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Kalamazoo County, MI

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Kalamazoo County, Michigan — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

Local operations layer. The legal framework (redemption periods, surplus rights, statutes, case law) lives on the parent page → michigan. This page covers how Kalamazoo County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Kalamazoo
  • Population: ~263,795 (FIPS 26077)
  • Recording unit: county
  • Parent legal framework: michigan
  • Foreclosing Governmental Unit (FGU): The Kalamazoo County Treasurer serves as the FGU, conducting the in-rem judicial foreclosure process under MCL 211.78 et seq. and holding “an auction for the sale of tax-foreclosed properties as required by the General Property Tax Act.” Confirmed by the county’s own Auction & Surplus Properties page and use of Tax-Sale.info (Title Check, LLC) as the auction vendor. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/912/Auction-Surplus-Properties (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Circuit court: 9th Judicial Circuit Court, Kalamazoo County (227 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007).

C1. Local Tax Sale

  • Conducts own sale? YES — the Kalamazoo County Treasurer runs the annual public auction of tax-foreclosed property through the contracted vendor Tax-Sale.info (Title Check, LLC). Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/912/Auction-Surplus-Properties (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Platform/vendor: Tax-Sale.info (https://www.tax-sale.info/) — Title Check, LLC. The county directs bidders: “For information about auction rules or to view properties available for auction, please refer to Tax-Sale.info or call 800-259-7470.” Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/912/Auction-Surplus-Properties (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Calendar: Annual cycle. The statutory auction window is the third Tuesday in July through before the first Tuesday in November (MCL 211.78m(2); michigan § 1). The county invites interested parties to “receive email updates about our auction, including when our auction book is available and when open houses are scheduled” via the Treasurer’s office. The county’s own next-known specific sale date for 2026 was not published on the retrieved pages — see needs_verification; check Tax-Sale.info Kalamazoo listings ~30 days out. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/912/Auction-Surplus-Properties (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Registration: Create an account at https://www.tax-sale.info/ before the auction; the platform requires account creation in advance to be authorized to bid. Source: https://www.tax-sale.info/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Registration deposit: Tax-Sale.info standard platform terms require a $1,000 deposit (credit-card pre-authorization or certified funds) before bids are accepted, applied to the purchase if the bidder wins. The Kalamazoo-County-specific auction rules PDF/deposit figure for the current cycle was not separately retrieved — see needs_verification. Source: https://www.tax-sale.info/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Bidder requirements / restrictions: Per state law (MCL 211.78m), a person who held an interest in a foreclosed parcel may not re-purchase it for less than the outstanding taxes, interest, and fees; bidders generally may not hold a direct/indirect interest in property with delinquent Kalamazoo County taxes. County-specific bidder-eligibility language on a Kalamazoo auction-rules document was not separately retrieved — see needs_verification. Framework: michigan § 1.
  • Delinquent/forfeited list location: Forfeited-parcel and auction listings are published on Tax-Sale.info (Kalamazoo County catalog) ahead of the sale; delinquent tax amounts are searchable via BS&A Online (https://bsaonline.com/?uid=405). Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/912/Auction-Surplus-Properties (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Right of first refusal (pre-auction): State → city/village/township/ authority → County, per MCL 211.78m(1), before parcels reach public auction. In Kalamazoo, unsold/surplus tax-foreclosed parcels are conveyed to the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority (see C10). Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/912/Auction-Surplus-Properties (retrieved 2026-06-02)

