State Foreclosure Law Library

pierce-wa

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Pierce County, Washington — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

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

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Tacoma
  • Population: ~946,000 (2025 estimate; second-largest county in Washington) https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/piercecountywashington/PST045224
  • Recording unit: county — deeds and land records recorded with the Pierce County Auditor’s Office (Washington uses “auditor” as the recorder function).
  • FIPS: 53053
  • Parent legal framework: washington — Washington is a tax-deed, judicial-foreclosure state; the county treasurer (here the combined Assessor-Treasurer) is the selling authority (RCW 84.64.080). No private lien certificates. Pierce County inherits all of this; the sections below are the operational layer only.

C1. Local Tax Sale

  • Conducts own sale? Yes. The Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer forecloses delinquent parcels in Pierce County Superior Court and conducts the sale online through Bid4Assets. https://www.piercecountywa.gov/718/Purchasing-Foreclosure-Property
  • Platform: Bid4Assets — Pierce County’s recurring storefront uses the naming pattern bid4assets.com/storefront/PierceATNov<YY>. The most recently confirmed storefront is:
  • Calendar: Annual, held in November. The 2026 sale is scheduled for Monday, November 9, 2026.
    • Redemption/payment deadline: Friday, November 6, 2026 by 4:30 p.m. (close of business the day before the sale, consistent with RCW 84.64.070).
    • The delinquent/foreclosure parcel list is published on the county website in mid-to-late summer each year and printed in the classified section (Legal Notices) of the official county newspaper. The list is updated online through sale day as properties are redeemed. https://www.piercecountywa.gov/716/Foreclosure
  • Rate within statutory range: N/A locally — delinquent-tax interest is set by state statute (RCW 84.56.020), not by Pierce County. See washington.
  • Registration & deposit: Registration is through Bid4Assets. A single 35 non-refundable processing fee) is required to participate; one deposit covers all parcels in the sale. All prospective bidders must complete vesting information on Bid4Assets before receiving deposit instructions. Deposits are accepted only by certified check/money order or wire transfer (ACH, direct deposit, credit card, and money transfers are rejected). Winning bids are paid only by wire transfer. https://www.piercecountywa.gov/718/Purchasing-Foreclosure-Property https://www.bid4assets.com/storefront/PierceATNov25
  • Bidder requirements: Register and deposit through Bid4Assets; complete vesting information before deposit instructions are released. No additional local license requirement identified.
  • Delinquent list location: Two forms:
    1. Online (PDF): Posted on the county foreclosure page after the amended Certificate of Delinquency is filed; direct document link (updated annually): https://www.piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5625/Foreclosure-Parcel-List
    2. Newspaper: Printed in the classified/Legal Notices section of the official county newspaper in mid-to-late summer. https://www.piercecountywa.gov/716/Foreclosure

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

  • Where/how to redeem locally: Pay all taxes, interest, penalties, and foreclosure costs to the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer, Foreclosure Department, 2401 S. 35th St., Room 142, Tacoma, WA 98409. Redemption before the sale ends the foreclosure as to that parcel.
  • Deadline: Up to close of business the day before the sale — for the 2026 sale, this is November 6, 2026, 4:30 p.m. (consistent with RCW 84.64.070; see washington).
  • Local fees: Foreclosure costs (deed preparation, court filing, recording) are added to the redemption payoff; specific cost schedule not itemized on public-facing pages → needs_verification.
  • Redemption contact: Foreclosure Department — (253) 798-2728, foreclosure@piercecountywa.gov. https://www.piercecountywa.gov/716/Foreclosure
  • Deviations from state default: None identified — Pierce County follows the state pre-sale redemption rule exactly; no post-sale redemption right for ordinary owners.

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

BUSINESS CRITICAL — PIERCE COUNTY SPECIFIC: Tax-sale surplus claims are filed with the Assessor-Treasurer’s Office — NOT with the Clerk of Court. The county proactively notifies the record owner and provides a claim application. The mortgage-foreclosure surplus track is separate (see C5).

