Todd County

What the sale is

Minnesota does not sell tax liens. When taxes go unpaid long enough, the land forfeits to the State of Minnesota, and the county sells it. Todd County's "Market Value Auction" offers 35 such parcels online, opening at 10:00 a.m. CT on October 19 and closing on November 18. Opening bids start at $300, and Bid4Assets lists them as no-reserve auctions above that minimum.

The buyer receives a State Deed from the State of Minnesota. It is a quitclaim deed, which the county says has the characteristics of a patent from the state, and it suggests asking an attorney how that affects ownership.

The county calls these "Settlement Sales", governed by Laws of Minnesota 2024, chapter 113, as amended by chapter 127, article 70, section 9. Their proceeds are not apportioned to local taxing districts the usual way: 75% of the proceeds of any sale on or before June 2027, and 85% of sales from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2029, go to the state's general fund to help offset a $109 million global settlement. The county keeps the rest to cover the cost of running the sales.

Deposit and deadlines

A single $250 deposit plus a $35 non-refundable processing fee lets you bid on every parcel. It must reach Bid4Assets by 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CT) on Wednesday, November 11. Todd County makes you fill in your vesting information, how the deed should read, before you can see the deposit instructions.

Full payment is due at Bid4Assets by 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CT) on Monday, November 23, 2026. If it is not received, the county may take legal action against the defaulting bidder. Deposits of non-winners are refunded by eCheck within about ten business days.

Anyone with delinquent real or personal property taxes in Todd County may not buy tax-forfeited land. Pay them before you bid.

The fees on top of your bid

Minnesota and Todd County add a list of charges to every winning bid:

State assurance fee: 3% of the total sale value, set by the state, which goes to the general fund to cover losses if the state ever has to defend its right to forfeit land. Buyer's premium: 5% of the final bid, at least $100. Todd County administration fee: $250 per parcel. Recording fee: $46, plus $50 for a well disclosure if there is a well. State deed tax: $1.65 for sales up to $3,000, or 0.0033 times the sale value plus premium above that. Deed fee: $25. Bid4Assets administrative fee: $35 per parcel won.

Add them up before you bid. On a $300 parcel without a well, the fixed charges alone (premium minimum $100, county fee $250, recording $46, deed fee $25, deed tax $1.65, Bid4Assets $35, plus 3% assurance) come to roughly $470, more than the bid itself. For purchases in 2026, the property taxes are payable from 2027.

What comes with the land

Tax-forfeited land is sold as is, and Todd County is explicit about what it does not promise. Land may not conform to building and zoning rules and is not guaranteed buildable. The county does not locate property lines; any survey is at the buyer's cost. There is no guaranteed access: if a parcel is landlocked, obtaining an easement is the buyer's job, and the county does not do it.

The land may not be free of mortgage-like liens and encumbrances, and it stays subject to existing roads, easements, leases and zoning. Special assessments cancelled at forfeiture may be reassessed by the city or township after the sale.

Parcels in the Sylvan Shores development come with an obligation: buyers must join the Sylvan Shores association, and the county asks bidders to contact the association about its rules first (218-894-1065).

If a parcel does not sell

Parcels that do not sell at auction become available over the counter, first come, first served, for the total price listed on each tract. The county cannot accept offers below that price under state law. The available list is posted on the county website and appears as the Tax-Forfeited Land Sale layer on the county's Land Explorer map.

Information is available from the Todd County Auditor/Treasurer, 215 First Avenue South, Suite 201, Long Prairie (320-732-4473, [email protected]). The county may withdraw land from the sale at any time in the public interest.

Three ways people lose money here

1. 1. Budgeting the bid only

   On a small parcel, the 3% assurance fee, 5% premium (at least $100) and $250 county fee can exceed the bid.

2. 2. Buying a landlocked lot

   Access is not guaranteed and the county does not obtain easements.

3. 3. Overlooking Sylvan Shores

   Parcels there require joining the association.