C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption

  • Where to redeem: Kalamazoo County Treasurer’s Office — 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Payments accepted in person, by phone (debit/credit at 269-384-8124), online via BS&A Online (https://bsaonline.com/?uid=405), or by check/money order payable to the Kalamazoo County Treasurer. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/tax-qa.htm (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Redemption deadline: March 31 of the foreclosure year — “Redemption rights expire if taxes are not paid by 5pm” in the Treasurer’s office. After this date title vests absolutely in the FGU; there is NO post-sale redemption for tax deeds under Michigan law (MCL 211.78k(6); michigan § 2). Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/1361/Tax-Foreclosure-Timeline (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Local fees (per county Tax Foreclosure Timeline):
    • Delinquency (Mar 1, Year 2): 4% administrative fee + 1% interest/month
    • Oct 1, Year 2: $15.00 notice fee added
    • Forfeiture (Mar 1, Year 3): $175.00 title-search fee added; interest rises to 1.5%/month plus 6% additional retroactive interest
    • Apr 1, Year 3: $30.00 recording fee + $30.00 redemption fee added
    • Aug 1, Year 3: $50.00 site-visit fee added
    • Dec 1, Year 3: $50.00 publication fee added
    • Mar 31, Year 4: final redemption deadline, 5:00 pm Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/1361/Tax-Foreclosure-Timeline (retrieved 2026-06-02) These increments align with the GPTA fee structure (MCL 211.78g; michigan § 1); the $175 forfeiture/title-search fee matches the statutory baseline.
  • Deviations from state default: None material — Kalamazoo follows the standard GPTA three-year delinquency/forfeiture/foreclosure cycle and the March 31 absolute cutoff.

C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds

For foreclosure sales on or after December 22, 2020 (MCL 211.78t process):

  • Claim filing venue: Kalamazoo County Treasurer’s Office (Notice of Intention) → 9th Judicial Circuit Court (motion), 227 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Treasurer: 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/ (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/tax-qa.htm (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Step 1 — Notice of Intention to Claim Interest (Form 5743):
    • Form: Michigan Treasury Form 5743, “Notice of Intention to Claim Interest in Foreclosure Sales Proceeds,” hosted in the Treasurer’s Forms & Documents.
    • State form URL: https://www.michigan.gov/taxes/-/media/Project/Websites/taxes/Forms/Property-Tax/5743.pdf
    • Must be notarized: “DO NOT SIGN THIS DOCUMENT UNTIL YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF A NOTARY. UNNOTARIZED DOCUMENTS ARE NOT VALID FOR EXCESS PROCEEDS CLAIMS.”
    • Delivery: certified mail (return receipt requested) or personal service.
    • Deadline: submit to the Kalamazoo County Treasurer by July 1 of the foreclosure year (consistent with MCL 211.78t(2)). Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/tax-qa.htm (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Step 2 — Certified Proceeds Notice from Treasurer:
    • “After auctions are complete, a Certified Proceeds Notice is sent to each party that filed a Notice of Claim, which identifies the amount of remaining proceeds available (if any), along with information about other potential claimants.” (Statutory analog: Form 5744; MCL 211.78t(5).) Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/tax-qa.htm (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Step 3 — Motion in Circuit Court:
    • The Treasurer’s site provides standard motion forms for “Claims from sales after July 18, 2020” and “Claims from sales before July 18, 2020” (SCAO Form CC 540 family).
    • Filing window: February 1 – May 15 of the year after the sale/transfer (MCL 211.78t(4); michigan § 3), filed in the same in-rem case in the 9th Judicial Circuit Court. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Missing either deadline precludes recovery (MCL 211.78t(2),(4); michigan § 3).
  • Unclaimed-funds list published: No dedicated unclaimed-list URL was located on official Kalamazoo pages — see needs_verification.
  • Surplus contact: Kalamazoo County Treasurer’s Office, 269-384-8124. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/tax-qa.htm (retrieved 2026-06-02)

For foreclosure sales before December 22, 2020 — retroactive Rafaeli claims:

