Kent tax sales, Delaware

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The Kent County Sheriff's own explanatory page contains the one loose statement in this set, and this record flags it rather than copying it. The page tells buyers that the original owner has approximately 90 days to redeem the property and that a redeeming owner returns the buyer's money plus 15 percent of the bid. The governing statute, section 8729 of Title 9, fixes redemption at any time within 60 days from the day the sale is approved by the Court, on payment of the purchase price and 15 percent in addition, together with all costs. The approximately 90 day figure is best understood as the practical span from sale day through confirmation and the 60 day redemption window that follows approval, but the legal deadline is the statutory one. The same page fixes the mechanics a buyer actually lives with: within the redemption period the buyer hears from the Sheriff's Office only if the property is redeemed or the sale is overturned by the court, and if neither happens the buyer proceeds through the buyer's own attorney to have a deed prepared, which is sent to the Sheriff's Office for the Sheriff's signature.

Selling office: Kent County Sheriff's Office, Kent County Administrative Building, 555 Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901, phone (302) 744-2336 for tax (monition) sale information.

Next sale: Monition sale, Tuesday, January 26, 2027, Levy Court Chambers, Dover. Monition sales are held on the last Tuesday of January, April, July and October. The most recent monition sale day under the published schedule was Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and the next is Tuesday, January 26, 2027. No separate dated 2026 monition sale notice beyond the standing schedule and the per sale lists was found in the county sources read for this record.

Tuesday, January 26, 2027, the last Tuesday of January, at Levy Court Chambers, 555 Bay Road, Dover, under the standing quarterly monition schedule. Confirm the parcel list on the Kent County website, which the Sheriff's Office updates three times daily.

Dates and deadlines

Next sale	Monition sale, Tuesday, January 26, 2027, Levy Court Chambers, Dover
Seller	Kent County Sheriff's Office, Kent County Administrative Building, 555 Bay Road, Dover, phone (302) 744-2336 for tax sale information
2026 sale	Monition sales on the last Tuesday of January, April, July and October; in 2026, Tuesday, January 27, Tuesday, April 28, Tuesday, July 28 and Tuesday, October 27, at Levy Court Chambers, 555 Bay Road, Dover
Registration	Registration on the day of the sale, between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. under the Sheriff's sales directive; sales lists are updated three times daily and at 9:30 a.m. on the day of sale
The list	Published on the Kent County website, advertised in the Dover Post and the Delaware State News two weeks before the sale, and available in print from the Sheriff's Office at 25 cents per page
Leftover channel	No separate leftover channel is published; a sale whose bid is not approved may be re exposed under section 8726 of Title 9, and excess proceeds are listed by the Superior Court Project Rightful Owner for Kent County
Format	Tax sales are monition sales under Subchapter II of Chapter 87 of Title 9 of the Delaware Code, sections 8721 to 8733, held by the Kent County Sheriff on the last Tuesday of January, April, July and October, at the Kent County Administrative Building, Levy Court Chambers, 555 Bay Road, Dover. The Sheriff's Office describes county or town tax sales as held approximately every three months, by verbal bidding, with the property going to the highest bidder no matter what is owed in taxes or water and sewer charges, and the full amount of the bid due the day of the sale. In 2026 the monition sale days under that schedule were Tuesday, January 27, Tuesday, April 28, Tuesday, July 28 and Tuesday, October 27. Kent County also sits inside the second statutory channel in Subchapter IV of Chapter 87, sections 8771 to 8779, a sale of land for delinquent taxes by the tax collecting authority itself, which no Kent County source read for this record presents as the channel its published sheriff tax sales use.: In person verbal bidding at Levy Court Chambers. No online bidding platform is used. Sales are advertised in the Dover Post and the Delaware State News two weeks prior to the sales, the sales list is published on the Kent County website and is updated three times daily, and printed sales lists are offered by the Sheriff's Office at 25 cents per page.
Selling office	Kent County Sheriff's Office, Kent County Administrative Building, 555 Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901, phone (302) 744-2336 for tax (monition) sale information.

