Otter Tail County Posts Tax-Forfeited Properties Catalog; Sale Begins Feb. 27

Otter Tail County posted a sales catalog and opened a public sale of tax‑forfeited lands that began February 27, 2026 at 8:00 a.m., the county’s Tax‑Forfeited Lands page shows. The Otter Tail County Auditor‑Treasurer’s Office administers the disposition of tax‑forfeited lands, and the county directs interested parties to the sales catalog for instructions, fees and property listings.

Under county policy, these are properties that, "after three years of non-payment of taxes from the judgment year default to State of Minnesota ownership." The county statement notes that "Properties are sold at public sale to the highest bidder by the County Auditor" and that "Any lands not sold at the public sale will be auctioned again at a later date."

The published catalog excerpt includes a mix of rural legal descriptions and city addresses with starting bids and, in some cases, special assessments. Examples in the catalog show Tract 2 as parcel 73000990267000 at 204 Nowell Street West, New York Mills, MN 56567 with a starting bid of $10,463.88 and special assessments of $8,489.79, and Tract 3 as parcel 73000990181000 at 207 Main Avenue South, New York Mills with a starting bid of $10,504.62 and special assessments of $8,592.13. Tract 4 is parcel 67000990151000 at 107 North Clark Street, Deer Creek, MN 56537 with a starting bid of $7,728.72 and special assessments of $5,071. Tract 14 lists 125 1st Avenue NW, Pelican Rapids, MN 56572 (parcel 76000990129000) with a starting bid of $7,888.50 and special assessments of $6,164.85, while Tract 15 lists 700 East Mill Avenue, Pelican Rapids (parcel 76000260031001) with a starting bid of $1,634.37 and special assessments of $149.92. The excerpt also shows small starting bids on some township parcels, such as Tract 12 (parcel 71002991109001 in Fergus Falls Township) with a starting bid of $167.96 and Tract 13 (parcel 71003990473001 in Fergus Falls Township) with a starting bid of $83.00. The catalog excerpt is partial and includes additional tracts not reproduced in the provided listing.

PublicSurplus auction postings mirror catalog detail for individual parcels. Auction #3936751, listed as Otter Tail County Parcel #71-002-99-0820-000, shows address 331 Friberg Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537 with parcel number 71002990820000, price $16,386.58 and special assessments before forfeiture $12,413.00; the listing’s condition reads "SEE DESCRIPTION." The PublicSurplus page for that auction includes a "View Images" option and, in the provided excerpt, the block of information appeared twice.

Bidders should note the platform and county disclaimers. PublicSurplus text posted with Otter Tail County auctions states in full: "ALL LAND SALES ARE SOLD AS IS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES, GUARANTEES (EXPRESS OR IMPLIED), OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND. Otter Tail County MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, OR GUARANTEES WITH RESPECT TO ACCESS TO STATE TAX FORFEITED LANDS SOLD. HOWEVER, ALL LAND SALES ARE STILL SUBJECT TO ANY/ALL EXISTING EASEMENTS(S) OF RECORD AND RIGHT(S)-OF-WAY." The posting further warns: "Otter Tail County is not responsible for any omissions or errors in the description of items being offered for sale. Under no circumstances will a refund/adjustment be made due to the property failing to meet buyer's expectations." The indemnity clause reads: "To the fullest extent permitted by law, Bidder shall indemnify and hold Otter Tail County harmless from and against any claims, damages, losses and expenses, demand or cause of action arising/alleged to have arisen out of the sale or failure to sell any property including claims of personal or bodily injury, death, or contract damages." The county also "reserves the right to accept or reject any/all auction's bids or any part of an auction's bid."

PublicSurplus postings include a statutory prohibition on delinquent taxpayers bidding: "Any person or entity, or entity controlled by such person, is a prohibited purchaser or bidder, if said person or entity is delinquent on real or personal property taxes in Otter Tail County per Minnesota Statue 282.016." The conventional citation is Minnesota Statute 282.016; the auction posting uses the spelling "Statue."

The county page lists the current sale start and shows "Next sale date: TBD" and a "Notify me of updates to this page" option. Because the catalog excerpt in the county posting and PublicSurplus listings are partial, the Otter Tail County Auditor‑Treasurer’s Office and the full sales catalog contain the official instructions, fees and complete parcel inventory for anyone reviewing the Feb. 27, 2026 sale or monitoring future tax‑forfeited land auctions.