  • Belongs to: the former record title owner as of the date the Certificate of Delinquency was filed (the foreclosure lawsuit date), after payment of any water/sewer district liens — matching RCW 84.64.080(10); see washington.
  • Claim filing venue:
    • Office: Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer’s Office, Surplus Funds Team
    • Address: 2401 S. 35th St., Room 142, Tacoma, WA 98409
    • URL: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/6652/Surplus
    • Applications may be downloaded from the surplus page and submitted in person or as directed by the surplus funds team.
  • Claim form: A surplus application (PDF) is published on the county surplus page and is also directly linked as: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/86589/Surplus-Application (form name or number not confirmed from a retrieved page — the piercecountywa.gov server blocked direct fetch; see needs_verification).
  • Local deadline notes: Three years from the date of the foreclosure auction, consistent with RCW 84.64.080(10). For the November 9, 2026 sale, the deadline would be November 9, 2029. Unclaimed funds after three years are deposited to the county current expense fund; all owner claims are then extinguished (see washington).
  • Notice to former owner: The Assessor-Treasurer notifies the record owner of available surplus funds and provides a claim application — confirmed by the county surplus page and FAQ. https://www.piercecountywa.gov/6652/Surplus
  • Unclaimed-funds list published? The county’s Unclaimed Property page (https://www.piercecountywa.gov/371/Unclaimed-Property) addresses general county warrants (uncashed checks six months or older), not a dedicated tax-sale surplus list. Whether Pierce County publishes a standalone year-by-year surplus list comparable to King County’s PDF lists is not confirmed from retrieved sources → needs_verification.
  • Contact:
  • Recovery-agent fee cap (state law notice): Washington caps fees for locating county tax-foreclosure surplus at 5% of the amount returned (ESHB 1637 (2023); see washington and third-party-recovery-rules). Agreements over the cap are void and constitute a misdemeanor.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Assessor-Treasurer (Foreclosure / Surplus)Marty Campbell, Assessor-Treasurer2401 S. 35th St., Room 142, Tacoma, WA 98409(253) 798-2728 (Foreclosure) · (253) 798-6111 (main)https://www.piercecountywa.gov/91/Assessor---Treasurer
Clerk of Superior CourtConstance R. White (succeeded Kevin Stock)930 Tacoma Ave. S., Room 110, County-City Building, Tacoma, WA 98402(253) 798-7455https://www.piercecountywa.gov/95/Clerk-of-the-Superior-Court
Auditor / Recorder (Recording Dept.)Linda Farmer, Pierce County Auditor2401 S. 35th St., Room 200, Tacoma, WA 98409(253) 798-7427https://www.piercecountywa.gov/93/Auditor
Sheriff (judicial mortgage sales)Keith Swank, Pierce County Sheriff930 Tacoma Ave. S., Floor 1, County-City Building, Tacoma, WA 98402(253) 798-7530https://www.piercecountywa.gov/121/Sheriff

Note on office holder names: Marty Campbell is the current Assessor-Treasurer as of 2026-06-02, confirmed via piercecountywa.gov (succeeded Mike Lonergan, who retired). Constance R. White succeeded Kevin Stock as Clerk. Keith Swank was elected November 2024, took office January 2025.

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • Online-only tax-foreclosure auction via Bid4Assets (storefront naming pattern: PierceATNov<YY>), held annually in November. Wire transfer only for winning bids; vesting info required before deposit access.
  • Two distinct surplus tracks — do not conflate:
    1. Tax-foreclosure excess proceeds → claimed at the Assessor-Treasurer’s Office (Room 142; Surplus Funds Team) within three years of the sale. See C3 above.
    2. Mortgage (deed-of-trust) foreclosure surplus → deposited with the Clerk of Superior Court (Room 110) and disbursed only by court order after motion with ≥20 days’ notice (RCW 61.24.080; see washington). This is a completely separate office and process.
  • Sheriff sales (judicial mortgage foreclosure): Held Friday mornings at 10:00 a.m. at the 2nd floor entry plaza, County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma, WA 98402. Notice is published in the Tacoma Daily Index for four consecutive weeks prior to sale. The order to sell comes from the Superior Court Clerk. https://www.piercecountywa.gov/2863/Sheriff-Sales-Information
  • Tax-title properties (parcels that did not sell at the annual auction and become county land) may be sold by Pierce County Facilities Management through a separate Bid4Assets storefront (PierceFM) or by private negotiation under ch. 36.35 RCW. https://www.piercecountywa.gov/3236/Tax-title-Property-Auction https://www.piercecountywa.gov/1005/Tax-Title-Properties
  • Eligibility for foreclosure: Properties with cumulative delinquent taxes more than $100 and three or more years delinquent (RCW 84.64.050).
  • Delinquent list publication timing: Mid-to-late summer each year; list is updated through auction day as redemptions occur.
  • Deed issued: Treasurer’s Deed without expressed or implied warranty, conveying title “as is” — consistent with RCW 84.64.080. See washington for title-insurance / quiet-title considerations.
  • Tax payment in person: Also accepted at Pierce County Finance & Enterprise Services Cashier, 1501 Market St., Suite 120, Tacoma, WA 98402 (separate from the Assessor-Treasurer Room 142 location). https://www.piercecountywa.gov/748/Tax-Bills-Payments

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

Legal information, not legal advice. Verify against the cited official sources before acting. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

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