Kalamazoo County is NOT among the 28 counties covered by the Fox v. Saginaw County / Arkona v. Cheboygan class settlement (covered counties: Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Bay, Cheboygan, Clare, Crawford, Genesee, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Jackson, Lapeer, Lenawee, Macomb, Midland, Monroe, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon, Saginaw, Sanilac, St. Clair, Tuscola). Former Kalamazoo owners with pre-2021 surplus retention pursue the rafaeli-v-oakland-county-2020 inverse-condemnation route, not the Fox settlement. A class-action challenging Kalamazoo County’s pre-2021 retention was filed (lead plaintiff William Christman, whose 2019 parcel — seized for ~$14,500 in taxes — sold for$79,500, with the county retaining ~$65,000; counsel Donald Visser, Visser & Associates). Confirm the current docket/status — see needs_verification. Source (settlement counties): https://www.surplusproceedssettlement.com/ (retrieved 2026-06-02) Source (secondary, Christman suit): https://wwmt.com/news/local/foreclosed-homeowners-son-files-suit-to-force-kalamazoo-county-to-pay-up-on-tax-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02)

▸ For Investors / Operators — Kalamazoo is a Michigan tax-deed county: the Treasurer-as-FGU takes fee-simple title by in-rem judgment and sells via Tax-Sale.info, with no post-sale redemption (title vests absolutely at the March 31 cutoff). Note the layered right of first refusal (State → local unit → County) and that unsold parcels route to the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority (C10) — both can pull inventory before/around the public auction. For the marketable-title path see michigan § 5b (quiet title commonly required despite MCL 211.78k(6) finality) and surviving interests in michigan § 7b (Part 201 environmental super-lien survives; IRS § 7425 120-day redemption persists).

▸ For Former Owners — If a Kalamazoo tax-foreclosure auction (sale on/after Dec 22, 2020) sold for more than the taxes, interest, and fees, the remaining proceeds belong to you under rafaeli-v-oakland-county-2020 and MCL 211.78t. Two firm steps: a notarized Form 5743 delivered to the Treasurer by July 1 of the foreclosure year, then a motion in the 9th Circuit Court during the Feb 1 – May 15 window after the sale. Missing either bars recovery. Pre-2021 losses fall outside 78t and outside the Fox settlement — they go through the Rafaeli inverse-condemnation route.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Treasurer / FGU (tax sale & surplus)Thomas L. Whitener201 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007269-384-8124; fax 269-383-8905https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/
Clerk / Register of Deeds (combined)Meredith Place201 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007269-383-8840 (Clerk); 269-383-8970 (Deeds); fax 269-384-8143https://www.kalcounty.gov/160/Clerk-Register-of-Deeds
9th Judicial Circuit Court (in-rem / 78t motions)(Clerk of Court)227 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007269-383-8837https://www.kalcounty.gov/467/9th-Circuit-Court
Sheriff (mortgage foreclosure by advertisement)Richard C. Fuller III1500 Lamont Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49048269-383-8821 (admin); 269-488-8911 (dispatch)https://www.kalcounty.gov/sheriff/

Sources: https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/ (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.kalcounty.gov/160/Clerk-Register-of-Deeds (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.kalcounty.gov/467/9th-Circuit-Court (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.kalcounty.gov/sheriff/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • Three-year GPTA timeline confirmed: current taxes due to local city/township/village treasurer through ~Feb 28 → delinquent to County Treasurer Mar 1 (Year 2) → forfeiture Mar 1 (Year 3, +$175) → in-rem judgment of foreclosure (Year 4) → redemption cutoff Mar 31 5:00 pm (Year 4) → summer/ fall public auction. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/1361/Tax-Foreclosure-Timeline (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Land Bank disposition: Tax-foreclosed parcels not sold at the public auction are conveyed to the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority for repurposing and return to the tax rolls (see C10). This is a notable local pathway diverting unsold inventory away from a re-offer. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/912/Auction-Surplus-Properties (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Mortgage foreclosure (sheriff sale) is separate: Michigan mortgage foreclosure by advertisement (MCL 600.3201 et seq.) is run by the Sheriff / foreclosing mortgagee’s attorney, not the Treasurer’s tax process; the Treasurer’s office historically published a mortgage-foreclosure brochure for borrowers (Oshtemo Township copy referenced in sources). Confirm the current newspaper of record for in-rem tax-foreclosure publication — see needs_verification.
  • Pre-2021 surplus exposure: Active Rafaeli inverse-condemnation litigation (Christman/Visser) targets Kalamazoo’s pre-2021 surplus retention; county is outside the Fox settlement (C3). See needs_verification for current docket.

