Oakland 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 Oakland County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Pontiac
  • Population: ~1.26 million (Michigan’s second most populous county)
  • Recording unit: county (Clerk/Register of Deeds = Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds)
  • FIPS: 26125
  • Parent legal framework: michigan — Michigan is a tax-deed, judicial in-rem foreclosure state under the General Property Tax Act (GPTA, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.78 series). The county treasurer is the Foreclosing Governmental Unit (“FGU”); Oakland County is a self-foreclosing county (the Oakland County Treasurer, not the State/DNR, forecloses and sells). Title vests by judgment of foreclosure in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court (Oakland County Circuit Court); there is no post-judgment redemption after March 31 and no tax-lien certificates. Historically significant as the respondent in rafaeli-v-oakland-county-2020, the Michigan Supreme Court case that held surplus retention unconstitutional and triggered the MCL 211.78t claims regime statewide. All statutory framework is inherited from michigan; the sections below are the local operational layer only.

C1. Local Tax Sale

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

  • Where/how to redeem locally: Pay all delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, and fees (including the $175 forfeiture fee and 1/2%/month forfeiture interest from the preceding March 1) to the Oakland County Treasurer. Delinquent balances are viewable and payable online through the Treasurer’s “Pay Now” portal; in-person payments accepted Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Dept. 479, Pontiac, MI 48341. Also payable by mail, drop box, or at PayNearMe retail locations (~130 locations statewide). Source: https://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office/pay-now
  • Deadline: Inherited from state law — on or before March 31 immediately succeeding the judgment of foreclosure (or within 21 days if contested). For 2026, the final redemption deadline for properties foreclosed April 1, 2026 was March 31, 2026. After that date the judgment is final and title vests absolutely in the Treasurer (MCL 211.78k). No post-auction redemption exists for tax deeds. See michigan.
  • Local fees: Statutory add-ons per MCL 211.78g ($175 forfeiture fee + 1/2%/month). Discrete Oakland County administrative cost itemization beyond state mandates → needs_verification.
  • Redemption contact: Oakland County Treasurer’s Office — (248) 858-0611 or toll-free (888) 350-0900; treasurer@oakgov.com. Source: https://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office
  • Deviations from state default: None identified — Oakland follows the GPTA March 31 cutoff with no post-auction redemption for tax deeds.

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

Business-critical module. Oakland County is historically the most important Michigan county for surplus-proceeds law (rafaeli-v-oakland-county-2020). The following reflects the current MCL 211.78t process for properties foreclosed in 2021 onward, including the 2026 cycle.

Governing law

MCL 211.78t (the “remaining proceeds” mechanism enacted post-Rafaeli). See michigan for the statutory mechanics. Oakland County is the FGU and runs the MCL 211.78t process through its Treasurer’s Office.

Two-step process (2026 foreclosure cycle — properties foreclosed April 1, 2026)

Step 1 — Notice of Intention (Form 5743):

Step 2 — Circuit Court Motion:

  • Trigger: After the auction, the Oakland County Treasurer sends eligible claimants (those who filed a timely Form 5743) Form 5744 — a “Notice to Claimant to File Motion” — typically delivered in January of the year following the sale.
  • Where to file (Step 2): File a motion in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court (Oakland County Circuit Court) in the same in-rem foreclosure proceeding in which the judgment of foreclosure was entered (MCL 211.78t(4)).
    • Filing venue: Oakland County Circuit Court, 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Pontiac, MI 48341 (eFiling available via MiFILE for most civil filings; confirm whether 78t motions require in-person filing → needs_verification).
  • Deadline (Step 2): February 1 through May 15 of the year following the sale (per MCL 211.78t(4), as confirmed in barry-county-treasurer-foreclosure-2024; older secondary sources citing “October 1” are stale — see michigan).
  • Form 5744 content: Includes all necessary information for filing the circuit-court motion; distributed by the Treasurer to timely Step-1 filers.
  • Source (Step 2 process): Search-result text from https://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office/property-taxes/property-tax-foreclosure-surplus-claims
  • Source (Form 5744 / Feb–May 15 window): https://lsem-mi.org/42224-2/ (Legal Services of Eastern Michigan; retrieved 2026-06-02)

Unclaimed surplus

  • No dedicated public list of unclaimed remaining proceeds was located on Oakland County’s official website at verification. The published public notices concern forfeited property (the GPTA 211.78i notice), not a roster of surplus funds available to former owners → needs_verification.
  • Under MCL 211.78t(2), failure to timely file Form 5743 forfeits the claim; the FGU retains the proceeds. Whether Oakland County separately publishes an unclaimed-surplus roster or transfers to the Michigan Unclaimed Property program → needs_verification.

