AlbertaTaxSales
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Guide

How Alberta tax sale auctions work

When property taxes go unpaid, Alberta municipalities recover the debt by selling the land at a public auction. Here is how it works, in plain terms. This is general information, not legal advice, so always confirm the details with the municipality.

What is a tax sale?

If property taxes stay unpaid for more than a year, an Alberta municipality can sell the land to recover what it is owed. This happens under Part 10 of the Municipal Government Act. The land is sold at a public auction that anyone can attend and bid at.

The process, step by step

  1. Taxes go into arrears and stay unpaid past the deadline.
  2. The municipality registers a tax recovery notification on the land title.
  3. If it is still unpaid, the parcel is advertised in the Alberta Gazette 40 to 90 days before the sale, and in a local newspaper 10 to 20 days before.
  4. The land is offered at a public auction. Council sets a reserve bid close to market value, and bidding starts there.

The reserve bid

Council must set a reserve bid as close as reasonably possible to the market value of the parcel. Bidding opens at the reserve, so it is the lowest price the municipality will accept. If no one bids the reserve, the parcel does not sell that day.

There is no redemption after the sale

This is what makes Alberta attractive to buyers. The owner can pay the arrears any time up until the auction to keep their land, but once the auctioneer declares a parcel sold, the sale is final and title transfers. There is no waiting period to buy back the property afterward.

Surplus and tax-forfeited lots

If a parcel does not sell at auction, the municipality can take title and later sell it at market value. Many municipalities also sell ordinary surplus lots they own. These show up on the map alongside the tax-sale auctions.

How to buy at an auction

About our data

We read every Alberta Gazette Part 1 issue and the municipal auction lists, so you do not have to check each city, town, village, county and municipal district yourself. Every municipality's tax auction has to be advertised in the Gazette, which is what makes the auction side of this complete. Always verify a listing against the municipality's own notice before you act.

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Free email alerts, straight from the Alberta Gazette and municipal notices. Alberta has no post-sale redemption, so the auction date is the deadline. There is no second chance after it.

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AlbertaTaxSales is not affiliated with any Alberta municipality or the Government of Alberta. Every listing is a summary of a public notice. Always confirm it against the municipality's own notice before you bid or buy.