BILLINGS— Yellowstone County is considering placing 26 properties on the auction block if the owners do not pay outstanding 2022 taxes by Aug. 3.
The outstanding taxes, called liens, total approximately $51,000.
Watch the report:
According to Yellowstone County Treasurer Hank Peters, the county has not had to auction properties with expired tax liens for years because third-party investors have purchased those liens instead.
“Interest rates have risen, and so the 10% effective APR (annual percentage rate) that a tax lien investor gets on delinquent taxes just isn't as enticing,” he said.
Now, with the county looking to auction, homeowners are at risk of losing their property.
“They do have a right of repurchase that's up to 24 hours prior to the auction,” said Peters.
Peters encourages worried taxpayers to check their tax status on the Yellowstone County website.
“It will say in red letters with underlined, our records indicate that your taxes are delinquent,” said Peters.
He also encourages taxpayers to also check if their mailing address is up-to-date, information that will also be available on the Yellowstone County website.
