NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 28, 2020
CONTACT: Julie Marinucci, Deputy Director
Land and Minerals Department
218-742-9898
Tax Forfeited Land Auction moves completely online due to COVID-19; bidding open now through June 11
More than 70 properties are set to be auctioned off at the next St. Louis County Tax Forfeited Land and former Lakeshore Lease Lot Auction, but this time, due to public health precautions related to COVID-19, the auction will be held completely online. Properties are available for bid at publicsurplus.com beginning today through June 11.
(Direct links for the majority of the properties is: https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/stlouiscoland,mn/browse/home. A direct link to view properties from the former lakeshore lease program is: ihttps://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/stlouiscoland,mn/browse/home)
The list features seven formerly blighted properties that have been cleaned up and structures removed to make way for new development. More than a dozen houses are also for sale in communities throughout the county, including Babbit, Cherry Township, Duluth, Ely, Eveleth, Gilbert, Hibbing, Proctor, Soudan and Virginia. The sale also includes recreational land and buildable lots. Six waterfront properties from the county's former lakeshore lease program are also being offered.
The St. Louis County Land and Minerals Department, with approval from the County Board, started offering tax forfeited properties for sale via online auction earlier this year as part of a pilot program, and so far has been able to sell six properties totaling nearly $125,000. Those properties had previously been offered for sale but remained unsold from an earlier live auction.
The sale beginning this week is the first time tax forfeited properties in St. Louis County will be initially offered for sale online. A catalog with photos, maps and details about each property, including the starting bid price, is available online at stlouiscountymn.gov/landsales, by calling the Land and Minerals Department at (218) 726-2606, or at numerous gas stations, grocery stores and other businesses throughout the county (a list of locations also can be found at stlouiscountymn.gov/landsales).
Eligibility requirements for someone to participate in the online auction are the same as for someone wanting to bid at the traditional live oral auctions. Bidders cannot have any delinquent property taxes on property they already own in St. Louis County. People who have delinquent property taxes must first pay what they owe before purchasing from the auction.
This tax forfeited land sale is the second of three to be held in 2020. An additional sale will be held in October.
Within St. Louis County, there are nearly 900,000 acres of tax forfeited land, which the County's Land and Minerals Department is responsible for managing. Most of the land is maintained for forest management, however the County also encourages the sale of land that is not suitable for management as a way to encourage development and increase the property tax base.
To learn more about the land sale, view properties available for purchase at the auctions or over-the-counter, or to subscribe to receive email notifications about future sales, visit stlouiscountymn.gov/landsales or call the Land and Minerals Department at (218) 726-2606.
 This 3-bedroom, 1-bath home in Soudan is available for purchase through St. Louis County's online auction of tax forfeited properties. The starting bid is $37,200.
 This garage with an access door for large vehicles sits on a 209' by 418' parcel in Cherry Township. The starting bid is $18,150.
 This approximately 30-acre parcel in rural south central St. Louis County includes 2,925 feet of frontage on the Whiteface River. Starting bid is $20,700.
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