Ramsey County Tax Forfeited Land Online Sales Terms and Conditions

Notice of sale of tax forfeited lands

Please carefully review all the terms and conditions contained in this document. Some of the terms and conditions in this document will be included in the deed you receive if you are a successful bidder. You are encouraged to have a qualified attorney review this document.

Online sales

All tax forfeited land offered at an online auction is sold to the highest bidder for not less than the Minimum Bid price set forth on the March 13, 2026 appraisal list. The Minimum Bid price equals the total of the appraised value and any special assessments that have been certified after the date of forfeiture.

The public sale will be held via online auction and conducted by the Minnesota Department of Administration, Fleet & Surplus Division, using their MNBid website. The auction will open for bids on May 25, 2026, and will close on June 24, 2026.

Auction registration

All bidders must register by providing a driver’s license or other acceptable photo ID and registering through the State of Minnesota’s MNBid site.

Sales over the counter

Any parcels for which no bid is received during the online sale can be rebid for purchase beginning the next business day after the online auction closed, at 9:00 a.m. at the office of the Tax-Forfeit Land Section for not less than the Minimum Bid price set forth on the March 13, 2026 appraisal list. The Minimum Bid cannot be changed unless the parcel is re-appraised, or special assessments are changed by the local government, republished, and offered again at a subsequent auction.

Prohibited purchasers or bidders

No person or entity, or entity controlled by such person, that (1) is an owner or taxpayer of real property situated in Ramsey County that has delinquent property taxes, (2) has held a rental license in Ramsey County and the license has been revoked within the last five years, or is currently the subject of a revocation proceeding, (3) currently has a contract for purchase of tax-forfeited lands for a structure that does not meet the requirements of a code compliance inspection report or home inspection report issued within the past year, and has not filed a certificate of code compliance with the Tax-Forfeited Land section or successfully finalized and closed-out all permits through the city in which the parcel is located, or (4) within the past five years, has had a contract for purchase of tax-forfeited lands cancelled, or currently subject to cancellation.

After a winning bid, but prior to closing, a search will be performed to determine if the winning bidder is a prohibited purchaser or bidder and closing of the sale will not take place until the search verifies the winning bidder is not a prohibited purchaser or bidder. In the event a winning bid has been awarded to a prohibited bidder or purchaser, the property will be offered to the 2nd highest eligible bidder, and then the 3rd highest bidder, until all bidders have been exhausted. In the event all bidders have been exhausted, the property may be re-offered at a future auction, or placed on the over-the-counter sales list, at the sole discretion of Ramsey County.

Additional prohibited purchasers or bidders

None of the following individuals (either personally or as an agent or attorney for any other person) may bid on and purchase a parcel of tax-forfeited land unless the parcel was owned by the individual before forfeiture: district court administrators, county auditors, treasurer, assessors or supervisors of assessments, land commissioners or assistant land commissioners for tax-forfeited lands, or any deputies or employees of any of the above individuals. (M.S. 282.016)

You must follow all instructions or else you will not be able to participate in the bidding process. No exceptions will be made.

Closing process & payment terms

There are several steps required to close the sale after a property has been won at auction. This process follows:

Buyer wins high bid on an auction property
MNBID Surplus Services sends the buyer an award letter, serving to notify the buyer that they have won
Payment 1. Within fourteen (14) business days from the date of the bid award, the buyer shall submit payment to “Surplus Services” by either mailing or physically dropping off a cashier’s check or money order made payable to “Surplus Services” at 5420 Old Highway 8, Arden Hills, MN 55112. Please contact [email protected] or 651-639-4022 for assistance in completing this first payment. The amount of this payment is the winning bid amount as listed on the award letter
MNBID Surplus Services remits payment and contact information of winning bidders to the Ramsey County Productive Properties staff
Ramsey County staff will contact buyer to schedule a closing with Ramsey County and provide buyer with a cost sheet breaking down the additional costs to close.

Payment 2. At this closing, buyer will fill out a simple closing information form and provide certified funds made out to “Ramsey County” to pay for the additional statutory fees required upon the purchase of tax-forfeited property. At the closing with Ramsey County, the buyer must provide funds for the following: 3% assurance fee; state deed recording fee; deed preparation fee; and deed tax. An example of expected costs can be found on the next page of these terms.
Once Ramsey County has received the closing information form and funds to close, staff will send in a deed application to the Minnesota Department of Revenue. The state deed is generally returned to the county within 2–6 weeks and will be sent for recording. Once the deed has been recorded, Ramsey County staff will mail out the deed to the buyer.

Bidder disqualification

In the event a bidder wins a property auction but fails to complete the closing requirements within the required timeframe, that winning bidder will not be eligible to purchase any other properties during this auction, and the property will be offered to the 2nd highest eligible bidder at their winning bid amount, and then the 3rd highest bidder, until all bidders have been exhausted. In the event all bidders have been exhausted, the property may be re-offered at a future auction, or placed on the over-the-counter sales list, at the sole discretion of Ramsey County.