C6. Records Access

C8. Title & Quiet Title → framework: michigan § 5b

  • Title type: tax_deed — the FGU conveys fee-simple title at the MCL 211.78m auction (no lien certificates). Framework: michigan § 1, § 7.
  • Quiet title required? Not by statute, but commonly required as a practical matter before title insurers will insure a GPTA tax-deed title, given notice-defect risk (sidun-v-wayne-county-treasurer-2008) despite the MCL 211.78k(6) finality. Notably, the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority is statutorily empowered to quiet title to tax-reverted property it acquires (“acquiring, assembling, disposing of, and quieting title to property, including tax-reverted property”), which is a meaningful local title-clearing channel for parcels routed through the Land Bank. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/605/Land-Bank-Authority (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Action type / court: judicial; quiet-title actions are filed in the 9th Judicial Circuit Court, Kalamazoo County (MCL 600.2932 / MCR 3.411; abandoned-property expedited route MCL 211.79a). Framework: michigan § 5b.
  • Typical timeline / cost: Per Michigan norms (framework michigan § 5b): uncontested quiet title ~90–120 days, ~$2,500–$6,000; contested 6–12+ months, potentially $10,000+. A Kalamazoo-specific cost/timeline schedule was not published on official pages — see needs_verification.
  • Title insurers active locally: National underwriters operate in Kalamazoo County (e.g., First American, Fidelity/Chicago Title, Old Republic, Stewart via local agencies); a specific list confirming tax-deed underwriting appetite in Kalamazoo was not retrieved from an official/primary source — see needs_verification.

C9. Purchaser Obligations During Redemption → framework: michigan § 10b

  • Subsequent tax payment office: Michigan is a deed state — there are no “subs” to pay on a certificate. Post-judgment/post-sale taxes are the new owner’s responsibility and are paid to the local city/township/village treasurer (current taxes) or, once delinquent, to the Kalamazoo County Treasurer (201 W. Kalamazoo Ave.; BS&A Online https://bsaonline.com/?uid=405). Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/1361/Tax-Foreclosure-Timeline (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Notice to owner (pre-foreclosure): The FGU (Treasurer) performs the GPTA notice regimen — certified mail, publication, and personal visit/site visit (the timeline’s $50 "Site Visit fee" and$50 publication fee reflect the statutory MCL 211.78i steps), with the constitutional follow-up duty from sidun-v-wayne-county-treasurer-2008. Framework: michigan § 6. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/1361/Tax-Foreclosure-Timeline (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Redemption payment office: Kalamazoo County Treasurer’s Office, 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007 (in person / 269-384-8124 / BS&A Online), through the March 31 5:00 pm cutoff. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/treasurer/tax-qa.htm (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Occupancy/access during redemption: For tax foreclosure there is no post-sale redemption period, so no owner-occupancy redemption window exists after the auction; pre-cutoff, the owner remains in possession until March 31. No Kalamazoo-specific local occupancy practice document was retrieved — see needs_verification.

C10. Local Restrictions → framework: michigan § 11b

  • Right of first refusal active? YES (statutory, MCL 211.78m(1)): State → city/village/township/authority → County. Locally, unsold tax-foreclosed parcels are conveyed to the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority, the primary local exercise of the post-auction disposition pathway. Source: https://www.kalcounty.gov/912/Auction-Surplus-Properties (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Land bank name: Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority (founded 2010; a quasi-governmental authority independent from the County but working with its municipalities). Treasurer Thomas Whitener serves as Staff Liaison.
  • Entity / insider restrictions: State MCL 211.78m bar on interest-holders re-purchasing below the tax debt applies locally; no additional Kalamazoo-specific entity/insider purchase ordinance was located — see needs_verification. Framework: michigan § 11b.

