What do I actually buy at a Rhode Island tax sale?

The investor buys a deed to the property, but the former owner keeps a window to redeem and reclaim title.

How long does the owner have to redeem the property in Rhode Island?

12 months (1 year) from the sale date

How is the winning bidder chosen in Rhode Island?

The sale is at a fixed minimum bid, with no bidding above it.

How to buy tax-sale property in Rhode Island (2026)

Redeemable deedPenalty12 mo redemptionMinimum bidVaries sale

You buy a deed, but the former owner can still redeem the property for a set period. The owner has 1 year from the sale to pay you back. Redeeming adds a penalty of 10% a month. You buy at the minimum bid price. Sales are held on a schedule that varies by county.

Redemption period: 12 mo
Interest / penalty: Penalty · 10%
Bid method: Minimum bid
Sale timing: Varies

How to bid here · Rhode Island

In person

1.The collector may advertise and take, or sell, any real estate liable for taxes in the manner directed (R.I. Gen. Laws 44-9-7)
2.Before the sale the collector gives notice of the time and place of sale, posted in two or more public places in the city or town at least three weeks before the sale and published in the required newspaper (R.I. Gen. Laws 44-9-9)
3.At the appointed time and place the collector sells by public auction, for the amount of the taxes, assessments, rates, liens, interest and necessary intervening charges, the smallest undivided part of the land that will bring the amount, but not less than one percent, or the whole if no person offers to take an undivided part (R.I. Gen. Laws 44-9-8)
4.The collector executes and delivers a deed of the land to the purchaser stating the cause of sale and the other required particulars; the deed conveys the land subject to the right of redemption and is not valid against any intervening interests unless recorded within sixty days after the sale (R.I. Gen. Laws 44-9-12(a))

Registration: Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
Deposit: Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
Forms: Bidder ID card: UnknownW-9: Unknown
Eligibility: Residency required: UnknownNo delinquent taxes: Unknown
Payment: Unknown
Not verified from a source yet.
Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws 44-9-8
R.I. Gen. Laws 44-9-9
R.I. Gen. Laws 44-9-12(a)
R.I. Gen. Laws 44-9-7

Rhode Island's delinquent-property remedy is a tax sale of the real estate itself, conducted by the municipal tax collector, at which the property is sold at public auction for the taxes and charges then due; if an undivided part will satisfy the amount the collector sells the smallest undivided part that will bring the amount (not less than one percent), otherwise the whole. The purchaser receives a collector's deed that conveys the land subject to the owner's right of redemption and that must be recorded within sixty days after the sale. The statutes in Chapter 44-9 do not address bidder registration, forms, deposits, residency, a delinquent-tax disqualification, or the exact payment form or timing, and do not authorize an online sale, so those fields are left unknown. Section text was cited from the official Rhode Island General Assembly statutes site (webserver.rilegislature.gov).

Citations

Sale type

R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-9-12; § 44-9-25

official source

“The collector shall execute and deliver to the purchaser a deed of the land stating the cause of sale”

Redemption

R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-9-25

official source

“After one year from a sale of land for taxes, except as provided in §§ 44-9-19 — 44-9-22, whoever then holds the acquired title may bring a petition in the superior court for the foreclosure of all rights of redemption”

Interest / penalty

R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-9-19

official source

“plus a penalty which shall be ten percent (10%) of the purchase price if redeemed within six (6) months after the date of the collector’s sale, and an additional one percent (1%) of the purchase price for each succeeding month”

Bid method

R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-9-8

official source

“sell by public auction for the amount of the taxes, assessments, rates, liens, interest, and necessary intervening charges, the smallest undivided part of the land which will bring the amount, but not less than one percent (1%)”

Sale schedule

R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-9-9

official source

“Before the sale, the collector shall give notice of the time and place of sale posted in two (2) or more public places in the city or town at least three (3) weeks before the time of the sale”

Tax collector sells at public auction to bidder (RIGL 44-9-8); 1-year redemption (44-9-19), then petition to foreclose. | Prose: redeemable deed | 10% penalty if redeemed within 6 months plus 1%/month thereafter; 1%/month on intervening taxes | 1 year (then petition to foreclose) | public auction; smallest undivided part that brings the amount (min 1%) | varies by municipality (collector sets time; 3 weeks' notice)

Frequently asked questions

What do I actually buy at a Rhode Island tax sale?: The investor buys a deed to the property, but the former owner keeps a window to redeem and reclaim title.
How long does the owner have to redeem the property in Rhode Island?: 12 months (1 year) from the sale date
What interest or penalty do I earn on a Rhode Island tax sale?: 10% penalty per month.
How is the winning bidder chosen in Rhode Island?: The sale is at a fixed minimum bid, with no bidding above it.

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