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The Planning & Community Resources Properties team promotes infill and redevelopment of City owned property.
Who Owns the Property?
To find property owner of record, you can visit MACOG, or contact County Assessor for assistance (574) 235-9523.
State law outlines procedures for disposing of property owned by local government. These procedures vary considerably based on several factors. One factor is which entity of the City of South Bend owns the property—the Board of Public Works, the Redevelopment Commission, or the Redevelopment Authority. Once you’ve identified that the property is owned by the City, we suggest emailing emichaels@southbendin.gov or calling our Department of Community Investment at (574) 235-5931 for assistance. They will then let you know how to proceed. The process can take at least three months to complete.
One of the most frequent requests is to purchase a vacant lot abutting one’s own property. If the property in question is owned by the Board of Public Works, has an assessed value of less than $6,000 and the abutting property owner is current on all property taxes s/he owns, this can be a relatively easy process—though we legally need to follow certain procedures.
Email to: emichaels@southbendin.gov
Mail to: Erin Michaels, Department of Community Investment, 1400S County-City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, IN 46601
Process
Currently there are two ways to acquire a property:
Contact Neighborhood Services & Enforcement at: (574) 235-5542 or visit us at: 13th floor of the County-City Building (227 W. Jefferson Blvd. Suite 1300 South Bend, IN 46601).
Additional details about the tax sale and county commissioners’ certificate sale process are available by contacting the St. Joseph County Treasurer at (574) 235-9531. Anyone can purchase property as long as all aspects are met per the agreement with the St. Joseph County Treasurer.