Ulster County tax sale, 2026 season

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Ulster County (county seat Kingston) sells its tax foreclosed property online only through Absolute Auction and Realty, on NYSAuctions.com, for the Commissioner of Finance. The 2026 sale ran Tuesday, September 8 to Thursday, September 10, 2026 (the auctioneer's listing called the ending date tentative). Do not assume this county is a spring sale: the last cycle with full published terms ran in May 2024, and the 2026 cycle ran in September.

The money and registration detail below is from that last full published terms cycle (May 2024), labeled by year, because the 2026 listing published dates without the full terms in the sources checked. The shape is the Absolute Auctions pattern this hub's fall counties share: an Internet Bidding Packet due by 4:00 PM on the Monday bidding opens, no exceptions, and a deposit at the strike of $1,500 or 30 percent of the total contract price, whichever is higher, together with all closing costs.

Dates and deadlines

Last sale	Tue, Sep 8, 2026 to Thu, Sep 10, 2026 · 10:00 AM ending (ending date called tentative in the auctioneer's listing) 2026-09-10
Packet deadline (documented terms cycle)	4:00 PM on the Monday the bidding opens (Monday, May 6, 2024 in the May 2024 terms), completed documents received by the auctioneer, no exceptions
Format	Online only
Platform	NYSAuctions.com, Absolute Auction and Realty
Selling office	Ulster County Commissioner of Finance, 244 Fair Street, 4th Floor, Kingston
Next sale	Not announced, and the cycle timing has moved (May 2024, then September 2026), so no usual month is stated.

Sources: the official full terms for this sale series, 2024 cycle (Absolute Auctions). the official auctioneer listing for the 2026 sale, as syndicated. Confirm with the county or the auctioneer before relying on any date on this page: sales move, terms change, and parcels get pulled.

Research Ulster County parcels before you bid

A sale list gives you the parcels, the date, and the opening terms. It does not give you the owner, the value, or the rest of the picture: liens, foreclosure status, and parcel history. PropertyRadar is the data platform for that layer. It carries owner records, assessed and market values, foreclosure and tax data, and property history for parcels across Ulster County, searchable by address, owner, or county, including parcels that never reach a sale list.

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How New York tax foreclosure works

Unpaid taxes become a lien on the property, and the county enforces that lien in court under Real Property Tax Law Article 11, the in rem foreclosure process.
The owner gets a redemption period, two years from the lien date by default, longer where a local law extends it for homes or farms. Paying everything owed during that window ends the case.
When the period expires, the court can award the property to the county. The former owner's right to redeem is over at that point; there is no post-sale redemption period on a New York tax deed.
The county then sells at public auction, which is the sale this page tracks. Deeds are usually quitclaim, bids can require county legislature approval, and any surplus over the taxes and charges is handled under RPTL sections 1195 to 1197 for the former owner and lienholders.

How registration works

All registration is online. Register for the specific auction at NYSAuctions.com (site membership alone does not authorize bidding); the Internet Bidding Packet is then emailed through a DocuSign link, with a sample packet posted at the top of the listing about 30 days before the auction. Completed documents must be received by the auctioneer no later than 4:00 PM on the Monday the bidding opens, no exceptions. A photo ID (driver license or passport copy) is required. Entities must also provide, at registration, the state entity filing receipt, the EIN, an authorizing business entity resolution, and an affidavit that neither the entity nor its principals are affiliated with, or acting for, the former owner of any parcel bid on.

Terms: what a bid actually costs

The money layer, from the full published terms for the May 2024 cycle. The 2026 premium rate was not published in the sources checked, so the premium row is labeled with its cycle year like the rest.

Deposit, at the strike (2024 terms)	$1,500 or 30 percent of the total contract price (high bid plus buyer premium), whichever is higher, together with all closing costs, by bank check or money order payable to Ulster County Commissioner of Finance, or by credit or debit card (Mastercard, Discover, Visa). Card deposits are turned over to the Commissioner; attempting a chargeback carries a $750 recovery fee.
Buyer premium (2024 terms)	7 percent when the deposit is paid by credit card; 6 percent when the down payment is made by bank check or money order, with guaranteed funds required at the auctioneer's office by 4:00 PM the Friday before the sale to earn the 6 percent rate.
Closing fees (2024 terms)	Real Property Transfer Report filing fee of $195 where the parcel class code is 100 to 199, 200 to 299, or 411-C, and $310 otherwise; for parcels in Gardiner, Marbletown, and the Town and Village of New Paltz the recording fee is $200 or $315 on the same split; plus all other County Clerk recording fees and surcharges.
Balance due (2024 terms)	To the Commissioner of Finance at 244 Fair Street, Kingston, on or before Friday, May 17, 2024 in that cycle, nine days after closing, between 9 AM and 5 PM; bank or teller's check or money order by mail, cash in person only.
Deed type	Quitclaim deed, containing the tax map description only, with a covenant that the county is never liable for title defects. The county records the deed with the County Clerk on full payment; title vests on recording and possession is forbidden until the deed records.

Before you bid

This county breaks the usual former owner rule: prior owners, their immediate family, and their representatives may bid, if the bid exceeds the back taxes and all auction and filing fees are paid. Conveyance needs one more step after payment: under the published terms, the quitclaim deed is filed after completion of payment and approval by the Ulster County Legislature, and the county reserves cancellation by court order or by the Legislature, in which case the bidder's only remedy is a refund of the purchase money. Price the levies that ride along: the buyer pays school taxes for the sale cycle and all subsequent levies, plus village water and sewer rents, village taxes, and demolition charges for unsafe buildings where they apply. Some listed parcels are hazardous properties the county has not taken title to; on those, an amended judgment conveys directly to the purchaser, who must fully indemnify the county. The terms state the county acquired title under Article 11 and that all known rights of redemption were extinguished before the sale; conveyances remain subject to federal and state tax liens and to any bankruptcy proceedings. Verify the live terms before you go.

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