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Northeast

Surplus funds in Vermont.

When a property in Vermont 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

We don't offer paid help in Vermont. You can claim surplus here yourself, free; see below.

Tax sale surplus

Vermont's tax-sale statutes (32 V.S.A. ch. 133) do not set out a process for paying surplus to the former owner; ask the town's collector of taxes in writing about any surplus after the collector's deed. The owner can redeem within one year of the sale (§5260). A tax sale generally requires at least $1,500 owed, more than a year of delinquency, and a written repayment-plan offer first (§5252(a), (c)); a smaller debt can lead to a sale only of a parcel with no year-round dwelling that is not a declared homestead (§5252(b)(3)).

Foreclosure surplus

Foreclosure type
Both
Who holds the surplus

Judicial foreclosure by sale: the foreclosing lender reports the sale and an accounting to the Superior Court, and the court's confirmation order directs who gets the surplus. Non-judicial power-of-sale foreclosure (allowed only for property other than farmland or a dwelling house owned by an individual): the mortgagee or person running the sale, who may interplead the surplus if there are liens.

After a judicial sale, the confirmation order pays surplus first to junior lienholders by priority and then to the mortgagor (12 V.S.A. 4954(c)). A former owner protects the claim by taking part in the foreclosure case and reviewing the accounting before confirmation. Non-judicial sales follow the same order of payment (4966(e)). Strict foreclosure involves no sale and so no surplus. A court may grant it only on finding there is no substantial value above the debts and taxes, and any party can ask for a sale instead (4941). No statutory claim deadline was found.

Fees and assignments. No Vermont statute specifically regulates fees for recovering foreclosure surplus. If the money is presumed abandoned or held by the State Treasurer, an asset-locator agreement with compensation over 10% is unenforceable (27 V.S.A. 1602(f)). An agreement made within 24 months after delivery to the Treasurer is void (1602(a)). Asset locators who seek to deal with the State Treasurer must register, post a $10,000 bond and file their contracts, and an owner may not assign to an asset locator the owner's rights under the unclaimed property chapter (27 V.S.A. 1604).

Claiming it yourself

We don't offer paid help in Vermont. You can claim surplus here yourself, free.

See the free self-filing steps →

Every Vermont county office(252)

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

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).