Senate Committee Weighs S.196 to Shorten Tax‑sale Redemption Period; Debate Over Purchaser Access

The Senate Committee on Government Operations on Feb. 13 took up S.196, a bill sponsored by Sen. Clarkson that would reduce the post‑tax‑sale redemption period from 12 months to six months and expand who may secure a property during that redemption period.

Cameron Wood, an attorney with the Office of Legislative Council, told the committee the bill is relatively narrow and "would reduce that redemption period to 6 months," while also adding conditions that would let municipalities — and, after a 10‑day notice to mortgagees or lienholders, a purchaser at the tax sale — secure property to prevent illegal activity, damage from exposure to the elements, deterioration or fire hazards. Wood recapped recent statutory changes: the statute requires at least one year of delinquency before a sale, municipalities must offer a…