Lake frontage, river frontage, and vacant forested acreage surrounded by privately owned land are the types of land parcels available in the next round of Michigan Department of Natural Resources surplus public land auctions, set for Aug. 2-Sept. 9.
The department is preparing 188 such properties for sale throughout the Lower and Upper peninsulas. Fifteen online auctions will be conducted, featuring vacant land in the following counties on these dates:
Aug. 2 — Washtenaw
Aug. 4 — Huron
Aug. 5 — Arenac and Iosco
Aug. 11 — Macomb, Saint Clair, and Sanilac
Aug. 16 — Saint Joseph
Aug. 18 — Berrien and Van Buren
Aug. 23 — Lake
Aug. 26 — Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinac.
Aug. 30 — Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Marquette, and Ontonagon
Aug. 31 — Antrim and Charlevoix
Sept. 1 — Roscommon
Sept. 6 — Alcona and Alpena
Sept. 7 — Emmet
Sept. 8 — Mason, Newaygo, and Oceana
Sept. 9 — Grand Traverse
Interested parties can pre-register and get more information about the online auction schedule at Tax-Sale.info. Bidders must register before the property’s auction date. Absentee bids can be made up to 30 days before the auction.
The “interactive” bidding portion of an auction will open at 10 a.m. on that auction date. At that time, current high bids for each property will be shown. Bidding will continue until 7 p.m. when bidding closes and the winning bid is determined.
Visit here for information including minimum bid, acreage and location information on the available properties as well as maps and more. Interested bidders also are encouraged to review the DNR Land Sales: Terms and Conditions.
Properties for sale range in size from under an acre to 160 acres. Many of the surplus properties highlighted in the auction are in Chippewa, Dickinson, Grand Traverse, Luce, Marquette, and Saint Clair counties.
There are around 50 properties 40 acres or larger available, mostly throughout the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. Notable waterfront properties include:
- A Chippewa County property with frontage on Garkinghouse Lake (Lot 99037).
- A Dickinson County parcel with frontage on the Sturgeon River (Lot 99061).
- Two Gogebic County properties along the Montreal River (Lots 99065 and 99066).
- A Mackinac County property with frontage on South Manistique Lake (Lot 99116).
- A property in Marquette County along the Escanaba River (Lot 99140).
Many parcels are forested and/or have road frontage better suited for private ownership. Much of the land offered in these auctions is isolated from other DNR-managed property, which creates some management challenges. Other parcels are included because they offer limited public recreation benefits.
Separate from the online auctions, the DNR is offering additional properties (listed for sale at their former minimum bid prices) that were not sold in previous auctions. These properties are available for immediate purchase only via the BuyNow list.
The DNR says auction proceeds help provide future outdoor recreation opportunities in keeping with its mission to conserve, protect, and manage the state’s natural and cultural resources for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations.
