State laws / New York
New York tax sales: liens, deeds, rates & redemption
Quick answerNew York sells tax deeds for unpaid property taxes. Redemption: 2 years after the lien date by default under Article 11 (RPTL § 1110), extendable by local law to 3 or 4 years for residential or farm property, and shortened to 1 year for vacant and abandoned residential property (§ 1111-a); redemption ends at the in rem foreclosure judgment, after which the county resells the parcel with no further redemption Sales: County (or self-enforcing city/village) deed auctions after in rem foreclosure, scheduled by each tax district year-round; New York City's separate lien sale is held annually when authorized (the 2025 sale was June 3, 2025) Governing law: N.Y. Real Property Tax Law Article 11, §§ 1100–1197 (Uniform Delinquent Tax Enforcement Act); for New York City lien sales, N.Y.C. Admin. Code §§ 11-301 et seq., esp. § 11-319.
Where to bid: Auctions International and other county-retained auctioneers — many county deed auctions are online, some remain in-personRealAuction (Nassau County lien sale)NYC: no public platform — bulk sale to a single authorized buyer only
| What is sold | Tax deeds |
|---|---|
| Interest / penalty | n/a — under RPTL Article 11 the tax district holds and forecloses its own lien, so no lien certificate is sold to investors and no investor interest rate applies; delinquency interest owed to the tax district is at the RPTL § 924-a rate, never less than 12% per year. NYC lien-sale purchasers charge the City's delinquency rates plus a 5% surcharge (see notes) |
| Redemption period | 2 years after the lien date by default under Article 11 (RPTL § 1110), extendable by local law to 3 or 4 years for residential or farm property, and shortened to 1 year for vacant and abandoned residential property (§ 1111-a); redemption ends at the in rem foreclosure judgment, after which the county resells the parcel with no further redemption |
| When sales happen | County (or self-enforcing city/village) deed auctions after in rem foreclosure, scheduled by each tax district year-round; New York City's separate lien sale is held annually when authorized (the 2025 sale was June 3, 2025) |
| Governing law | N.Y. Real Property Tax Law Article 11, §§ 1100–1197 (Uniform Delinquent Tax Enforcement Act); for New York City lien sales, N.Y.C. Admin. Code §§ 11-301 et seq., esp. § 11-319 |
| Investor notes | Verified against Tax Sale Atlas (Sep. 27, 2026): outside NYC, New York is a deed state — investors buy only foreclosed parcels the county already owns, not liens. The big exceptions are NYC, which sells liens in bulk through securitized NYCTL trusts to a single authorized buyer (no individual-investor auction; post-sale interest is 6%/9%/16% by assessed value plus a 5% surcharge), and charter jurisdictions such as Nassau County (lien sale) and Suffolk County (its own tax deed act). Secondary sources quoting a generic 'up to 20%' NY lien rate could not be verified against the statute and were not used. |
Sources
- https://www.taxsaleatlas.com/new-york/
- https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/property/property-lien-sales.page?ref=nygroove.nyc
- https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCadmin/0-0-0-8870
Law verified 2026-10-30 against the sources above. Confirm current details with the county tax collector / clerk before bidding — counties can change dates and procedures.