Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 60, § 52 (2026)

Management and sale of land acquired for taxes

✓ current as of July 2026

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Section 52. Cities and towns may make regulations for the possession, management and sale of land purchased or taken for taxes, not inconsistent with law, regulations promulgated by the department of revenue or the right of redemption. The treasurer of any city or town holding 1 or more tax titles may assign and transfer such tax title or titles, individually or bundled, to the highest bidder after a public auction, after having given 14 days' notice of the time and place of such public auction by publication, which shall conform to the requirements of section 40, and having posted such notice in 2 or more convenient and public places in said city or town, provided that the sum so paid for such assignment is not less than the amount necessary for redemption, and may execute and deliver on behalf of the city or town any instrument necessary therefor. The treasurer shall send notice of the intended assignment to the owner of record of each parcel at his last known address not less than 10 days prior to the assignment, but failure to receive such notice shall not affect the validity of the assignment. Where the land is Class one, residential property, as defined in section 2A of chapter 59, such notice shall: (i) be mailed to the taxpayer at their last known residence and usual place of abode or place of business; (ii) be posted upon the Class one, residential property; (iii) be posted in a convenient and public place; and (iv) include a uniform notice prepared by the department of revenue, in language understandable by a least sophisticated consumer, together with a notice in the 7 most commonly spoken languages in the commonwealth, that this notice affects important legal rights and should be translated immediately. The notice shall state that the treasurer intends to sell the tax title to the owner's property, that the nonpayment of property taxes may result in the loss of the property and that the property owner may be eligible for exemptions, abatements and tax deferrals and other assistance and may contact the local assessor's office for further information, together with the telephone number, email address, if available and internet address for the local assessor. The instrument of assignment shall be in a form approved by the commissioner and shall be recorded within 60 days from its date and if so recorded shall be prima facie evidence of all facts essential to its validity. The instrument of assignment shall, for each parcel assigned thereunder, state the amount for which the tax title on the parcel could have been redeemed on the date of the assignment, separately stating for each parcel the principal amount and the total interest accrued until the date of assignment. The principal amount shall be the sum of the amounts for which the parcel was taken and amounts subsequently certified under section 61. Except as hereinafter otherwise provided, all provisions of law applicable in cases where the original purchaser at a tax sale is another than the city or town shall thereafter apply in the case of such an assignment, as if the assignee had been a purchaser for the original sum at the original sale or at a sale made at the time of the taking and had paid to the city or town the subsequent taxes and charges included in the sum paid for the assignment. Any extension of the time within which foreclosure proceedings may not be instituted granted by a city or town treasurer prior to assignment shall be binding upon the assignee.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1965–2025 · leading case: Hardy v. Jaeckle, 358 N.E.2d 769 (Mass. 1976).

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Hardy v. Jaeckle, 358 N.E.2d 769 (Mass. 1976). · cites it 3× “On April 14, 1967, the tax liens acquired by the town were assigned to the plaintiff, without public notice, pursuant to G. L. c. 60, § 52. 3 After adding interest, expenses and costs to the delinquent taxes, the plaintiff paid $19.”

Kurtigian v. City of Worcester, 203 N.E.2d 692 (Mass. 1965). “4 See G. L. c. 60, § 52, as amended through St.”

Brown v. City of Boston, 235 N.E.2d 36 (Mass. 1968). “The statute permitting assignments is G. L. c. 60, § 52, as amended by St. 1936, c.”

Dennehy v. Town of Walpole, 525 N.E.2d 434 (Mass. App. Ct. 1988). · cites it 4× “The town refused, claiming that G. L. c. 60, § 52, as now in force and as amended subsequent to *931 Brown , see note 6, infra, requires a town to hold a public auction before it can assign a tax title.”

Lhpnj LLC v. Jefferson Dev. Partners LLC & Another. (Mass. App. Ct. 2025). “15 Contrary to Whittenton's assertion, the judge did not err in concluding that the city's tax auction complied with G. L. c. 60, § 52, which requires, as relevant here, that the city post notice of the public auction of a tax title at least fourteen days in advance through…”

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