Tax Sales and Sheriff Sales in New Jersey

Every New Jersey municipality must hold at least one tax sale a year at which the municipal tax collector sells tax sale certificates (liens) on properties with delinquent taxes or municipal charges. Bidders bid the interest rate down from 18% and, once it reaches 1%, bid premiums; the buyer holds a lien and the owner redeems through the collector by paying the certificate amount, the bid interest and a 2-6% penalty. A private holder may file to foreclose the right of redemption in Superior Court two years after the sale (six months for a municipality); under P.L. 2024, c.39 the owner may demand a sheriff's sale so that surplus equity is returned instead of a strict foreclosure.

Sale type: Tax lien certificates
Redemption: Until final judgment of foreclosure
Run by: Municipal tax collector

Official sources Government auctions in New Jersey

At a glance

How it sells: Tax lien certificates
Buyer earns: Interest at the rate bid, from 18% down (premiums paid above 1% earn nothing), plus a redemption penalty of 2%, 4% or 6% depending on the certificate amount
Redemption: Until final judgment of foreclosure; the certificate holder may not file until 2 years after the sale (6 months for municipally held certificates).
Run by: Municipal tax collector (each of the 564 municipalities)
When: At least once a year on a date set by each municipality (commonly in the fall, e.g., Willingboro in October).
Statute: N.J.S.A. 54:5-19 through 54:5-137 (Tax Sale Law), especially 54:5-32 (bidding), 54:5-33 (premiums and redemption), 54:5-54 (redemption), 54:5-86 and 54:5-87 (foreclosure) as amended by P.L. 2024, c.39; N.J. Court Rule 4:65-5 (sheriff's sales)

How tax sales work in New Jersey

New Jersey sells tax lien certificates: the buyer pays the taxes and holds a lien that earns interest, and gets the property only if the owner never redeems.

What the buyer earns. Interest at the rate bid, from 18% down (premiums paid above 1% earn nothing), plus a redemption penalty of 2%, 4% or 6% depending on the certificate amount.

Redemption. Until final judgment of foreclosure; the certificate holder may not file until 2 years after the sale (6 months for municipally held certificates)..

When and where the sales are held

Who runs them: Municipal tax collector (each of the 564 municipalities).

When: At least once a year on a date set by each municipality (commonly in the fall, e.g., Willingboro in October)..

Where: Increasingly online: many municipalities use the newjerseytaxsale.com platform (Willingboro bids at willingboro.newjerseytaxsale.com); others sell in person at the municipal building..

The list of parcels for each sale is published by the office that runs it, usually a few weeks ahead, in the county's legal newspaper and on the county or platform site. UX Search does not list tax sale parcels; these sales are run by the counties and the platforms they contract, and the links on this page go to the official sources.

Sheriff sales and foreclosure sales in New Jersey

New Jersey mortgage foreclosure is judicial: after a Superior Court judgment and writ of execution the county sheriff sells the property at public auction (Monmouth County, for example, every other Monday at its Public Safety Center) after advertising for four consecutive weeks in two county newspapers. The owner may redeem within 10 days after the sheriff's sale (the period in which objections may also be filed), after which the sheriff delivers the deed; surplus goes to the Superior Court Trust Fund.

A tax sale and a sheriff sale are different animals even when the same office runs both. A tax sale clears unpaid property taxes and in most states wipes out junior liens; a mortgage foreclosure sale pays the lender and may leave tax liens in place. Before bidding at either, pull the title, read the judgment or the tax certificate, and know which liens survive the sale in New Jersey.

Official sources for New Jersey

Statute: N.J.S.A. 54:5-19 through 54:5-137 (Tax Sale Law), especially 54:5-32 (bidding), 54:5-33 (premiums and redemption), 54:5-54 (redemption), 54:5-86 and 54:5-87 (foreclosure) as amended by P.L. 2024, c.39; N.J. Court Rule 4:65-5 (sheriff's sales).

Questions people ask

Does New Jersey sell tax liens or tax deeds?

New Jersey sells tax lien certificates: the buyer pays the taxes and holds a lien that earns interest, and gets the property only if the owner never redeems. Every New Jersey municipality must hold at least one tax sale a year at which the municipal tax collector sells tax sale certificates (liens) on properties with delinquent taxes or municipal charges. Bidders bid the interest rate down from 18% and, once it reaches 1%, bid premiums; the buyer holds a lien and the owner redeems through the collector by paying the certificate amount, the bid interest and a 2-6% penalty. A private holder may file to foreclose the right of redemption in Superior Court two years after the sale (six months for a municipality); under P.L. 2024, c.39 the owner may demand a sheriff's sale so that surplus equity is returned instead of a strict foreclosure.

How long is the redemption period after a tax sale in New Jersey?

Until final judgment of foreclosure; the certificate holder may not file until 2 years after the sale (6 months for municipally held certificates).

What does the buyer earn if the owner redeems in New Jersey?

Interest at the rate bid, from 18% down (premiums paid above 1% earn nothing), plus a redemption penalty of 2%, 4% or 6% depending on the certificate amount

Who runs tax sales in New Jersey?

Municipal tax collector (each of the 564 municipalities). Increasingly online: many municipalities use the newjerseytaxsale.com platform (Willingboro bids at willingboro.newjerseytaxsale.com); others sell in person at the municipal building.

When are tax sales held in New Jersey?

At least once a year on a date set by each municipality (commonly in the fall, e.g., Willingboro in October).

Are sheriff sales in New Jersey judicial?

Can anyone bid at a tax sale or sheriff sale in New Jersey?

Generally yes, with registration through the office or platform that runs the sale, and often a deposit or proof of funds. Payment is usually due the same day or within a few days in certified funds, and the property is sold as is with whatever title questions come with it. Read the county's terms for the sale you are bidding in; they differ from one county to the next in the same state.

Written from the New Jersey statutes and official county pages, last checked October 27, 2026. Rules change by session and by county; the official sources above control. UX Search is independent, lists no tax sale parcels and never takes a bid.