Frequently Asked Questions
The Land Department manages around 900,000 acres of tax forfeited land in St. Louis County. Most of this land is forested and is retained in one of our 10 memorial forests for multiple use purposes.
The majority of the tax forfeited lands offered for sale are small parcels located within the boundaries of some of our cities and towns. The statute regulating sales of tax forfeited land is Minnesota Statute 282 and is available from the State of Minnesota. For information about properties on our upcoming land auction:
Current Land Listing
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| 2. When and where are your tax sales advertised? | ||||||
| The land sales are advertised in the official newspaper of the County (currently the Duluth News Tribune https://www.duluthnews.com) and the sale lists are available from our offices. | ||||||
| 3. How and when do I register for your tax sales? | ||||||
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Registration is not necessary, just show up at one of our sales. |
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| 4. What are the payment requirements at the sale? | ||||||
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We require payment by check or money order. |
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| 5. Is payment in full required on the day of the sale? | ||||||
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Depending upon the appraised value of the parcel, payment in full may not be required (if more than $500). |
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| 6. Does your county offer a financing program? | ||||||
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We take some sales under a contract for deed basis. Our contracts cannot exceed 10 years. Present interest rate is 10%. |
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| 7. What type of document is issued at the sale (treasurer's deed, tax deed, sheriff's deed, etc.)? | ||||||
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At the time of payment in full, a state deed is issued by the Minnesota Department of Revenue. |
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| 8. Once a property is acquired through your tax sale, is there a redemption period before you can take possession? If so, what is the redemption period? | ||||||
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There is no redemption period once a property is acquired. |
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| 9. Do you allow investors to invest at your tax sales without attending the tax sale (i.e. absentee bidding)? | ||||||
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Bidders must be present at our sales. |
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| 10. What happens to the properties that do not sell at the auction, can they be purchased directly from the county? | ||||||
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Properties that do not sell can be purchased directly from this Department until such time they are reappraised. This can be any time up to two years. Available lands can be purchased and financed through the mail. Available Property listings can be viewed from this website (click on the "Current Land Listing" link above Question #1). |
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| 11. Would you please send me a current list of properties available for purchase? | ||||||
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If you wish to receive an available lands list and a list for each of our auctions, please send a check or money order for $25 made out to "St. Louis County Auditor" and mail it to this office with your current return address. Your name will be on our mailing list for one (1) year. In addition, both the upcoming auction properties and the current available properties can be viewed from this website. (click on the "Current Land Listing" link above Question #1) |
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| 12. Are you seeking access across St. Louis County tax-forfeit lands? | ||||||
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There are three ways the St Louis County Land Department grants access across tax-forfeited lands.
To request access across St. Louis County Tax Forfeit land please fill out the "Application For Access Across Tax Forfeit Lands" and return to the St. Louis County Land Department office nearest you. Filling out the application does not guarantee that the access will be granted. All requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. To proceed, print this application form (Adobe PDF format) or pick one up at any Land Department office. Application For Access Across Tax Forfeit Lands Application Instructions |
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To contact the St. Louis County Land Department: Phone: 218-726-2606 Write: St. Louis County Land Department |
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