Davis County recoups some back property taxes

LAYTON (Deseret News) — If you don't pay your property taxes for five years, your county can sell your property for just a sliver of what it's worth.

Wednesday, Davis County recouped $36,506.11 in back taxes on 14 parcels of land in sizes ranging from .01 acres to 1.584 acres.

Most of the parcels were sold for the value of five years' back taxes plus some fees, though the largest parcel of land sold was auctioned for $18,500, instead of the $13,267 owed to Davis County.

Counties hold a tax sale, in auction style, each year to try to recoup missing tax revenue. Most of the time, landowners pony up cash at the last minute to avoid having their land sold away from them.

Originally, 74 homes had been on the county's delinquent tax list, but the 74th homeowner paid the back taxes Tuesday evening and didn't end up in Wednesday's sale.

Properties that had no bidders were "stricken" to the county, meaning the county became the proud owner of five odd-shaped parcels for a combined .304 acres. The back taxes on that land had been $5,091.51.

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