Oregon’s tax foreclosure surplus settlements are not only for the person whose name was on the deed — heirs, successors and anyone who held a valid lien on a county-foreclosed property can claim too. Seven counties are currently taking claims through four separate settlements, each with its own website and form. Six counties close on November 30, 2026; Lane County runs until February 22, 2027.
Status: Claims open | Claim deadline November 30, 2026 for Baker, Columbia, Jackson, Marion, Washington and Yamhill counties | February 22, 2027 for Lane County | No payment date announced
Find the Right Settlement First
There is no single Oregon claim. A claim goes to the settlement for the county that foreclosed on the property, and each one has its own fund.
| Baker, Columbia, Jackson and Marion (one combined settlement) | $4,919,409.99, which can grow if more foreclosed properties are sold before the claim deadline | OregonTaxForeclosure.com — a page for each county |
| Washington County | $1,500,000 — 100% of the surplus proceeds on most eligible properties the county sold and 80% of the surplus equity on most it kept or transferred, plus interest | WashingtonForeclosureSettlement.com |
| Yamhill County | $179,470.18 | YamhillTaxForeclosureSettlement.com |
| Lane County | $1,348,311.60 — 100% of the surplus proceeds on most eligible properties sold, plus interest; properties the county kept are handled the same way | LaneTaxForeclosureSettlement.com |
Every site accepts claims online or by mail. Class members who do not file a valid claim get nothing and are still bound by the release of claims against the county.
Foreclosure Windows by County
Each settlement covers people and entities who owned an interest in, or held a valid lien on, property the county foreclosed for unpaid property taxes during its period, plus their heirs and successors:
- Columbia, Jackson and Marion: foreclosures between October 23, 2017 and June 7, 2024.
- Baker: foreclosures between September 7, 2018 and June 7, 2024.
- Washington: foreclosures between October 12, 2017 and December 31, 2025.
- Yamhill: property foreclosed on and sold, donated or transferred between October 12, 2017 and May 8, 2026.
- Lane: property foreclosed on and sold, donated or transferred between October 12, 2017 and December 30, 2025.
Government entities are excluded.
No Surplus, No Claim
A payment is tied to a specific property, not a flat amount, and it exists only if there was a surplus. The settlements define surplus proceeds, or surplus equity, as the property’s sale price — or its real market value if the county kept it — minus the unpaid taxes, fees and related costs. Where more than one person claims the same property, the competing claims are sorted out among the claimants before anyone is paid.
Attorneys’ fees, costs and administration come out of each fund. On September 17, 2026, the court awarded fees of 25% of the fund in the four-county and Yamhill settlements. The Washington County notice caps fees at 30%, and the Lane County notice caps them at 25%.
Proving an Interest
A claimant has to establish an interest in a covered property: ownership, a valid lien, or a right as an heir or successor. Each settlement website posts its own claim form and the documents describing what it requires. In the earlier Multnomah County settlement, anyone claiming an interest not recorded in county property records had to submit a sworn statement explaining it.
Why Counties Are Settling
The lawsuits followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s May 2023 decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County, which held that a government that keeps more than the tax debt when it takes and sells a home for unpaid taxes can violate the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause. Former owners then sued a long list of Oregon counties in federal court in Portland, alleging the counties kept surplus from tax-foreclosed properties. The counties deny wrongdoing, and the court has not decided who is right.
Judge Karin J. Immergut of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon is handling all of the settlements. The administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration, announced the four-county, Washington and Yamhill settlements in July 2026, and announced the Lane County settlement — filed in the lead case, Lynch v. Multnomah County — on October 16, 2026.
