Norwalk's 2024 Tax Sale Scheduled For September

Information via the city of Norwalk

NORWALK, CT — The Norwalk Tax Collector's office will conduct a sale of tax-delinquent properties Sept. 9.

According to a news release provided by the city, the sale, conducted "in accordance with the city of Norwalk's commitment to efficient and effective tax collection enforcement," will begin at 3 p.m. in the Norwalk City Hall Concert Hall.

There are currently 71 properties remaining in this year's sale, according to the city. The tax sale property list can be found here and is displayed in the lobby at City Hall.

The 2024 tax sale is the city's 10th tax sale since 2003. Since November 2023, the tax collector's office has collected more than $5.1 million from properties included in the sale.

Most of the properties that were initially included in the sale have been paid, and those properties have since been removed from the sale.

In November 2023, the tax collector's office began working on this sale and selected more than 200 properties for inclusion. Since that time, 153 properties have been paid in full. Notices of sale were filed in the Norwalk land records on July 1, 2024, according to the city.

Properties are removed from the tax sale when the past due taxes and associated fees are paid in full. The tax collector's office anticipates that, as with prior sales, most of the properties will be paid in full before the sale, according to the city.

Since 2003 and prior to this year's tax sale, the city has collectively yielded more than $46 million in revenue from tax sales. The city's last tax sale was held in October 2021 and generated more than $9 million in tax revenue.

Several properties in this year's tax sale are due to blight fees, as the tax collector's office is responsible for assisting the city in collecting outstanding blight fees on behalf of Code Enforcement, according to the city.

At the time the notices for the 2024 sale were filed, the auction included single-family residential properties, multi-family residential properties, residential condominium units, commercial and professional condominium units, various types of commercial properties, retail facilities, mixed-use commercial and residential buildings, non-conforming lots, garage units, beach lockers, shellfish land (oyster plantation), and vacant land that may or may not be buildable, according to the city.

An informational packet describing the tax sale process may be purchased in the tax collector's office for $25. The packet includes a complete description of the process, instructions for potential bidders, and copies of the relevant state statutes.

The tax collector's office encourages those who think they may be interested in the process to buy the packet and become educated about tax sales before deciding to bid, according to the city.

Each of the properties included in the tax sale property is private property. Potential bidders are not permitted to trespass on the properties before or after the tax sale.

There is no public inspection of tax sale property. The owners of the properties retain all their rights and are entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of their properties, according to the city.

The purpose of the tax sale is not to redistribute property ownership but to collect past-due taxes and maintain a high current tax collection rate, according to the city.