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Ramsey County, MN

16 min read

Ramsey County, Minnesota — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

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

Ramsey County is home to Saint Paul, the state capital, and is the county in which the $109 million tyler-v-hennepin-county class-action settlement was approved (Ramsey County District Court). The county administers its tax-forfeited land program under the brand name "Productive Properties." The post-Tyler surplus-claim process under Minn. Stat. §282.005 (effective 2024) is active: as of early 2026 the county has published a list of four properties generating approximately$209,000 in surplus proceeds available for claim.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Saint Paul
  • Population: ~552,352 (2020 Census)
  • Recording unit type: county
  • FIPS: 27123
  • Parent legal framework: minnesota
  • Key office hub: Plato Building, 90 Plato Blvd. West, Saint Paul, MN 55107 (houses Productive Properties / Delinquent Tax / Property Tax, Records & Election Services)

C1. Local Tax Sale

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

Minnesota’s three-year redemption period (Minn. Stat. 281.17) runs before forfeiture occurs. Once the 60-day Notice of Expiration of Redemption period ends and title forfeits to the State, redemption is extinguished (Minn. Stat. 281.18). See minnesota § 2 for the full redemption framework.

Tax-forfeited land redemption (pre-forfeiture):

  • Where to redeem: Productive Properties / Delinquent Tax office, Plato Building, 90 Plato Blvd. West, Saint Paul, MN 55107.
  • Contact:
    • Delinquent Tax: Phone 651-266-2002 | Email [email protected] | Hours M–F 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
    • Productive Properties: Phone 651-266-2080 | Email [email protected] | Hours M–F 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
  • Local fees:
    • Interest: 10% per year on delinquent taxes, increasing monthly.
    • Publication/notification fee: $25.00 (covers newspaper publication, certified mail, and sheriff service costs).
    • All delinquent taxes, special assessments, penalties, interest, and costs must be paid in full (Minn. Stat. 281.17 / 281.02).
  • Payment plan (Confession of Judgment): Available — owners may apply for a payment plan (“Confessions of Judgment”) to resolve delinquency and avoid forfeiture. See https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/residents/property-home/taxes-values/delinquent-tax-information/confessions-judgment
  • Repurchase after forfeiture (Minn. Stat. 282.241): Former owners may apply to repurchase the forfeited parcel within six months of forfeiture before the parcel is first offered for sale. Contact Productive Properties.
  • Deviations from state default:
    • Redemption period: 3 years for most properties (consistent with Minn. Stat. 281.17). Ramsey County confirms the prior 5-year period for homestead/cabin and township properties ended in 2014 — consistent with statewide statutory change.
    • Notice procedure: four steps — (1) courtesy letter in early April; (2) newspaper publication two weeks in May; (3) posting at Property Records office; (4) certified mail notice in June plus sheriff service for occupied/vacant properties. This is consistent with Minn. Stat. 281.23 as locally applied.
  • Partial payments: Accepted; applied first to penalties, then interest, fees, then taxes. — Sources: https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/residents/property-home/taxes-values/delinquent-tax-information (retrieved 2026-06-02) https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/residents/property-home/taxes-values/productive-properties (retrieved 2026-06-02)

Mortgage-foreclosure redemption (post-sheriff’s sale):

  • Where to redeem: Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Law Enforcement Center, 425 Grove St., Saint Paul, MN 55101. The FAQ page confirms the county does not handle mortgage foreclosures and directs inquiries to the Sheriff’s Department.
  • Redemption period: 6 months (standard) or 12 months (certain cases) from the sheriff’s sale. See minnesota § 4.
  • Contact: 651-266-9333 (Law Enforcement Center main).
  • Specific fees and sub-office details: needs_verification — the Ramsey County Sheriff’s civil-process/foreclosure page was not fully retrievable; confirm current procedures with the Sheriff at 651-266-9333.

