Baltimore's Tax Sale Exemption Program Open To Applicants
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The City of Baltimore will start accepting applications next week for the Tax Sale Exemption Program, which aims to keep longtime homeowners in their properties and prevent vacancies, city officials announced Thursday.
Under the program, the director of finance withholds specific properties from the tax sale and the city uses a $2 million fund to pay off each applicant's liens.
In order to qualify, a person must have lived in their home for 15 years or more, the value of their home must be assessed for $250,000 or less, and that person must owe more than $750 in unpaid bills, according to the Baltimore City Department of Finance.
"This is a key part of our larger strategy to reform the City's antiquated tax sale process and protect our residents," Mayor Brandon Scott said on Thursday. "A major component of my Equitable Neighborhood Development Pillar is stabilizing communities and today's announcement is a vital first step to that goal."
Councilwoman Danielle McCray (2nd District) sponsored the bill creating the program, which Scott supported as president of the city council.
"This legislation, which I led, safeguards our most vulnerable residents and legacy residents, who may be at risk of their property going to tax sale," she said.
The city will accept applications between Feb.15 and April 15. Residents must apply every year to exempt qualified properties from the annual tax sale.
City officials note that the program was not designed to forgive unpaid bills.