Frequently Asked Questions

As a result of Michigan Supreme Court decisions, in Schafer v. Kent County and Hathon v. State of Michigan, persons with an interest in tax foreclosed properties sold before 2020 that generated remaining proceeds, may be owed money. A copy of the Schafer v. Kent County and Hathon v. State of Michigan decision may be obtained here, or by visiting the Michigan Supreme Court’s website located here.

You may be entitled to any remaining proceeds from a foreclosure sale if you owned or had an ownership interest in a property in Wayne County, Michigan, that was foreclosed and sold at auction before December 22, 2020. "Remaining proceeds" are proceeds from the auction sale left over, if any, after the total amount due to the foreclosing governmental unit (including all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the sale) is paid.

To be eligible to receive any remaining sale proceeds, you must submit a Notice of Intent to Claim Interest in Foreclosure Sales Proceeds (Form 6156) no later than March 31, 2025.

An electronic copy of the Notice of Intent to Claim Interest in Foreclosure Sales Proceeds (Form 6156) can be viewed and downloaded from the Documents section of this website or directly from here. 

In addition, a copy of the Motion to Claim Remaining Proceeds From Tax Foreclosure Sale Before July 18, 2020 (State Court Administrative Office Form, CC 541), approved by the Michigan Supreme Court, can also be viewed and downloaded from the Documents section of this website or directly from here.

Completed and notarized forms must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested or hand delivered no later than March 31, 2025 to:

The Wayne County Treasurer

400 Monroe, 5th Floor

Detroit, MI 48226

The claims process is described in detail within Michigan Compiled Laws - Section 211.78t of the General Property Tax Act, which can be viewed at MCL - Section 211.78t - Michigan Legislature.

Eric R. Sabree is the Wayne County Treasurer. Information regarding Wayne County Foreclosure Claims and other similar tax information can be viewed at the county treasurer’s website: www.treasurer.waynecounty.com.

The certified mail notice (Notice to Claimant to File Motion with the Circuit Court) was issued under the authority of Public Act 206 of 1893; Section 211.78t to those individuals that previously submitted a ‘Notice Of Intention To Claim Interest In Foreclosure Sale Proceeds from Sales Occurring Prior To December 22, 2020’ form to the Wayne County Tax Office.
 

The notice is meant to inform recipients that in order to make a claim for sales proceeds if any exist, one must file a motion with the circuit court clerk at Third Judicial Circuit Court, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Civil Division, 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226. The motion must satisfy the requirements of MCL 211.78t(4) and must be filed by October 1, 2025, and must reference the Honorable Judge, Sheila Gibson and the Foreclosure Court Case Number(s) provided on the notice.
 

For additional information or to contact Wayne County treasurer’s office for specific parcel details, visit the county treasurer’s website: www.treasurer.waynecounty.com

If you have submitted a Notice of Intent Claim Auction Proceeds Pre-2020, you will receive the Notice to Claimant to File Motion (“the “Motion Notice”). The Motion Notice was sent by USPS certified mail prior to July 1, 2025.

The Motion Notice will contain information important to your claim, including:

• If there is any money to claim (the law calls this "remaining proceeds"),
• If anyone else has filed a claim for the remaining proceeds,
• A notice that you must file a motion with the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court to claim the remaining proceeds, and
• The case number(s), judge, and contact information for the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court. In Wayne County, the Motion Notice will contain two (2) case numbers for claims related to pre-2020 auctions as all claims are being consolidated by the Court.

The motion must be filed by October 1, 2025.  The motion form can be found here: CC 541, Motion to Claim Remaining Proceeds From Tax Foreclosure Sale Before July 18, 2020.  Please be sure to include both case numbers as listed on the Motion Notice.

There are numerous self-help sites to assist you in completing the motion form or you may wish to engage legal counsel. The State Bar of Michigan provides instructions on completion the motion form that can be found on their Mortgage Foreclosure and Tax Foreclosure Resource Page.

After you file and serve the motion, the County will file a response, and the court will then set a hearing date to decide the motion. You will get a notice from the court with that hearing date, time and location.

Please note:  The Wayne County Treasurer’s Office and its staff cannot provide legal advice or assistance with completing the motion form.