Oregon Tax Foreclosure Surplus Settlements

Six Oregon counties are paying surplus. Claims in all of them close November 30, 2026. This is not one settlement. It is three separate settlements covering six of Oregon's 36 counties, and each one has its own official website and its own claim form. Baker, Columbia, Jackson and Marion counties are grouped into one settlement administered at OregonTaxForeclosure.com. Washington County is a separate settlement at WashingtonForeclosureSettlement.com. Yamhill County is a third separate settlement at YamhillTaxForeclosureSettlement.com. Filing on the wrong site does not file your claim — you have to file on the site for the county that foreclosed on the property. Multnomah County and Union County are part of the same litigation but cannot be claimed here. Multnomah County's settlement received final approval on November 13, 2025, and Union County's settlement has only preliminary approval, with a final approval hearing set for January 28, 2027. Josephine County, whose name is on the lead case caption, is not one of the six counties taking claims. And having lost property to a tax foreclosure in a covered county is not by itself enough. The property has to appear on the administrator's own schedule of eligible properties, and that property has to have produced an actual surplus — a sale price, or a real market value if the county kept the property, that exceeded the unpaid taxes, fees and costs. If there was no surplus, there is nothing to claim.

Do I Qualify?

You may be eligible if:

• Work through these in order. FIRST, identify which county foreclosed on the property, because that decides which of the three settlements and which of the three websites applies to you. Only Baker, Columbia, Jackson, Marion, Washington and Yamhill counties are taking claims. SECOND, check the class period for that specific county, not the broad range: Columbia, Jackson and Marion run October 23, 2017 to June 7, 2024; Baker runs September 7, 2018 to June 7, 2024; Washington runs October 12, 2017 to December 31, 2025; Yamhill runs October 12, 2017 to May 8, 2026. THIRD, confirm the property appears on the administrator's published list of eligible properties for that settlement. FOURTH, confirm a surplus actually exists on that property, because the payment is a share of that surplus and nothing else. FIFTH, establish your interest: an ownership interest, a valid lien, or a right as an heir, successor or assignee of someone who held one. Heirs and successors are expressly included. Government entities are excluded.

Documentation is required. A claim has to establish the claimant's interest in a covered property: an ownership interest, a valid lien, or a right as an heir or successor. Each of the three settlement websites hosts its own claim form and its own description of what that form requires, so the exact document list depends on which county foreclosed on the property. The claim form requires enough information for the claims administrator and the parties to assess whether the claimant is a settlement class member. For a claim asserting an interest that was never recorded in county property records, expect to have to submit a sworn statement explaining it — that is what the earlier Multnomah County settlement required, and the Washington County settlement agreement carries a similar requirement for unrecorded interests. Heirs should be ready to document the chain from the original owner to themselves.

What Happened?

In May 2023 the U.S. Supreme Court decided Tyler v. Hennepin County, holding that a government that keeps more than the tax debt when it takes and sells a home for unpaid property taxes can violate the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Former Oregon property owners then sued a long list of Oregon counties in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in Portland, alleging the counties had kept the surplus from tax-foreclosed properties instead of returning it to the former owners, lienholders and heirs. The counties deny wrongdoing and the court has not decided who is right. The counties have been settling one at a time. Multnomah County settled first, agreeing to pay $3,515,759.25, and received final approval on November 13, 2025. In July 2026 the claims administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration, announced settlements with Baker, Columbia, Jackson and Marion counties, with Washington County, and with Yamhill County. Union County followed with preliminary approval in September 2026. The lead cases are Martin Lynch, et al. v. Multnomah County, No. 3:23-cv-01502-IM, Gabbert v. Josephine County, No. 1:23-cv-01434-IM, Baker v. Baker County, No. 2:24-cv-01503-IM, and Brackett v. Washington County, No. 3:26-cv-00554-IM, all before Judge Karin J. Immergut. The court held fairness hearings on the three open settlements on September 17, 2026.