Scam warning

The Oakland County Treasurer actively warns former owners about third-party companies that charge fees to file surplus claims on their behalf. The Treasurer’s Office provides free notary services and free assistance with Form 5743, and claimants need not hire a third party. Source: https://www.oakgov.com/Home/Components/News/News/1462/2002 (retrieved via search 2026-06-02)

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Treasurer / Tax Collector (FGU)Robert Wittenberg, Oakland County Treasurer (2nd term; reelected 2024)1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Dept. 479, Pontiac, MI 48341(248) 858-0611 · toll-free (888) 350-0900 · treasurer@oakgov.com · surplusproperty@oakgov.com (surplus)https://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office
Clerk of Court / Register of Deeds (same office in Oakland County)Lisa Brown, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Bldg. 12E, Pontiac, MI 48341(248) 858-0581 · clerk@oakgov.comhttps://www.oakgov.com/government/clerk-register-of-deeds
Circuit Court (Sixth Judicial — 78t motions)Oakland County Circuit Court1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Pontiac, MI 48341(248) 858-0344 (court) · (248) 858-0582 or clerklegal@oakgov.com (clerk legal records)https://www.oakgov.com/government/courts/circuit-court
Sheriff (mortgage foreclosure sales)Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard (reelected 2024; serves through Jan 1, 2029)1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Bldg. 38E, Pontiac, MI 48341(248) 858-5000https://www.oakgov.com/government/sheriff · http://www.oaklandsheriff.com

Notes:

  • In Oakland County, the Clerk/Register of Deeds is a combined office (Lisa Brown); the Register of Deeds (deeds, mortgages, sheriff’s deeds) and the County Clerk (court records, eFiling) function are held by the same elected officer at the same address.
  • Tax-sale FGU: Oakland County Treasurer (not the Sheriff or State/DNR).
  • Sheriff’s role: The Oakland County Sheriff’s Civil Unit conducts mortgage foreclosure-by-advertisement (sheriff’s sales), which are held at the courthouse (1200 N. Telegraph Rd., first floor) on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. The Sheriff does not conduct tax-deed auctions. Source: https://www.oakgov.com/government/sheriff/corrections/satellites-and-court-services/civil-unit (URL; content retrieved via search 2026-06-02)

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • Platform: Oakland County uses Tax-Sale.info (Title Check, LLC), an online-only virtual auction. This was Oakland County’s first virtual auction platform, adopted in 2022. Prior to 2022, Oakland County held in-person tax foreclosure auctions; the switch to tax-sale.info was announced by Treasurer Wittenberg as the first virtual sale.
  • DNR parcels: State-foreclosed (DNR) parcels in Oakland County are sold on a separate catalog on the same tax-sale.info platform; check https://www.tax-sale.info/listings/catalog/2920 for the 2026 DNR catalog (typically timed to the same auction window as the general sale).
  • Right of first refusal: Before any parcel reaches the public auction, the State, then city/village/township, then the county may purchase at the greater of fair market value or minimum bid (MCL 211.78m(1)). Where a unit exercises ROFR with no public auction, the surplus remedy is not MCL 211.78t — the former owner’s remedy is inverse condemnation under Rafaeli. See jackson-v-southfield-nri and michigan.
  • Surplus significance: rafaeli-v-oakland-county-2020 arose from Oakland County’s own foreclosure program. The county is a named defendant in the landmark case and has since built a proactive surplus-claims process, including press releases urging owners to file Form 5743 and offering free notary services.
  • No upset bid / no judicial confirmation of the tax-auction sale. Finality comes from the March 31 redemption cutoff; no post-sale redemption.
  • Delinquent taxes online (before forfeiture): local city/township treasurers collect through February 28; after that, delinquent balances are transferred to and payable at the Oakland County Treasurer’s Office. Source: https://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office/property-taxes/delinquent-property-taxes
  • Online-payment sunset: As of March 3, 2026, online tax payments became unavailable for 2025 delinquent taxes; payment then by mail, drop box, or in person only. Source: Search-result text from https://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office/pay-now (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Credit-card processing fee on tax-sale.info for winning bidder payments → needs_verification (noted in platform terms but exact % not pinned).

C6. Records Access

ResourceURL
Parcel search / delinquent tax / property reports (Property Gateway)https://gis.oakgov.com/PropertyGateway/Home.mvc
Delinquent Tax Statements purchasehttps://www.oakgov.com/government/property-gateway/delinquent-tax-statements
Register of Deeds — deed/document search (Oakland Super Index, records from 1964+)https://ocmideeds.com/
GIS parcel map (ArcGIS web viewer)https://oakgov.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html
Tax payment portal (“Pay Now”)https://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office/pay-now · https://apps.oakgov.com/etax0002/index.jsp (current-year taxes)
Auction platform (Tax-Sale.info — Oakland County storefront)https://www.tax-sale.info/listings/auction/799 (2026)
Court records / case search (Sixth Circuit)https://courtexplorer.oakgov.com/
Surplus claims pagehttps://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office/property-taxes/property-tax-foreclosure-surplus-claims

C7. Meta


Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Oakland County, Michigan tax- and mortgage-foreclosure procedure from official county sources and corroborated secondary sources retrieved on 2026-06-02. Statutes, deadlines, and auction logistics change; verify against the cited official sources and consult a licensed Michigan attorney before acting.