15-18-220. Sale at public auction -- notice of auction -- cancellation of assignment for unsuccessful auction. (1) Upon receipt of an application for a tax deed pursuant to 15-18-219, the county treasurer shall hold a public auction in the county in which the property is located within 60 days of receipt of the application. The county treasurer shall publish notice of the auction as provided in 7-1-2121 that includes the date, time, and location of the auction, the legal description of the property, the deposit requirement, and the minimum opening bid. The auction must be held during the regular office hours of the county treasurer.

(2) (a) The opening bid on the property must be the amount required in subsection (2)(b), and the county treasurer may not accept a bid below the opening bid.

(b) The opening bid for the property is equal to the sum of:

(i) the amount required to redeem the tax lien, which includes delinquent taxes, penalties, interest, and costs;

(ii) amounts paid by the assignee upon application for the tax deed pursuant to 15-18-219(2);

(iii) tax deed fees provided for in 15-18-211(2)(a) and recording fees; and

(iv) an amount equal to half of the most recent assessed value of the land and of the dwelling or half of the value of the land and of the dwelling as determined in an independent appraisal. If the opening bid is based on an independent appraisal, the appraisal must be provided to the county treasurer, must meet the standards set by the Montana board of real estate appraisers, and must have been conducted within 6 months of the date of the auction.

(3) (a) The county treasurer shall sell the property to the high bidder for the purchase price bid plus auction costs incurred by the county treasurer. Except as provided in subsection (3)(b), the high bidder shall post with the county treasurer a nonrefundable deposit of 5% of the bid or $200, whichever is greater, at the time of sale. The deposit is applied to the sale price at the time of full payment. Notice of the deposit requirement must be posted at the auction site, and the county treasurer may require bidders to show their ability to post the deposit. The county treasurer may refuse to recognize the bid of a person who has previously bid and refused, for any reason, to honor the bid.

(b) If the assignee is the high bidder, the assignee shall pay to the county treasurer auction costs and any amounts included in the opening bid and not already paid, including filing fees, tax deed fees, and one-half of the most recent assessed value of the land and of the dwelling. If the assignee does not make full payment within 24 hours, excluding weekends and legal holidays, the county treasurer shall cancel the assignment and file with the county clerk and recorder a notice of cancellation on a form provided for in 15-18-225.

(c) If full payment of the purchase price and auction costs is not made within 24 hours of the sale, excluding weekends and legal holidays, by a high bidder who is not the assignee, the county treasurer shall cancel the high bid and allow the next highest bidder to purchase the tax deed for the amount bid. If the next highest bidder does not make full payment of the purchase price and the auction costs within 24 hours, excluding weekends and legal holidays, of notification by the county treasurer, the county treasurer shall repeat the process and contact the next highest bidder until the purchase price and auction costs are paid or until there are no bidders remaining. If no bidder pays the purchase price and auction costs, the county treasurer shall cancel the assignment and file with the county clerk and recorder a notice of cancellation on a form provided for in 15-18-225.

(d) If there are no bidders at the auction, the county treasurer shall cancel the assignment and file with the county clerk and recorder a notice of cancellation on a form provided for in 15-18-225.

(4) The portion of the opening bid that is equal to half of the most recent assessed value of the land and of the dwelling is considered surplus funds and, upon sale of the property, must be distributed as provided in 15-18-221. If the purchase price is higher than the opening bid, the difference between the purchase price and the opening bid is considered surplus funds and must be distributed as provided in 15-18-221.

(5) Upon full payment of the purchase price, the county treasurer shall issue the tax deed in the form provided in 15-18-213 and distribute the funds as provided in 15-18-221.

(6) An auction required pursuant to this section may be conducted electronically.