State Foreclosure Law Library

wayne-mi

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Wayne 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 Wayne County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-01.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Detroit
  • Population: ~1.79 million (Michigan’s most populous county)
  • Recording unit: county (recorder = Wayne County Register of Deeds)
  • FIPS: 26163
  • 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”); Wayne County is a self-foreclosing county (the Wayne County Treasurer, not the State/DNR, forecloses and sells). Title vests by judgment of foreclosure in the Third Judicial Circuit Court (Wayne County Circuit Court); there is no post-judgment redemption after March 31 and no tax-lien certificates. All of that is inherited from michigan; the locals below are the operational layer only.

C1. Local Tax Sale

  • Conducts own sale? Yes. The Wayne County Treasurer forecloses delinquent parcels under the GPTA pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered by the Wayne County Circuit Court, then sells the foreclosed parcels at public auction. Source (auction site): https://waynecountytreasurermi.com/
  • Platform: County-run online auction at www.waynecountytreasurermi.com (the Wayne County Treasurer’s own branded auction site; deposits processed via JPMorgan Chase). This is not RealAuction/GovEase. Historically Wayne County also used Bid4Assets (storefront sfid602) for its tax-foreclosure sales; the current official auction portal is waynecountytreasurermi.com. Source: https://waynecountytreasurermi.com/faq.html Bid4Assets historical FAQ: https://www.bid4assets.com/info/sfid602/taxsalefaqs.pdf
  • Calendar: Annual cycle with two rounds — a September auction and an October auction (parcels not sold in September are re-offered in October at a re-set minimum bid). Per the published 2025 auction schedule:
    • September auction: registration ~Aug 15 – Sep 11, 2025; bidding starts Sep 10, 2025; bidding closes Sep 17–18, 2025.
    • October auction: registration ~Oct 9 – Oct 16, 2025; bidding starts Oct 15, 2025; bidding closes Oct 22–23, 2025.
    • Next known sale: the 2026 auction cycle runs the same Sep/Oct pattern; exact 2026 dates are posted on waynecountytreasurermi.com before each round — not yet published at verification → needs_verification. Source (2025 schedule PDF, on the official county site): https://www.waynecountymi.gov/files/assets/mainsite/v/1/treasurer/documents/auction-card-schedule-2025_07092025.pdf
  • Rate within statutory range: N/A locally — forfeiture interest (1/2%/month) and the $175 forfeiture fee are set by state statute (MCL 211.78g), not by the county. See michigan.
  • Registration & deposit: Online registration with 1,000 for a single property and 2,500); premium properties require a $25,000 deposit. Deposits paid via JPMorgan Chase (ACH free; 2.49% card fee). Non-winners’ deposits carry forward from the September to the October auction unless a return is requested. Bidders must be 18+ and pass ID verification (driver’s license/passport upload). Source: https://waynecountytreasurermi.com/faq.html
  • Bidder requirements / payment terms: Open competitive bidding with proxy bids and a 5-minute anti-snipe extension; parcels grouped into batches of ~25. Minimum bid (September) = total taxes, interest, fees + Treasurer’s foreclosure/auction expenses. Full payment due within 72 hours of close; for sales over $100,000, a 25% non-refundable down payment is due within 72 hours and the balance within 7 days. Sales are “as is / where is” with no warranties. Current/relatives of WCTO contractors and employees are barred from bidding. The Treasurer records the deed within 30 days of close. Source: https://waynecountytreasurermi.com/faq.html
  • Delinquent / forfeited list location: The Treasurer publishes the “Forfeited Property List with Interested Parties” (statutory notice of forfeited parcels + names of record interest-holders, per MCL 211.78i) by year on the county site; the live parcel listing for an active auction is posted on the auction site under “All Batches” / “Downloads” (exportable Excel/PDF by community or zip).

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 interest from the preceding March 1) to the Wayne County Treasurer. Delinquent balances can be viewed/paid through the Treasurer’s online portal (pta.waynecounty.com); foreclosure-stage payoffs are handled by the Treasurer’s office directly. Source: https://pta.waynecounty.com/
  • Deadline: Inherited from state law — redemption is allowed on or before the March 31 immediately succeeding the judgment of foreclosure (or within 21 days of judgment in a contested case); the FGU has no right to possession until the following April 1 (or 22 days after judgment if contested). After that the judgment is final and title vests absolutely in the Treasurer (MCL 211.78g/k). See michigan.
  • Local fees: Recording and statutory add-ons accrue as part of the redemption amount; a discrete Wayne County local cost schedule was not itemized on the retrieved pages → needs_verification.
  • Redemption contact: Wayne County Treasurer — Tax Information Line (313) 224-5990; taxinfo@waynecountymi.gov.
  • Deviations from state default: None identified — Wayne follows the GPTA March 31 cutoff with no post-auction redemption for tax deeds.

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

This is the business-critical module. Wayne County runs TWO distinct surplus tracks — do not conflate them.