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

This module reflects the post-Tyler / post-2024 framework under Minn. Stat. §282.005. For Ramsey County forfeitures from 6/23/2016–12/31/2023 (all MN counties except Hennepin/St. Louis), the $109M class-action settlement applied (claim deadline June 6, 2025 — now closed). Forfeitures from 1/1/2024 onward use the §282.005 process described here.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Ramsey County brands its tax-forfeited land program as “Productive Properties” and auctions parcels via the statewide MNBid platform (mnbid.mn.gov). Minimum bid is the county-board-appraised value; most liens and mortgages (except federal and state tax liens) are canceled at forfeiture. An adjacent-landowner sale and immediate-purchase (over-the-counter) option also exist for qualifying parcels. The county does not sell tax-lien certificates — the model is forfeiture to the state followed by county administration. Former owners have a 6-month window to repurchase after forfeiture before the parcel is first offered for sale (Minn. Stat. 282.241). Also note the $109M Tyler class-action settlement deadline (June 6, 2025) has passed; forfeitures from 1/1/2024 onward use the §282.005 process below.

▸ For Former Owners — Post-Tyler surplus claims for forfeitures from January 1, 2024 onward are filed with Productive Properties (Plato Building, 90 Plato Blvd. West, Saint Paul; 651-266-2080; [email protected]). Four active surplus claims totaling ~$209,000 were listed as of June 2026; the current claim deadline is August 11, 2026 (6 months from county mailing of notice, per Minn. Stat. 282.005 subd. 6(a)). The county’s live surplus listing is at ramseycountymn.gov/…/ramsey-county-property-sales-surplus. Disputed claims are interpleaded to Ramsey County District Court (15 West Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul; 651-266-8222).

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeName / DivisionAddressPhoneURL
Productive Properties (TFL / surplus)Property Tax, Records & Election ServicesPlato Building, 90 Plato Blvd. West, Saint Paul, MN 55107651-266-2080https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/residents/property-home/taxes-values/productive-properties
Delinquent Tax / RedemptionProperty Tax, Records & Election ServicesPlato Building, 90 Plato Blvd. West, Saint Paul, MN 55107651-266-2002https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/residents/property-home/taxes-values/delinquent-tax-information
Property Tax, Records & Election Services (general)—Plato Building, 90 Plato Blvd. West, Saint Paul, MN 55107651-266-2222https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/your-government/departments/property-tax-records-election-services
Recorder and Registrar of Titles—Plato Building, 90 Plato Blvd. West, Saint Paul, MN 55107 (needs_verification — address inferred from department location)651-266-2050https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/residents/property-home/records/recorders-office
County AssessorPatrick ChapmanPlato Building area (needs_verification — street address not confirmed on Assessor page)651-266-2131https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/your-government/departments/county-assessor
Sheriff (civil process / mortgage foreclosure sales)Ramsey County Sheriff’s OfficeLaw Enforcement Center, 425 Grove St., Saint Paul, MN 55101651-266-9333https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/your-government/leadership/sheriffs-office
District Court (surplus interpleader)Ramsey County District Court, 2nd Judicial District15 West Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul, MN 55102651-266-8222https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/ramsey

Sources:

C5. Local Procedure Notes

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

sources:

needs_verification:

  • MNBid deposit amount and payment timing: The MNBid platform (mnbid.mn.gov) rendered only a logo/divider — no terms were retrievable. Deposit requirements and payment-after-award timeline not confirmed. Contact Productive Properties at 651-266-2080 or confirm at mnbid.mn.gov before bidding.
  • Spring 2026 auction specific dates: The auction was listed as available but no specific start/end date was published on the sales page at time of retrieval. Check https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/residents/property-home/taxes-values/productive-properties/tax-forfeited-public-sales or call 651-266-2080.
  • Surplus claim form — downloadable URL: The county mails the form per §282.005. No standalone downloadable form URL was confirmed on the county website. Contact [email protected] or 651-266-2080.
  • RecordEASE direct URL: The county references RecordEASE for online deed/ document access but the direct URL was not provided on the access page. Contact the Recorder at 651-266-2050 or [email protected].
  • Recorder / Registrar of Titles physical address: The Recorder’s page did not display a street address. The Plato Building (90 Plato Blvd. West) is the address for the Property Tax, Records & Election Services department, which includes the Recorder; confirm the specific suite/office number by calling 651-266-2050.
  • County Assessor physical address: The Assessor’s page did not display a street address. Confirm with the Assessor’s office at 651-266-2131.
  • Sheriff’s civil process / foreclosure sub-office details: The Sheriff’s Office website did not provide a civil-process sub-office address or specific redemption fee schedule. The main number is 651-266-9333 (Law Enforcement Center, 425 Grove St.). Confirm foreclosure/redemption procedures with the Sheriff’s civil division.
  • District Court contact confirmation: The 2nd Judicial District Court address and phone (15 W. Kellogg Blvd., 651-266-8222) were not fetched from the mncourts.gov page; entered based on known public information. Confirm at https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/ramsey.
  • Immediate-purchase / over-the-counter program terms: The county references an immediate-purchase option for some parcels; specific eligibility and pricing rules not confirmed from retrieved content.

cross_links: minnesota, tyler-v-hennepin-county, surplus-funds, right-of-redemption, absolute-forfeiture, treasurer-sale, sheriff-sale, due-process-notice, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, federal-tax-lien-redemption, heirs-property, mineral-rights-forfeiture, scra-protections, third-party-recovery-rules, franklin-v-hennepin-county-1992

changelog:

  • 2026-06-02 — Initial population. All C0–C7 modules drafted from official Ramsey County web sources (ramseycountymn.gov, retrieved 2026-06-02), confirmed surplus listing with four live claims totaling ~$209K, MNBid platform reference, Beacon parcel search portal, MapRamsey GIS, and the county’s delinquent-tax notice procedures. Honest gaps flagged in needs_verification. No fabricated citations.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Ramsey County brands its tax-forfeited land program as “Productive Properties” and auctions parcels via the statewide MNBid platform (mnbid.mn.gov). Minimum bid is the county-board-appraised value; most liens and mortgages (except federal and state tax liens) are canceled at forfeiture. An adjacent-landowner sale and immediate-purchase (over-the-counter) option also exist for qualifying parcels. The county does not sell tax-lien certificates — the model is forfeiture to the state followed by county administration. Former owners have a 6-month window to repurchase after forfeiture before the parcel is first offered for sale (Minn. Stat. 282.241). Also note the $109M Tyler class-action settlement deadline (June 6, 2025) has passed; forfeitures from 1/1/2024 onward use the §282.005 process below.

▸ For Former Owners — Post-Tyler surplus claims for forfeitures from January 1, 2024 onward are filed with Productive Properties (Plato Building, 90 Plato Blvd. West, Saint Paul; 651-266-2080; [email protected]). Four active surplus claims totaling ~$209,000 were listed as of June 2026; the current claim deadline is August 11, 2026 (6 months from county mailing of notice, per Minn. Stat. 282.005 subd. 6(a)). The county’s live surplus listing is at ramseycountymn.gov/…/ramsey-county-property-sales-surplus. Disputed claims are interpleaded to Ramsey County District Court (15 West Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul; 651-266-8222).

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes local operational procedures that change frequently. Minnesota’s forfeiture and surplus law was substantially rewritten in 2024 following tyler-v-hennepin-county (598 U.S. 631 (2023)). The $109M class-action settlement covering Ramsey County forfeitures 6/23/2016–12/31/2023 had a claim deadline of June 6, 2025. Verify all facts — especially sale dates, registration requirements, and surplus claim deadlines — against current official Ramsey County sources and consult a licensed Minnesota attorney before acting. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

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