For the fifth consecutive year, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott announced the removal of owner-occupied homes from the City’s annual tax sale list. This move, approved by the Board of Estimates, aims to protect residents from the threat of tax sale due to unpaid property taxes and stabilize communities across Baltimore.
Protecting Homeowners and Communities
Owner-occupied properties — single-family homes, condominiums, and multifamily units where the owner resides — will not be included in the tax sale scheduled for May 19, 2025. Mayor Scott’s initiative specifically targets properties assessed under $250,000, reflecting the same criteria used in 2024.
Tax Sales: A Last Resort
Under Maryland law, counties and Baltimore City must collect delinquent real property taxes and other unpaid charges, including liens against the property. These properties are typically scheduled for tax sale no later than two years after the taxes become delinquent.
MACo strongly prefers that homeowners receive all counseling, education, information, support, and additional assistance when appropriate to help them pay on time and avoid going through tax sale. To that end, MACo has supported legislation establishing the Homeowner Protection Program and several bills to reform the tax sale process to ensure its fairness.
In addition, MACo successfully supported 2023 legislation, HB 57, which grants counties and Baltimore City flexibility in determining the frequency of tax sales. This change allows local governments to time tax sales in a way that better supports homeowners while still meeting local revenue requirements.
Moving Toward Modernization
In addition to removing owner-occupied homes from tax sale, the Scott administration is moving forward with a plan to implement a cloud-based tax payment system.
The new system, expected to roll out over the next few years, will offer payment plans and automate many of the manual processes that currently burden taxpayers. This modernization aims to make it easier for homeowners to stay current on their property taxes, reducing the number of properties at risk of tax sale in the future.