C7. Meta

Sources retrieved

needs_verification

  • “Kalamazoo County’s specific next-known 2026 auction date — not published on retrieved county pages; check Tax-Sale.info Kalamazoo catalog ~30 days before sale.”
  • “Kalamazoo-County-specific Tax-Sale.info auction-rules PDF for the current cycle — exact deposit figure and full bidder-eligibility terms confirmed only from general Tax-Sale.info platform terms ($1,000).”
  • “Newspaper of record used for in-rem tax-foreclosure publication notice in Kalamazoo County — not confirmed on retrieved pages.”
  • “Whether Kalamazoo County publishes an unclaimed remaining-proceeds list / dedicated URL when no Form 5743 is timely filed — none located.”
  • “Current docket/status of the Christman/Visser (and any related) Rafaeli inverse-condemnation litigation against Kalamazoo County for pre-2021 surplus retention.”
  • “Kalamazoo-specific quiet-title cost/timeline schedule and the list of title insurers underwriting tax-deed titles locally — not on an official/primary source (Michigan-norm figures used from michigan § 5b).”
  • “Kalamazoo-specific local occupancy/possession practice for the pre-March-31 redemption period — no county document retrieved.”
  • “Mechanism/terms by which unsold tax-foreclosed parcels are conveyed to the Land Bank (price, ROFR ordering documentation) — confirmed that conveyance occurs but the conveyance instrument/terms were not retrieved.”

michigan, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, third-party-recovery-rules, treasurer-sale, sheriff-sale, due-process-notice, rafaeli-v-oakland-county-2020, tyler-v-hennepin-county, sidun-v-wayne-county-treasurer-2008, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, federal-tax-lien-redemption, heirs-property

changelog

  • {date: 2026-06-02, note: “Initial Kalamazoo County page drafted. Official kalcounty.gov pages retrieved: Auction & Surplus Properties, Tax Foreclosure Timeline, Treasurer, Treasurer FAQ, Clerk/Register of Deeds, Document Searches, 9th Circuit Court, Sheriff, GIS/Mapping, Land Bank Authority; plus kalamazoolandbank.org, BS&A Online, Tax-Sale.info. Treasurer Thomas L. Whitener (FGU); Clerk/ROD Meredith Place; Sheriff Richard C. Fuller III. Form 5743 July-1 + notarization confirmed; Feb 1–May 15 motion window per MCL 211.78t(4). Kalamazoo confirmed NOT in Fox v. Saginaw 28-county settlement; pre-2021 surplus via Rafaeli inverse-condemnation (Christman/Visser suit noted). Land Bank receives unsold parcels and quiets title. 8 needs_verification items (gap_score 8 = 8 × row-2). All gap points are Row 2 honest gaps — zero contribution from rows 3–5; page passes the keep gate.“}

▸ For Investors / Operators — Kalamazoo runs a Treasurer-conducted GPTA tax-deed auction on Tax-Sale.info, with absolute title at the March 31 cutoff and no post-sale redemption. Watch the right of first refusal and the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority, which absorbs unsold parcels and can quiet title to tax-reverted property. Marketable-title path and surviving-lien analysis live at michigan §§ 5b, 7b.

▸ For Former Owners — For sales on/after Dec 22, 2020, recover remaining proceeds via a notarized Form 5743 to the Treasurer by July 1 then a motion in the 9th Circuit Court (Feb 1 – May 15) after the sale (MCL 211.78t). Pre-2021 losses are outside both 78t and the Fox settlement and run through the rafaeli-v-oakland-county-2020 inverse-condemnation route.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Kalamazoo County, Michigan tax- and mortgage-foreclosure operations from official county sources retrieved on 2026-06-02. Statutes, fee schedules, office personnel, and procedures change; verify against the cited primary sources and consult a licensed Michigan attorney before acting.

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