Track 1 — Current statutory process (foreclosures from 2021 onward, incl. 2026)

  • Governing law: MCL 211.78t (the Rafaeli/post-2020 “remaining proceeds” mechanism). See michigan and surplus-funds.
  • Belongs to: the former owner / interest-holders immediately before foreclosure, by court-determined priority, after the FGU recovers all taxes, costs, and expenses.
  • Step 1 — Notice of Intention: File a notarized Michigan Treasury Form 5743 (“Notice of Intent to Claim Interest in Foreclosure Sales Proceeds”) with the Wayne County Treasurer by July 1 immediately following the foreclosure. For property foreclosed in March 2026, the Form 5743 deadline is July 1, 2026. Submit notarized, by certified U.S. mail (return receipt) or hand delivery to: Wayne County Treasurer, 400 Monroe Street, 5th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226.
  • Step 2 — Motion: After the sale, the Treasurer sends eligible claimants a “Notice to Claimant to File Motion”; the claimant then files a motion in the Wayne County Circuit Court (Third Judicial Circuit) in the in-rem foreclosure case to obtain the remaining proceeds. The state motion window is Feb 1 – May 15 following the sale (MCL 211.78t(4); see michigan).
  • Missing the Form 5743 deadline precludes recovery.
  • Claim filing venue (Step 1): Wayne County Treasurer, 400 Monroe St, 5th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226. Step 2 venue: Third Judicial Circuit Court, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226.
  • Form / contact: Form 5743 + claim info on the Treasurer’s Claims & Auctions page; taxinfo@waynecountymi.gov. Sources: https://www.waynecountymi.gov/Government/Elected-Officials/Treasurer/Claims-Auctions https://arabamericannews.com/2026/05/29/wayne-county-treasurer-urges-property-owners-to-file-claims-for-surplus-foreclosure-auction-proceeds/

Track 2 — Pre-Dec 22, 2020 foreclosures (Kroll-administered remedial program)

  • For properties foreclosed BEFORE December 22, 2020, Wayne County runs a separate claims program administered by Kroll Settlement Administration LLC at www.waynecountyforeclosureclaims.com. This track uses a different form — Form 6156 (“Notice of Intent to Claim Interest in Foreclosure Sales Proceeds”) and a different deadline set (the 2025 cycle showed Form 6156 due Mar 31, 2025, county Motion Notice by Jul 1, 2025, and the circuit-court motion (Form CC 541) due Oct 1, 2025). The motion is filed in the Third Judicial Circuit Court, Civil Division, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226.

  • Do not apply the Track-2 form/dates to a 2026 foreclosure — 2026 foreclosures use Form 5743 / July 1 (Track 1 above).

  • Contact (Track 2): toll-free (833) 421-8123. Source: https://waynecountyforeclosureclaims.com/ · https://www.waynecountyforeclosureclaims.com/faq

  • Context: As of early 2026 the Treasurer reported $3.8M+ returned to former owners/interest-holders under these post-Rafaeli programs. Source: https://www.waynecountymi.gov/News/Treasurer/2026/Wayne-County-Returns-Millions-in-Tax-Foreclosure-Proceeds

  • Unclaimed-funds list published? No dedicated public “unclaimed remaining proceeds” roster was located on the county site (the published list is the forfeited-property notice, not an unclaimed-surplus roster) → needs_verification.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Treasurer / Tax Collector (FGU)Wayne County Treasurer400 Monroe St, 5th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226(313) 224-5990 (tax info) · taxinfo@waynecountymi.gov · WCTauction@waynecounty.com (auction)https://www.waynecountymi.gov/Government/Elected-Officials/Treasurer
Clerk of Court (78t motions)Wayne County Clerk / Third Judicial Circuit Court (Cathy M. Garrett, County Clerk)Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226(313) 224-5530https://www.3rdcc.org/
Recorder / Register of DeedsWayne County Register of Deeds400 Monroe St, 7th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226(313) 224-5850https://www.waynecountymi.gov/Government/Elected-Officials/Register-of-Deeds
SheriffNot applicable to tax sales — the Treasurer (FGU) conducts the GPTA tax-foreclosure auction online; the sheriff conducts only mortgage (foreclosure-by-advertisement) sales. See michigan.———

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • County-run online auction (waynecountytreasurermi.com), not a RealAuction/GovEase subdomain; deposits via JPMorgan Chase; two rounds (September + October) each year, with batches of ~25 parcels and a 5-minute anti-snipe extension.
  • Two surplus tracks keyed to the December 22, 2020 dividing line: post-2020 → Form 5743 / July 1 with the Treasurer, then a circuit-court motion (Track 1); pre-Dec-22-2020 → Kroll program / Form 6156 / CC 541 (Track 2). Using the wrong form or deadline forfeits the claim.
  • Self-foreclosing county: Wayne forecloses through its own Treasurer and the Wayne County Circuit Court (Third Judicial Circuit) — it does not rely on the State/DNR as FGU.
  • No upset bid / no judicial confirmation of the auction sale; finality comes from the March 31 redemption cutoff and the recorded Treasurer’s deed.
  • Notice: statutory GPTA notice (title search, certified mail, publication, personal visit/posting per MCL 211.78i) with the constitutional follow-up duty recognized in sidun-v-wayne-county-treasurer-2008 — a Wayne County case.
  • Right of first refusal (State → city/township → county) can pull parcels out of the public auction before bidding; where a unit takes a parcel with no public auction, the Rafaeli/inverse-condemnation remedy (not 78t) governs — see jackson-v-southfield-nri and michigan.

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

Legal information, not legal advice. Verify against the cited official sources before acting. Statutes, deadlines, and auction logistics change; confirm with the Wayne County Treasurer and a licensed Michigan attorney before acting. Last verified: 2026-06-01.

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