How to File Your Claim

1. Identify the Oregon county that foreclosed on the property. This decides which of the three settlements you belong to and which website accepts your claim
2. Go to the correct official site: OregonTaxForeclosure.com for Baker, Columbia, Jackson and Marion counties (it has a separate page for each county)
3. WashingtonForeclosureSettlement.com for Washington County
4. YamhillTaxForeclosureSettlement.com for Yamhill County
5. Check that the property appears on that settlement's published list of eligible properties before filing
6. Confirm the foreclosure falls inside the class period for that specific county, which is not the same in all six
7. File online, or complete the paper claim form and mail it to Oregon Tax Foreclosure Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration, LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391
8. Include documentation of your ownership interest, lien, or heirship, plus a sworn statement if your interest was never recorded in county property records
9. Submit online by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on November 30, 2026, or have a paper form postmarked by November 30, 2026
10. Questions on the four-county settlement can go to the administrator toll-free at (833) 930-0987
11. If you held qualifying property in more than one covered county, file a separate claim in each settlement
12. Visit the official claim form: https://www.oregontaxforeclosure.com/

How Much Will I Actually Get?

THERE IS NO SINGLE POT OF MONEY AND NO FLAT PAYMENT. Each of the three settlements is funded separately and pays separately, and what you receive is tied to the surplus on one specific property rather than to a per-person amount. The three funds: Baker, Columbia, Jackson and Marion counties, $4,919,409.99 combined; Washington County, $1,500,000.00; Yamhill County, $179,470.18. THE FOUR-COUNTY FUND CAN GROW. The $4,919,409.99 figure represents 100% of the surplus proceeds those four counties obtained from sales of most eligible properties, plus applicable interest, and it may increase if any of those counties sell additional foreclosed properties before the claim deadline. Each eligible claimant tied to a sold property receives a pro-rata share of the fund after attorneys' fees, expenses and service awards to the class representatives are deducted. WASHINGTON COUNTY'S 80% CUT APPLIES TO ONLY PART OF ITS SETTLEMENT, NOT THE WHOLE THING. Washington County's $1,500,000.00 represents 100% of the surplus proceeds it obtained on most eligible properties it sold, but only 80% of the surplus equity on most eligible properties it kept, donated or transferred, plus interest. If the county sold your former property you are measured against the full surplus; if the county held onto it, donated it or transferred it, you are measured against 80% of the real market value calculation. Washington County's class definition builds that 80% directly into the eligibility test for retained and transferred properties. A SEPARATE SMALL CARVE-OUT IN COLUMBIA COUNTY. For a small number of Columbia County properties with assessed values of $1,100 or less that have not yet sold, the former owners may, at Columbia County's option, be entitled to a pro-rata share of a one-time $3,000 payment from Columbia County. That $3,000 is the entire amount available for that group of properties, shared among everyone who files an eligible claim on them. THE ATTORNEYS' FEE CAP IS NOT THE SAME IN ALL THREE. Fees come out of each fund. The court awarded fees of 25% of the fund in the four-county and Yamhill settlements. The Washington County notice sets a higher ceiling, capping fees at 30% of that fund. Administration and notice costs also come out of each fund. COMPETING CLAIMS ON THE SAME PROPERTY SHARE ONE AMOUNT. Where more than one eligible claim is filed on a single property, the total available for that property is the share of proceeds associated with that property, and the administrator sorts the claims out among the claimants before paying. No individual payment can be calculated until all claims are submitted and validated. IF YOU HELD PROPERTY IN MORE THAN ONE COVERED COUNTY, THE SETTLEMENTS DO NOT CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT. They are funded and administered separately, so a claimant with qualifying properties in two different settlements files in each one, on each one's own website. NO PAYMENT DATE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED. The settlement websites say payments follow court approval and the end of any appeals.

Last reviewed: October 13, 2026 | Information verified from court records and official settlement documents.

Frequently Asked Questions