Chittenden County tax sale
Short answer: the Chittenden County tax sale is where parcels still unpaid at the end of Vermont's collection process are sold. Vermont is a redeemable deed state, so a winning bid buys a redeemable deed. The date, the sale list and the terms are set in the official notice published before each sale, and the Municipal Tax Collector of the town or city where the parcel sits keeps the delinquent roll behind it. The list shrinks right up to sale day as owners pay, and every owner on it was in the public record as delinquent before it was printed.
What a bid buys
Redeemable deed
Vermont sets this statewide.
Tax office
Each town or city
Municipal tax enforcement in Vermont.
County size
1st of 14
By population among Vermont counties, about 169,000 residents.
How a Chittenden tax sale runs
A Chittenden tax sale sells a deed with a condition attached. The winning bidder gets a deed, but the former owner can still buy the property back inside the redemption window by repaying the bid plus a penalty.
Either outcome pays: if the owner redeems, the buyer collects the penalty, and if not, the buyer keeps the property. Until the window closes, though, it is not safely yours to renovate, rent or resell.
Chittenden County tax sale at a glance
| Who keeps the roll | Tax enforcement in Vermont belongs to cities and towns, not counties. A Chittenden parcel is sold by the Municipal Tax Collector of the municipality it sits in, on that municipality's own schedule. |
|---|---|
| What a winning bid buys | Redeemable deed sale: the buyer takes a redeemable deed. |
| Vermont sale pattern | Municipal tax sales carry a 1 year redemption at 12%. |
| Where the date comes from | The official sale notice, published before each sale by the office conducting it. Dates are set locally and change, so this page does not print one. |
| Where the list comes from | The same notice, usually with a downloadable list of parcels and amounts due that shrinks as owners pay before sale day. |
The sale list and the delinquent roll
They are two snapshots of the same record. The delinquent roll is everyone behind on Chittenden property tax, kept year round. The sale list is the part of that roll still unpaid when the town or city advertises the sale, and it keeps shrinking until the auction as owners pay to keep their property.
That shrinking is the useful part. Every parcel that drops off is an owner who found the money under deadline; every parcel still listed a week out belongs to an owner who has not. Buyers who only read the final list meet those owners last, in a room full of other bidders. The full roll, and where each town publishes it, is on the Chittenden County delinquent tax list page.
Before you bid in Chittenden
What to settle before sale day for a redeemable deed sale run town by town.
Find the right town first
There is no single Chittenden sale. Each town or city in the county runs its own, on its own calendar, so start with the collector for the municipality the parcel sits in.
Read the terms of sale
The notice sets the deposit, how and when the balance is due, the bidding method and whether bidding is online or in person. Missing a payment deadline can cost you the deposit.
Check the parcel, not the number
A sale list is parcel numbers and amounts owed. Map every parcel: lists routinely include slivers, landlocked lots and land you cannot build on, listed exactly like houses.
Hold through the window
Until the redemption window closes the former owner can buy it back, so do not renovate, rent or resell yet. Treat the penalty as the base case and the property as the upside.
Watch the occupancy
Former owners often stay put during redemption. Know who lives there and what possession will take once the window ends.
Drive it
Online photos can be years old. Seeing the street, the roof and whether anyone lives there tells you more than any record on the list near Burlington.
A mid-size sale
With about 169,000 residents, Chittenden is big enough for a real list and small enough that the same regular bidders tend to return. Knowing the neighbourhoods counts for more here than bidding speed.
Or buy before the sale
Months before a parcel reaches the Chittenden sale list, the owner is already behind in the public record and still holds title. That is the window to inspect, run title and agree a price one to one. LowBaller ranks those owners around Burlington by how much pressure they are under and how much equity they hold, with a suggested opening offer on each. Below are representative profiles from the ranking model; the live list is one free scan away.
- #1About 4 years of unpaid property taxes. The bill keeps growing, which often pushes owners to sell sooner.$281K start bid · ~42% under market
- #2About 1 year of unpaid property taxes. The bill keeps growing, which often pushes owners to sell sooner.$307K start bid · ~37% under market
- #3About 3 years of unpaid property taxes. The bill keeps growing, which often pushes owners to sell sooner.$288K start bid · ~39% under market
5 more ranked Burlington deals behind the scan
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Chittenden County among Vermont counties
Chittenden County is the most populous of the 14 Vermont counties, home to about 169,000 people, roughly 26.2% of the state.
| Rank | County | Seat | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chittenden County (this page) | Burlington | 169,000 |
| 2 | Rutland County tax sale | Rutland | 60,000 |
| 3 | Washington County tax sale | Montpelier | 59,000 |
| 4 | Windsor County tax sale | 57,697 | |
| 5 | Franklin County tax sale | 51,066 | |
| 6 | Windham County tax sale | 45,627 | |
| 7 | Addison County tax sale | 38,047 | |
| 8 | Bennington County tax sale | 37,039 |
Population from US Census estimates, rounded on some entries. Seats are listed only where we have verified them.
Chittenden County tax sale FAQ
When is the Chittenden County tax sale in 2026?
The date is set locally and announced in the official sale notice ahead of the sale; the Municipal Tax Collector of the town or city where the parcel sits is the place to start. The Vermont pattern is the steadier guide. Municipal tax sales carry a 1 year redemption at 12%. Confirm the date close to it.
Where can I get the Chittenden County tax sale list?
Start with the Municipal Tax Collector of the town or city where the parcel sits, which keeps the delinquent roll. The sale list comes with the sale notice, often as a PDF or spreadsheet of parcels and amounts due, and shrinks as owners pay. It does not show owner contact, values or which owners might sell first.
Does Chittenden sell tax liens or tax deeds?
Vermont is a redeemable deed state, so a winning bid at the Chittenden sale buys a redeemable deed, not the house. That leaves two outcomes: the owner redeems and the buyer earns the penalty, or the window closes and the buyer keeps the property.
How do I bid at the Chittenden County tax sale?
Register before the deadline in the sale notice, which also sets the deposit, accepted payment and whether bidding is online or in person. In a deed sale, bidders compete on price, usually from a minimum set by the amount owed. Read the full terms before sale day.
Can the owner get the property back after the Chittenden tax sale?
Yes, for a limited time. Vermont sells redeemable deeds, so the former owner can buy the property back inside the window by repaying the bid plus the penalty. Municipal tax sales carry a 1 year redemption at 12%. Until the window closes, the buyer should not treat the property as theirs.
Is it better to buy before the Chittenden tax sale?
Often. Before the sale the owner still holds title, so you can inspect, run title and negotiate one to one instead of bidding against the room. The catch is that a direct purchase needs the owner to agree, and many will not.
Why do towns, not Chittenden County, run the tax sale?
Because Vermont gives property tax collection to cities and towns. Each municipality keeps its own delinquent roll and runs its own tax sale on its own schedule, so one county can hold many separate sales. Start with the collector for the town where the parcel sits.
More on Chittenden County
Tax sales near Chittenden County
Keep going
Everyone at the Chittenden sale sees the same list.
Reach the owners before it is printed, while a private sale still solves their problem. Scan free and see who is under pressure around Burlington today.
Scan Chittenden freeInformational summary, not legal or investment advice. Sale formats, rates and redemption periods are summarized at the Vermont state level and can be changed by statute or applied differently in Chittenden County. The official sale notice controls every date, deposit and bidding rule. Verify before you bid.