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LANSING — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will auction 97 surplus state-owned properties across 27 counties during a series of online auctions scheduled between Aug. 4 and Aug. 28, including several parcels in the Metro Detroit area.
The county-by-county online auctions will begin at 10 a.m. on each auction day, with bidding opening at the property’s minimum bid price and remaining open until 7 p.m. Interested buyers may register in advance at tax-sale.info, where property descriptions, maps, minimum bids and auction schedules are available. Bidding opens up to 30 days before each scheduled auction.
The available properties range from small lots of less than one acre to parcels exceeding 100 acres. Many feature forests, lake frontage or river frontage, while others have limited legal access and may require buyers to obtain easements to reach the property.
Among the offerings are waterfront parcels on Nepessing Lake in Lapeer County, Little Pleasant Lake in Jackson County and a 10-acre tract along the Au Sable River in Crawford County. Metro Detroit buyers may also be interested in a small waterfront parcel on Walled Lake near Novi in Oakland County.
The largest parcels — approximately 120 acres each — are located in Alpena and Cheboygan counties.
According to the DNR, the properties are being sold because they provide limited public benefit due to factors such as their small size, lack of legal public access or surrounding private development. As a result, officials determined the parcels are better suited for private ownership.
“The proceeds from our surplus-land sales are deposited into the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund,” said Kerry Heckman, the DNR’s Forest Lands and Special Projects Administrator. “Those dollars are specifically used to acquire other properties that are more usable by residents and visitors, protect important natural resources and provide accessible, quality recreation opportunities throughout the state.”
The auctions are part of the DNR’s long-term public land management strategy, which seeks to improve Michigan’s public land system by replacing isolated or difficult-to-use parcels with land that offers greater recreational and conservation value. The department manages approximately 4.6 million acres of public land, including forests, state parks, wildlife areas and recreational trails that support tourism, outdoor recreation and Michigan’s timber industry.
Where are parcels located?
This year’s auctions include land parcels in more than two dozen counties throughout Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Twelve online auctions will be offered in August, featuring available land parcels by county:
Aug. 4 – Lapeer County
Aug. 6 – Allegan and Berrien counties
Aug. 7 – Livingston County
Aug. 14 – Alger, Chippewa, Delta and Luce counties
Aug. 18 – Baraga, Dickinson, Houghton and Menominee counties
Aug. 19 – Crawford, Kalkaska, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego and Roscommon counties
Aug. 20 – Antrim and Charlevoix counties
Aug. 21 – Alpena, Cheboygan, Iosco and Presque Isle counties
Aug. 25 – Oakland County
Aug. 26 – Oceana County
Aug. 27 – Lake County
Aug. 28 – Jackson County
