New Jersey delinquent tax lists by county
Short answer: New Jersey is a lien state, so a winning bidder gets a tax lien certificate, which pays interest if the owner redeems and can be foreclosed into ownership if they do not. Annual municipal tax lien sales at up to 18% plus premiums, with foreclosure possible after 2 years. Tax enforcement runs at the town and city level here rather than the county, so the official delinquent roll comes from the local municipal tax collector. Below is every New Jersey county we cover, with the live count of distressed owners in each.
Counties covered
21
Every one has its own ranked list and county-level rules page.
Flagged owners statewide
37,950
Carrying at least one distress signal in public records, refreshed daily.
Sale type
Lien
The owner keeps title and can redeem by paying the taxes plus interest during a redemption period set by New Jersey law. The county's sale notice states its length.
Every New Jersey county we cover
Sorted largest first. Each county page carries the official list source, the sale rules and the live ranked list of owners under pressure right now.
| County | County seat | Population | Flagged owners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen County | Hackensack | 956,000 | 4,137 |
| Middlesex County | New Brunswick | 863,000 | 4,750 |
| Essex County | Newark | 850,000 | 3,323 |
| Hudson County | Jersey City | 725,000 | 3,066 |
| Ocean County | Toms River | 653,000 | 1,635 |
| Monmouth County | Freehold | 644,000 | 2,056 |
| Union County | Elizabeth | 575,000 | 1,215 |
| Camden County | Camden | 524,000 | 2,321 |
| Passaic County | Paterson | 524,000 | 1,784 |
| Morris County | Morristown | 514,000 | 2,565 |
| Burlington County | Mount Holly | 464,000 | 2,538 |
| Mercer County | Trenton | 387,000 | 1,611 |
| Somerset County | 357,467 | 1,254 | |
| Gloucester County | 311,783 | 1,202 | |
| Atlantic County | 279,114 | 1,566 | |
| Cumberland County | 155,678 | 865 | |
| Sussex County | 147,444 | 644 | |
| Hunterdon County | 131,708 | 593 | |
| Warren County | 112,031 | 285 | |
| Cape May County | 93,875 | 208 | |
| Salem County | 65,874 | 332 |
New Jersey tax sale rules
| Tax sale system | New Jersey is a lien state. A winning bidder gets a tax lien certificate, which pays interest if the owner redeems and can be foreclosed into ownership if they do not. |
|---|---|
| Rate and cadence | Annual municipal tax lien sales at up to 18% plus premiums, with foreclosure possible after 2 years. |
| After the tax sale | The owner keeps title and can redeem by paying the taxes plus interest during a redemption period set by New Jersey law. The county's sale notice states its length. |
| Who publishes the list | Each town or city rather than the county. In New Jersey the Municipal Tax Collector runs the delinquent roll and the sale. |
| Foreclosure path | Judicial, typically 12 to 24 months from filing to sale. |
| Deficiency after sale | Restricted by fair market value credits. |
| Local note | One of the slowest foreclosure pipelines in the country, which keeps pre-foreclosure inventories deep. |
The New Jersey delinquency clock
New Jersey delinquent tax list FAQ
Is New Jersey a tax lien or tax deed state?
New Jersey is a lien state. A winning bidder gets a tax lien certificate, which pays interest if the owner redeems and can be foreclosed into ownership if they do not. Annual municipal tax lien sales at up to 18% plus premiums, with foreclosure possible after 2 years.
Where do I find the New Jersey delinquent tax list?
New Jersey runs tax enforcement at the town and city level, not the county, so the official delinquent roll comes from the local Municipal Tax Collector rather than a single county office. Pick your county below to see the municipalities inside it and the live list of distressed owners in that area.
How long does an owner have to redeem in New Jersey?
The owner keeps title and can redeem by paying the taxes plus interest during a redemption period set by New Jersey law. The county's sale notice states its length. That window is the single biggest thing separating a good tax-sale trade from a bad one, because it decides how long your money sits before you can act.
How many tax-delinquent properties are there in New Jersey?
Across the 21 New Jersey counties we track, roughly 37,950 properties currently carry at least one distress signal in public records, including tax delinquency, foreclosure filings, vacancy and long-distance ownership. The counts refresh daily.
Can I buy New Jersey tax-delinquent property before the auction?
Yes. The delinquency appears in the public record months before any sale is scheduled, and during that window the owner can still sell normally. That is the whole opportunity: no bidding war, an inspection is possible, and an owner with equity walks away with money instead of nothing.