How to buy tax-sale property in Connecticut (2026)
You buy a deed, but the former owner can still redeem the property for a set period. The owner has 6 months from the sale to pay you back. You earn 18% interest a year. You win with the highest bid. Sales are held on a schedule that varies by county.
- Redemption period
- 6 mo
- Interest / penalty
- Flat rate · 18%
- Bid method
- Highest bid
- Sale timing
- Varies
How to bid here · Connecticut
In personWhether the sale is online, in person, by sealed bid, or a mix. The format decides how you register and whether you can react to other bids. See the full glossary for more terms.- 1.Find the collector's levy notice: it states the date, time and place of sale, is posted, filed in the land records, mailed by certified mail and published 9 to 12 weeks before the sale (Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-157(a))
- 2.Check for an adjournment, which the collector may announce at the scheduled time and place (Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-157(b))
- 3.Bid at the public auction for the real property, which is sold to the highest bidder to pay the taxes, interest, fees and other charges (Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-157(c))
- 4.Follow the collector's published or announced rules for the orderly conduct of the auction and for payment by successful bidders (Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-157(d))
- 5.Wait out the redemption period: the collector deeds the property within two weeks, lodges the deed with the town clerk, and the deed stays unrecorded for six months (60 days if the property was abandoned) while the owner, mortgagee or lienholder may redeem (Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-157(e)-(f))
- 6.Take recorded title only if no redemption is made; if the property is redeemed, the collector returns your purchase money with 18 per cent interest (Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-157(f))
- RegistrationSigning up as a bidder before the sale. Counties set the deadlines and paperwork, which may include an application, identification, and a no-delinquent-taxes statement. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
- DepositMoney you must post before or at the sale, often a flat amount or a percentage of your bid. It is usually applied to the purchase price if you win and is often non-refundable if you fail to pay. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
- FormsPaperwork a county may collect before you can bid, such as a bidder ID card or a W-9 for tax reporting. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Bidder ID card: UnknownW-9: Unknown
- EligibilityRules about who may bid. Some counties restrict non-residents or bar anyone who owes delinquent taxes from participating. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Residency required: UnknownNo delinquent taxes: Unknown
Another municipality holding a tax lien on the property may purchase it at the tax sale (Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-157(h))
If there is no bidder or the bid is insufficient to pay the amount due, the collector may sell the property to the municipality (Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-157(c))
- PaymentHow and when you must pay after winning. Certified or cleared funds are common and personal checks usually are not; missing the deadline typically forfeits your deposit. See the full glossary for more terms.
- Unknown
Not verified from a source yet.
Connecticut sells a collector's deed at an in-person public auction run by the municipal tax collector, with the price driven by the taxes, interest, fees and charges stated at the sale. The statute leaves registration, deposits, forms and the mechanics of payment to rules the collector publishes or announces for the auction (12-157(d)), so those fields are unknown here. The purchaser's deed is held unrecorded for a six-month redemption window (60 days for abandoned property), and redemption returns the purchase money plus 18 per cent interest.
Citations
Sale type
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-157(e)
official source“Within two weeks after such sale, the collector shall execute a deed thereof to the purchaser or to the municipality conducting the sale”
Redemption
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-157
official source“not later than six months after the date of the sale or within sixty days if the property was abandoned or meets other conditions established by ordinance”
Interest / penalty
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-157
official source“together with interest on the total purchase price paid by the purchaser at the rate of eighteen per cent per annum from the date of such sale”
Bid method
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-157(c)
official source“may sell at public auction to the highest bidder all of said real property”
Sale schedule
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-157(a)
official source“and the date, time and place of sale. The collector shall post one notice on a bulletin board in or near the collector's office in the town where such real estate is situated”
Collector tax sale at public auction (CGS 12-157); 6-month redemption at 18%/yr. Municipalities may also assign liens or foreclose directly. | Prose: redeemable deed | 18% per year on total purchase price from date of sale | 6 months (60 days if abandoned or per ordinance) | highest bidder at public auction | varies by municipality
Frequently asked questions
- What do I actually buy at a Connecticut tax sale?
- The investor buys a deed to the property, but the former owner keeps a window to redeem and reclaim title.
- How long does the owner have to redeem the property in Connecticut?
- 6 months from the sale date
- What interest or penalty do I earn on a Connecticut tax sale?
- 18% flat per year.
- How is the winning bidder chosen in Connecticut?
- The parcel or lien goes to the highest bidder at auction.
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Not legal, tax, or investment advice. Read the full disclaimer.