Deadlines
| Six counties (Baker, Columbia, Jackson, Marion, Washington, Yamhill) | Claims by 11:59 p.m. Pacific on November 30, 2026, online, or paper forms postmarked by that date. The September 14, 2026 opt-out and objection deadline has passed; fairness hearings were held September 17, 2026. |
| Lane County | Opt-out and objection deadline November 24, 2026. Final approval hearing December 2, 2026, 10:00 a.m. Pacific, in Portland. Claims by 11:59 p.m. Pacific on February 22, 2027, online or postmarked. |
No payment date has been set. The settlement websites say payments follow court approval and the end of any appeals; after each claim period closes, the administrator reviews claims and resolves competing claims on the same property.
Multnomah and Union Counties
Two other counties in the same litigation are at different stages. Multnomah County’s settlement received final approval on November 13, 2025. Multnomah agreed to pay $3,515,759.25, which the parties calculated as 100% of $2,402,797.40 in surplus proceeds plus 9% interest, covering property whose redemption period expired between October 12, 2017 and June 25, 2025; the administrator identified 119 potential class members. Its claims ran through MultnomahTaxForeclosureSettlement.com, and OpenClassActions.com has not confirmed whether that claim period is still open. The county posts its own settlement information.
Union County’s settlement received preliminary approval on September 24, 2026, with a final approval hearing on January 28, 2027. Its settlement amount and claims process have not been published. Our sister site will add them to its Oregon tax foreclosure surplus settlements page when they are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can heirs of a former owner file an Oregon surplus claim?
Yes. Each settlement class includes the heirs and successors of a person or entity that held an ownership interest in, or a valid lien on, a covered property. The claim goes on the form for the county that foreclosed.
Can a lender or lien holder claim?
Yes, if it held a valid lien on a property the county foreclosed on during that settlement’s period. Government entities are excluded.
Does one claim cover every county?
No. The Baker, Columbia, Jackson and Marion settlement, the Washington County settlement, the Yamhill County settlement and the Lane County settlement each have their own fund, website and claim form.
What if the county kept the property instead of selling it?
The settlements measure surplus using the property’s real market value when the county kept it. Washington County pays 80% of the surplus equity on most properties it kept or transferred, and Lane County handles kept properties the same way as sold ones.
What are the claim deadlines?
November 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific for Baker, Columbia, Jackson, Marion, Washington and Yamhill counties, and February 22, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific for Lane County. Paper forms must be postmarked by the deadline.
When will payments be made?
No payment date has been announced. The settlement websites say payments go to eligible claimants after the court approves the settlement and any appeals are resolved.
Sources
- Oregon Tax Foreclosure Settlement (Baker, Columbia, Jackson and Marion), Brackett v. Washington County settlement website (No. 3:26-cv-00554-IM), Yamhill County settlement website and Lane County settlement website.
- Kroll Settlement Administration notices via PR Newswire, July 16, 2026 (four-county, Washington and Yamhill fund amounts), and October 16, 2026 (Lane County).
- Order Granting Final Approval, Lynch v. Multnomah County, No. 3:23-cv-01502-IM (D. Or. Nov. 13, 2025); orders granting attorneys’ fees, Gabbert v. Josephine County, No. 1:23-cv-01434-IM (D. Or. Sept. 17, 2026); Union County CAFA notice (D. Or. Oct. 12, 2026).
- Multnomah County excess proceeds settlement information.
- OpenClassActions.com — Oregon Tax Foreclosure Surplus Settlements.
Source and credit: the settlement terms, deadlines and benefit details described above are drawn from our sister site’s reporting — OpenClassActions.com: Oregon Tax Foreclosure Surplus Settlements: Seven Counties Taking Claims — which tracks this case against the court-approved notice and the official settlement website and is updated as the court rules.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. OpenClassActions.org is a consumer news site, not a law firm and not the settlement administrator, and is not affiliated with any party to the case described. The allegations are allegations; unless a court has ruled, the defendants deny wrongdoing and no court has decided the merits. Deadlines, benefit amounts and payment timing can change as the court and the administrator act, so confirm current status on the official settlement website. You never need to pay anyone to file a claim or to receive a settlement payment.