners within 3yrs |
| West Virginia | hybrid | Until deed issues; no fixed term (buyer has 120d to request notice; deed 30d+ after notices) |
| Wisconsin | deed | Owner or lien holder may redeem or answer before the in rem judgment |
| Wyoming | lien | 4yr (tax deed application after year 4, bar at year 6) |
Frequently asked questions
What does this countdown tell me?
It counts the days from the purchase date using the period you enter. It is a planning aid, not a legal determination of the last day to redeem or take another action.
What happens when the countdown reaches zero?
The result depends on the instrument, property type, notices, court process, payment rules, and state and county law. Do not assume you own the property or may foreclose merely because a general countdown reaches zero.
Do redemption periods differ by property type?
They can. Some jurisdictions apply different periods or remedies to homestead, non-homestead, vacant, commercial, or other property categories. Confirm the applicable rule in the official sale documents.
Can TaxLienSimple send deadline reminders?
Members can track a tax-sale investment and receive reminders for recorded dates. You remain responsible for confirming and meeting every legal deadline with the responsible authority.