Sources: Kent County Levy Court, What is a sheriff sale? How does a Sheriff sale function?. Kent County Sheriff's Office, Sales Directive, effective May 1, 2025. Delaware Code Online, Title 9, Chapter 87, Subchapter II, Monition Method of Sale. Delaware Code Online, Title 9, Chapter 87, Subchapter IV, Sale of Land for Delinquent Taxes in Kent and Sussex Counties. Delaware Superior Court, Project Rightful Owner, Kent County list. Confirm with the selling office before relying on any date on this page: sales move, terms change, and parcels are pulled up to sale day.

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How Delaware monition sales work

Delaware collects delinquent real estate taxes by a court sale under the monition method in Subchapter II of Chapter 87 of Title 9 of the Delaware Code, sections 8721 to 8733. The buyer purchases the real estate itself at a sheriff sale; there is no sale of liens or certificates.
The county tax collecting authority files a praecipe in the office of the Prothonotary of the Superior Court for the county where the property is located, and the Prothonotary records it on a special judgment docket against the property for the taxes due (section 8722). The tax is a lien for 10 years from July 1 of the levy year, and in Kent and Sussex Counties the lien has priority over all other liens (section 8705).
On a praecipe for monition, the Prothonotary issues a monition to the sheriff stating the judgment, including accrued penalty. The monition warns every person with an interest that the judgment must be paid within 20 days or the property may be sold for the judgment, accrued penalties and all costs (sections 8722 and 8723). The sheriff posts the monition on a prominent part of the property and returns it within 10 days; the posting is notice to the owner and all interested persons (section 8724).
After 20 days following the sheriff's return, if the judgment and costs are not paid, a writ of venditioni exponas issues commanding the sheriff to expose the property to public sale (section 8725). Sales are held by the county sheriff on the county's published sale day, and in all three counties the full purchase price is due on the day of sale for a monition sale.
Where the sale notice so provides, the county department of finance or chief county financial officer may approve or disapprove the final bid for any public purpose or reason, and counties may require bidders to be certified before they bid (section 8726). A municipality has the same approval and certification powers for its own monition sales under section 113 of Title 22.
On the return of the writ, the Superior Court inquires into the regularity of the proceedings and either approves the sale or sets it aside (section 8731). The owner may then redeem at any time within 60 days from the day the sale is approved, by paying the purchaser the purchase price and 15 percent in addition, together with all costs (section 8729).
If the property is not redeemed, the purchaser must petition the Superior Court for an order directing the sheriff to execute and deliver a deed (section 8728). The sale vests in the purchaser all the right, title and interest of the person assessed and of the owners, freed and discharged from liens and encumbrances (section 8727).
Kent and Sussex Counties have a second statutory channel, the sale of land for delinquent taxes in Subchapter IV, sections 8771 to 8779, under which the tax collecting authority sells the land itself at the courthouse door, no deed issues until 1 year from the sale, the owner redeems at the purchase money with 20 percent interest, prior liens survive the sale, and any excess over the tax, costs and expenses is paid at once to the owner (sections 8704, 8776 and 8779). Neither county presents its published sheriff tax sales as sales under that channel.
On a monition sale, proceeds above the judgment and costs are not kept by the county: in the published New Castle County practice, lien holders and homeowners contact the Sheriff's Office for proceeds remaining after distribution of the costs of the sale, and excess proceeds unclaimed after 90 days go to the Prothonotary for escrow and listing on the Superior Court Project Rightful Owner pages, which the Court maintains for all three counties. Delaware enacted no amendment to Chapter 87 after Tyler v. Hennepin County addressing surplus.

How buying works in Kent

Under the Sheriff's sales directive, all bidders are required to register between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on the day of the sheriff sale. The Sheriff's explanatory page adds that the status of a property listed for sale can change up to the day of sale, that the sales list is updated three times daily, and that the listing is updated at 9:30 a.m. on the day of sale.