Property tax

Tax-forfeited property is removed from the county assessment tax rolls at time of forfeiture. Property is returned to the tax rolls immediately after sale, and the payment of property taxes will commence the year following the year of sale. For example, if the property is sold in 2026, payment of property taxes will commence in 2027. It is the buyer’s responsibility to contact Ramsey County, or the city assessor where the property is located, to determine estimated future taxes payable.

Fees

At the closing of the sale, the following fees will be collected:

Assurance fee: 3% of the total sales price
State deed recording fee: $51.00
Deed preparation fee: $25.00
Deed tax: $0.0034 of the total sales price

Seller not able to pay closing costs, specials, or statutory fees

Ramsey County will not contribute funds toward payment for buyer’s additional closing costs, special assessments cancelled due to forfeiture, assurance fee or other statutory fees.

Former owners

If you are a former owner of a parcel being auctioned, you must pay the Minimum Bid price or the amount of delinquency, whichever is more, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 282.01, Subd. 7.

All sales are final, and no refunds or exchanges are permitted.
Ramsey County is not responsible for locating or determining property lines or boundaries.

Example of costs to expect based on $200,000.00 offer

Purchase price: $200,000.00
3% assurance fee: $6,000.00
Deed preparation fee: $25.00
Filing fees: $51.00
State deed tax (price x .0034): $680.00

Total: $206,756.00

Property condition

All property is sold "as is" and may not conform to local building and zoning ordinances. The county makes no warranty that the land is "buildable".

Purchasers are encouraged to contact the city where the property is located for information about building codes, zoning laws, or other municipal information that affects the property.

Purchaser acknowledges that buyer(s) were able to obtain authorization from Ramsey County to perform soil testing at buyer’s own expense before purchasing parcel or parcels. The sale will not be rescinded if soil problems of any type are discovered after the sale.

Hazardous materials indemnification

The purchaser shall indemnify Ramsey County and/or the State of Minnesota for environmental contamination as a result of purchaser's use and occupancy of the property.

State deed ordering

Conveyance of tax-forfeit property is made by state deed on a form prepared by the Minnesota Attorney General and executed by the Minnesota Department of Revenue on behalf of the State of Minnesota. By law, a state deed cannot be ordered until the full purchase price for the subject property has been received by the County Auditor. Therefore, to process an order for a state deed, the full purchase price must be tendered.

Title

The county or the State of Minnesota does not warrant the condition of title. The buyer will receive a documentation of purchase at the time of the sale and/or the Commissioner of Revenue will issue a deed from the State of Minnesota after full payment is made. Tax forfeiture will create a break in the chain of title. Seller conveys tax title, and the services of an attorney may be necessary to make the title marketable.

Code compliance clause

If a structure exists on the property that does not meet the requirements of a code compliance inspection report or home inspection report issued within the past year, then within twelve (12) months of the execution date the buyer, as a condition of the contract for deed, shall file with the Tax-Forfeited Land section of Ramsey County a certificate of code compliance, as required by the city in which the property is located. Buyer must provide seller with proof of compliance or the buyer will be in default of the contract for deed.

For all land not in a platted subdivision

There are restrictive covenants required for marginal lands and wetlands including lands in auditor's subdivisions (see Minnesota Statutes 2007, Section 103F.535, Subd. 1, and Minnesota Statutes 2007, Section 282.018, Subd. 2.)

Special assessments

Local improvements not yet assessed, and any special assessments levied after forfeiture, must be assumed by the purchaser. In addition, any remaining balance of cancelled special assessments that existed prior to the tax-forfeiture may be reassessed by the municipality. It is the responsibility of the prospective purchaser to contact the city to determine special assessments that may have been canceled and may be subject to reassessment, and the city’s terms for the payment of such assessments.

Deed conditions

The following terms and conditions will be included in the deed you receive from the State of Minnesota.

Reverter

If the purchaser, their successor, or assigns, shall not comply with the above terms and conditions, title to the property shall automatically revert to the State of Minnesota. Compliance with the above terms and conditions shall be evidenced by a certificate of compliance recorded in the real property records of Ramsey County.

“As-is” sale

Buyer agrees that the property shall be sold and that buyer shall accept the property “as is, where is, with all faults”, with no right of set-off or reduction in the purchase price, and that such sale shall be without representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied.

Buyer further acknowledges and agrees that it is relying solely upon its own independent examination, inspection, study, and knowledge of the property.

Buyer hereby expressly assumes all risks, liabilities, claims, damages, and costs resulting or arising from or related to the ownership, use, condition, location, maintenance, repair, or operation of the property.

This provision will be included in the state deed that conveys the property.

Additional information

If you have additional questions regarding the sale or the terms and conditions of the sale, you may contact the Tax Forfeited Land section:

Phone: (651) 266-2080
Email: [email protected]
In person: 90 W. Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN

This notice of sale, the resolution authorizing the sale, and the auction list are on file in the office of the Ramsey County Auditor/Treasurer in the Property Tax, Records and Election Services Department and notice is hereby given in accordance with state statutes.

The County Manager has the authority to remove any parcel prior to sale where insufficient time exists for board approval of the removal from the auction and to bring it back to the County Board for ratification of the removal.

In order to protect your legal interests, we recommend that you consult with your attorney regarding the contract and on other legal matters