Washington surplus funds list
Unclaimed overages from tax deed and foreclosure sales.
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Washington surplus funds rules
- Sales that create surplus
- Tax lien foreclosure by county treasurer (RCW 84.64.080); Non-judicial deed of trust trustee sale (RCW 61.24.080); Judicial mortgage foreclosure / sheriff sale (RCW 61.12.150); HOA/condo lien foreclosures (judicial or non-judicial)
- Who holds the money
- Tax sale: county treasurer. Trustee sale: the trustee deposits the surplus, less the filing fee, with the superior court clerk of the county of sale, indexed under the grantor's name. Judicial: the court or clerk.
- Unclaimed funds go to
- Tax sale: if no claim is made within 3 years after the sale, the treasurer must deposit the excess in the county current expense fund, which 'extinguishes all claims' (RCW 84.64.080(10); last amended 2019, so no post-Tyler fix). Court-held trustee surplus: eventually reportable as unclaimed property to the Dept. of Revenue under RUUPA, ch. 63.30 RCW. verify
- How owners claim
- Tax sale: application to the county treasurer. Only the record owner on the date the certificate of delinquency was issued qualifies; later assignments and deeds do not affect payment. Trustee sale: motion for disbursement in superior court, served on all parties notified of the surplus at least 20 days before the hearing; the clerk pays only on court order. — deadline: Tax sale: 3 years from the sale date. Trustee sale: no fixed statutory deadline in RCW 61.24.080.
- Agent / finder fee cap
- For property held by the state (DOR unclaimed property), RCW 63.30.790(2) makes any locate/recover agreement charging more than 5% of the value reasonably expected to be recovered unenforceable; attorney agreements are exempt. Old RCW 63.29.350 (5% cap) was repealed effective 1/1/2023 by 2022 c 225 and replaced by 63.30.780-.790, amended 2025 c 29. No fee cap was found for county tax excess or court-held trustee surplus.
- Waiting period
- None found in 63.30.780-.790 or in 61.24.080/84.64.080.
- Registration
- No finder registration found. verify
- Getting the list
- County treasurers hold tax-sale excess. Lists are not centrally published (by request or public records request). King County treasurer list URL not confirmed. Trustee surplus deposits are searchable via superior court clerk records indexed under the grantor's name. verify
Law: RCW 84.64.080(10); RCW 61.24.080(3); RCW 61.12.150; RCW 63.30.780, 63.30.790 (formerly 63.29.350)
Questions
Is there a free Washington surplus funds list?
Counties publish or provide lists on request; Surplus Funds HQ links to the official sources and is adding Washington lists.
Who gets surplus funds in Washington?
The former owner first (and lienholders in order of priority). The money is held by: Tax sale: county treasurer. Trustee sale: the trustee deposits the surplus, less the filing fee, with the superior court clerk of the county of sale, indexed under the grantor's name. Judicial: the court or clerk..
What is the recovery agent fee cap in Washington?
For property held by the state (DOR unclaimed property), RCW 63.30.790(2) makes any locate/recover agreement charging more than 5% of the value reasonably expected to be recovered unenforceable; attorney agreements are exempt. Old RCW 63.29.350 (5% cap) was repealed effective 1/1/2023 by 2022 c 225 and replaced by 63.30.780-.790, amended 2025 c 29. No fee cap was found for county tax excess or court-held trustee surplus.