Ingham County, MI
In-person foreclosure auction, 10 a.m. at the Lansing Center
Ingham County holds its tax foreclosure auction in person at the Lansing Center on August 26 at 10 a.m., for properties already foreclosed for unpaid property taxes.
Michigan front-loads the redemption process: all redemption rights expire on March 31 of the foreclosure year (or 21 days after judgment in a contested case), months before the property ever reaches auction (MCL 211.78k(5)). So unlike lien states, there's no post-sale redemption window for the prior owner, and the winning bidder's deed vests fee simple title. That title isn't completely clean, though: visible or recorded easements and rights-of-way, private deed restrictions, recorded oil and gas leases, severed oil and gas rights, environmental restrictions and future special assessment installments all survive the foreclosure (MCL 211.78k(5)(c)–(e)). Separately, if the IRS held a federal tax lien on the property before foreclosure, it keeps a 120-day right to redeem after the sale.
Michigan rules at a glance
Michigan's timeline runs over roughly three years before a property ever reaches an investor: unpaid taxes are returned as delinquent on March 1, forfeited to the county treasurer the next March 1, and foreclosed by a circuit court judgment, with every right of redemption expiring on the March 31 after it (MCL 211.78g, 211.78k). Governments get the first option, then the county auctions what's left between July and November (MCL 211.78m). So unlike lien states, there's no redemption risk baked into a Michigan auction purchase — by the time you can bid, that window already closed. Since 2020 the former owner keeps a claim to any surplus, starting with a notice due by July 1 (MCL 211.78t).
The statute, the bidding and what goes wrong for new buyers are on the Michigan page; every sale date we have sourced for Ingham County is on the Ingham County page.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in Ingham County pays $3,640 a year in property tax — above the Michigan median of $2,904 (U.S.: $3,119). That is roughly what a typical home here owes for each year it goes unpaid — the debt that the opening bid at a deed sale is usually built from, plus interest and costs. Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $3,733; homes owned outright, $3,471.
On a home with a mortgage, the lender has its own reason to pay a delinquent tax bill: the tax lien outranks the mortgage, and a tax deed can wipe out the loan. On a home owned outright, nobody but the owner — or the heirs — has that reason. In Ingham County, 36.8% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Michigan: 42.2%, U.S.: 39.4%). That is less than the state as a whole: more of the delinquent bills here sit on mortgaged homes, where the lender often steps in.
7.2% of all housing units in Ingham County are vacant. The figure that matters for a buyer at the tax sale is the Census “other vacant” category — not for rent, not for sale, not a holiday home, but a catch-all that includes foreclosures, homes held up by legal proceedings or family reasons, homes needing repairs, and abandoned ones. Here it is 2.7% of all units (Michigan: 3.7%, U.S.: 3.6%). That is below the state rate: fewer empty properties on the list than elsewhere in Michigan.
Half of the homes in Ingham County were built in or before 1971 (Michigan: in or before 1972). The typical tax bill is 5.6% of the median household income of $65,526 (Michigan: 4.0%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25081, B25002, B25004, B25035, B19013) — see the figures on data.census.gov. Survey estimates with margins of error; anything too uncertain to state is left out.
Before you bid: Read the county's posted auction rules in full before bidding — Ingham's own notice stresses that bidding constitutes a binding legal agreement. Confirm the current property list and any deposit requirements with the Treasurer's office (517-676-7237) beforehand.
More sales: The upcoming sales in Michigan.
This page reflects publicly posted county auction notices as of publication and is general information, not financial or legal advice. Sale details can change — always confirm current terms with the county directly.