The full price is due on sale day Every Delaware monition term in this set requires 100 percent of the purchase money on the day of sale: at the time of sale in New Castle County, by 2:00 p.m. on the day of sale in Kent County, and by 3:00 p.m. on the day of sale in Sussex County. The 20 percent deposit structure in the same sheriff offices belongs to mortgage foreclosure sales and does not apply to a tax sale.
Registration money is real money, in bank funds New Castle County requires verification of 10,000 dollars in certified funds at registration, collected only from the winning bidder, and takes no cash. Kent and Sussex Counties each require a 4,000 dollar deposit to register or to close a winning bid, in cash or bank funds as their pages state, and the Kent deposit is expressly non refundable.
The government can reject your winning bid Where the sale notice carries the term, the county finance authority, or for a city sale the municipal finance director, may disapprove the final bid for any public purpose or reason, including your record on other property you own. Counties and the City of Wilmington may also require a bidder certificate before you may bid at all. A winning bid in Delaware is therefore an offer the government can refuse, not a completed purchase.
Approval, redemption, then a petition: the deed takes months The sale is confirmed by Superior Court weeks after sale day, the owner then has 60 days from approval to redeem at the price plus 15 percent and costs (20 percent plus repair costs from a Wilmington city sale), and only after that window closes can the buyer petition the Court for a sheriff's deed. Price the wait, and the redemption risk, into the bid.

Terms: what a bid actually costs

Deposit, Kent	4,000 dollars, non refundable, for each property purchased, payable at the time bidding closes by cashier's check, certified check or money order made payable to the Kent County Sheriff. For a monition sale the deposit is part of the full price, which is due the day of the sale.
Payment, Kent	For a county or town tax sale the full amount of the bid is due the day of the sale. The 4,000 dollar deposit must be by cashier's check, certified check or money order; the balance may be paid in those forms or by personal or business check, and must be received in the Kent County Sheriff's Office by 2:00 p.m. the day of the sale. The Sheriff's directive adds that a sale is also subject to Delaware realty transfer tax and county or town tax, one half to be paid by the seller and one half by the purchaser, and states a sheriff sale commission rate of 4 percent with a minimum of 1,000 dollars and a maximum of 12,000 dollars. This full payment rule is the monition rule; mortgage foreclosure sales in Kent County take 20 percent on the day and the balance about 30 days later, and must not be confused with it.
What is sold	The real estate, by tax parcel, at a sheriff sale under a writ of venditioni exponas. A monition purchase is not the purchase of a tax lien, as the Sussex County Sheriff states expressly.
The judgment	Entered on a special judgment docket in Superior Court on the tax collecting authority's praecipe, for the taxes due as billed (section 8722 of Title 9); the monition and writ add accrued penalty and the costs of the proceeding (sections 8723 and 8725).
The tax lien	Taxes are a lien on the real estate for 10 years from July 1 of the year levied, continuing until the tax is collected while the assessed owner still owns the property; in Kent and Sussex Counties the lien has priority over all other liens (section 8705).
The monition	A warning issued by the Prothonotary to the sheriff and posted by the sheriff on a prominent part of the property, returnable within 10 days. Unless the judgment is paid within 20 days after its date, the authority may proceed to sell (sections 8723 and 8724).
The sale	A public sale by the county sheriff on the county's published sale day: the second Tuesday of every month in New Castle County, the last Tuesday of January, April, July and October for monitions in Kent County, and the third Tuesday of every month in Sussex County. The full purchase price is due on the day of sale in all three counties.
Finance approval and bidder certification	Where the sale notice so provides, the county finance authority may approve or disapprove the final bid for any public purpose or reason, and may require bidders to certify that they own no other county property with past due amounts over 1,000 dollars or long vacant without a permit; if a bid is disapproved, the property may be re exposed to succeeding sales (section 8726).
Confirmation	On the return of the writ the Superior Court inquires into the regularity of the proceedings and either approves the sale or sets it aside (section 8731). The redemption clock does not start until approval.
Redemption	Within 60 days from the day the sale is approved by the Court, the owner or the owner's legal representatives may redeem by paying the purchaser the purchase price and 15 percent in addition, together with all costs; if the purchaser cannot be found in the county or refuses the money, it is paid into Court (section 8729). From a City of Wilmington sale the premium is 20 percent plus required repair costs, under section 4-148 of the Wilmington City Code.
The deed and the title	No deed is automatic. If the property is not redeemed, the purchaser petitions the Superior Court for an order directing the sheriff to execute and deliver a deed (section 8728). The sale vests all the right, title and interest of the person assessed and of the owners, freed and discharged from liens and encumbrances (section 8727).
Surplus	Subchapter II states no surplus section. Proceeds above the judgment and costs are held for those entitled: in the published New Castle County practice, excess unclaimed after 90 days at the Sheriff's Office is paid to the Prothonotary for escrow and listed on the Superior Court Project Rightful Owner pages. In the Subchapter IV channel, any excess over the tax, costs and expenses of sale is paid at once to the owner (section 8779).
The leftover channel	There is no leftover list. If the finance authority disapproves the final bid, the property may be exposed to another and as many succeeding sales as the authority chooses (section 8726), and a sale set aside by the Court in the Subchapter IV channel may be followed by another sale, and so on until the tax due be collected (section 8773).
The redemption period, stated two ways	The Sheriff's explanatory page says the original owner has approximately 90 days to redeem and receives back, through the buyer, the bid plus 15 percent. Section 8729 of Title 9, which governs, allows redemption at any time within 60 days from the day the sale is approved by the Court, on payment of the purchase price and 15 percent in addition, together with all costs incurred in the cause. Rely on the statute.
No clear title is guaranteed	The Kent County Sheriff's Office states that it does not guarantee clear titles and that research into liens and other obligations is the bidder's responsibility, using the public access computers at the Recorder of Deeds Office, 555 Bay Road, Dover, and the Prothonotary's Office at the Kent County Courthouse, 414 Federal Street, Dover.

