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Surplus funds in Minnesota.

When a property in Minnesota sells at a tax sale or a foreclosure sale for more than what was owed, the extra can belong to the former owner. Here is who holds it, the law behind it, and every county office linked so you can check for yourself, free.

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Foreclosure sales here

Both judicial and non-judicial.

Our fee here

Tax-sale surplus: up to 25% of what you receive, shown in writing before you sign, $0 upfront, only if you are paid. We don't offer paid help for foreclosure surplus; you can claim it yourself, free.

Tax sale surplus

The Tyler state. Since the 2024 reform (Minn. Stat. §282.005), the county auditor must mail notice within 60 days of a forfeited-property sale, and claims must be filed within 6 months of the first notice; after that the surplus returns to the county. Older forfeitures (from 2012 in Hennepin County and 2016 elsewhere, through 2023) were covered by a 2024 class-action settlement funded by Minn. Laws 2024, ch. 113; that money was available only until June 30, 2026. Counties that opted out of the settlement kept all risk of liability for those older forfeitures.

Foreclosure surplus

Foreclosure type
Both
Who holds the surplus

County sheriff (foreclosure by advertisement); if claims compete, the sheriff can ask the district court to decide and keeps the money until the court rules

If a sheriff's sale brings in more than the mortgage, interest, taxes paid and sale costs, the sheriff holds any surplus of $100 or more through the redemption period and mails the owner a notice that a surplus exists and to call the sheriff's office about how to claim it (Minn. Stat. § 580.10). During redemption the owner can ask to have the surplus applied toward redeeming. If there is no redemption, the surplus goes first to junior lienholders who make a demand during the redemption period, then to the owner of record at the time of the sale; if claims compete, the sheriff can ask the district court to decide, and an owner who skips that court case does not lose the right to the surplus. No separate statutory deadline for the owner's claim was found.

Fees and assignments. No foreclosure-surplus-specific fee statute found. If surplus reaches the Commerce Department's unclaimed property program, Minn. Stat. § 345.515 makes it unlawful to charge a fee to locate it within 24 months of delivery to the state, and later agreements over 10% are invalid unless written, signed by the owner, and disclosing the property's nature and value.

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Every Minnesota county office(87)

Surplus is public record. Call the office that held the sale with the parcel or case number; in most places it will confirm whether a surplus exists, how much, and the deadline. Self-filing is free. Each entry links the county's tax office and court clerk where the directory lists them, plus the full set of county offices.

Each dot is a county below. Pick one from the list to see it up close.© OpenStreetMap contributors

What we do, and your other options

Filing yourself, your own attorney, or us. Our fee in Minnesota is above.

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Check this yourself

This page is plain-language orientation, not legal advice. Statutes were checked against official sources in October 2026, and county links come from the NETR public-records directory, an independent resource. Laws and county procedures change, so confirm with the office before you rely on any of it. You can always file a claim yourself with no recovery fee (a court or notary may charge a small fee).