Treasurer Eric R. Sabree announces info on Show Cause HearingsIf you are facing foreclosure and your tax issue does not fall into one of the categories below, you are urged to get into a payment plan as soon as possible or seek assistance and not wait until the Show Cause Hearings. Appointments for the Show Cause Hearings for 2024 are now available on our website. The Show Cause Hearing allows residents the opportunity to explain why title to the property should not transfer to the Wayne County Treasurer. Valid legal reasons to remove a property from tax foreclosure include: No law authorizes the tax.

The person appointed to decide whether a tax will be levied under a law of this state acted without jurisdiction or did not impose the tax in question.

The property was exempt from the tax in question, or the tax was not legally levied.

The tax has been paid within the time limited by law for payment or redemption.

The tax was assessed fraudulently.

The description of the property used in the assessment was so indefinite or erroneous that the forfeiture was void.

The owner of property subject to foreclosure is a minor heir or is incompetent.

Unless you have a valid reason to remove your property from foreclosure, if you have received a Yellow Bag, here is what you should do.

Pay your Property Taxes in full.

Enter into a Payment Plan.

You can also take this as an opportunity to get into a payment plan to prevent title to the property from transferring to the Treasurer.

Seek Assistance from our Community Partners.

The Wayne County Treasurer's Office has many community partners who offer a large variety of helpful services to taxpayers, including free financial and legal counseling, Housing Assistance and Foreclosure Prevention Assistance.

Apply for a Property Tax Exemption at your local assessors office.

The Pay As You Stay (PAYS) program may reduce the amount of delinquent taxes owed for lower income residents who own and occupy their residence and live in a municipality that has opted into the program. In order to be eligible for the PAYS program, homeowners must apply for a Poverty Tax Exemption (PTE) through their local assessor's office and have it approved.

For questions on how to get re-instated into a plan, email [email protected] or call (313) 224-5990. For general questions, email [email protected].