Tax property that draws no approved bid

NOT PUBLISHED as a separate Kent County procedure: the Sheriff's sources state no leftover list, county purchase program, or discount channel for tax properties that draw no sufficient bid. Under section 8726 of Title 9, if the county finance authority does not approve the final bid, the property may be exposed to another and as many succeeding sales as the county chooses. In the Subchapter IV channel, which Kent County does not present as its operating channel, section 8773 provides that if a sale is set aside the Court may order another sale, and so on until the tax due be collected. Excess proceeds from Kent County sheriff sales are published on the Superior Court Project Rightful Owner list for Kent County.

Before you bid

Learn which plaintiff is selling The same sheriff sale mixes mortgage foreclosures, judgments, county monitions and, in New Castle County, City of Wilmington monitions. The writ type and the approval term in each poster tell you whose sale it is, and the answer changes the redemption price, the approval authority and the prequalification rules. Read the poster, not just the address.
Do your own title work; nobody guarantees it The Kent and Sussex sheriffs state expressly that they do not guarantee clear titles. A monition sale discharges liens by statute under section 8727 of Title 9, but a Subchapter IV sale in Kent or Sussex preserves prior liens under section 8704, so the first diligence question in those counties is which channel the sale is under.
Check the payment plan and moratorium screens For the 2025 to 2026 tax year, a New Castle County residential taxpayer complying with an authorized payment plan may not be subjected to a monition or sheriff sale at all under section 8701(d) of Title 9, and Wilmington operated a reassessment moratorium on new monitions through September 2026. A property can leave the list late for reasons that have nothing to do with payment in full.
Calendar the confirmation Friday, not the sale day Redemption runs 60 days from court approval of the sale, and the deed requires a petition after that. The dates that control your money are the confirmation day the sheriff publishes, the end of the 60 day window, and, in New Castle County, the Sheriff's six month policy for deeding after confirmation.

Every Delaware jurisdiction in this set

One page per jurisdiction, each verified against the county's or the city's own publications and the current text of 9 Del. C. chapter 87. Delaware has exactly three counties, and the City of Wilmington runs a verified monition channel of its own under 22 Del. C. section 113 beside the New Castle County sale; this set is the whole state.

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