The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is preparing for its annual land auction.
For the 2025 event, 126 properties will be for sale via online auctions in August and early September.
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Some of the parcels of land include river frontage, lake frontage and forested acreage surrounded by private ownership.
While many of the properties are forested and/or have road or river frontage, the DNR says they are more suitable for private ownership. The parcels of land that are selected for the auction also go through an extensive review process.
“More than half of the land the DNR manages came to the state due to owners’ nonpayment of taxes, so those parcels were not ones we purposefully sought out and purchased,” Scott Whitcomb, director of the DNR’s Office of Public Lands, said. “Our land review process is effective in pointing out parcels that don’t fit the department mission to balance conservation, recreation and economic development.”
List of locations
This year, the auction will include parcels of land throughout Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula in the following counties: Alger, Allegan, Barry, Genesee, Gogebic, Grand Traverse, Kent, Lake, Lapeer, Luce, Manistee, Marquette, Mecosta, Midland, Missaukee, Montmorency, Newaygo, Oceana, Ogemaw, Schoolcraft, Washtenaw and Wexford.
The DNR said that 11 online auctions are scheduled and will feature land parcels by county. The auctions will be held from Aug. 1 to Sept. 5 as follows:
- Friday, Aug. 1 – Kent and Oceana counties
- Monday, Aug. 4 – Grand Traverse, Lake, Manistee and Wexford counties
- Thursday, Aug. 7 – Lapeer County
- Monday, Aug. 18 – Alger, Luce and Schoolcraft counties
- Tuesday, Aug. 19 – Gogebic and Marquette counties
- Thursday, Aug. 21 – Washtenaw County
- Friday, Aug. 22 – Mecosta, Midland and Newaygo counties
- Tuesday, Aug. 26 – Barry County
- Wednesday, Aug. 27 – Allegan County
- Thursday, Aug. 28 – Ogemaw, Missaukee and Montmorency counties
- Friday, Sept. 5 – Genesee County
To see a detailed property list that includes the minimum bid, acreage, maps and more, visit here.
How to bid
People interested in bidding can click here to preregister and learn more about the auction.
Anyone who wants to bid must register before the auction date for that property, according to the DNR.
In addition, the DNR says absentee bids can be submitted up to 30 days before an auction.
“The ‘interactive’ bidding portion of an auction will open at 10 a.m. on that auction date. At that time, bidders will be able to see current high bids for each property. Bidders can continue to place bids on a property until 7 p.m., when bidding closes and the winning bidder is determined,” the DNR said.
Other property details
The DNR said that the properties included in this year’s sale range from under an acre to 200 acres.
Many properties showcased in the auction are located in Allegan, Lake, Newaygo, Schoolcraft and Wexford counties.
Here are some other details the DNR shares about the properties:
- Notable waterfront properties that are accessible in the Lower Peninsula include a Barry County property with frontage on Long Lake (Lot #10048), an island in Genesee County in Lake Ponemah (Lot #10049), a Montmorency County property with frontage on the Thunder Bay River (Lot #10076) and two properties in Wexford County on Lake Mitchell (Lot #10124) and Pleasant Lake (Lot #10127).
- Notable waterfront properties in the Upper Peninsula include a property in Gogebic County on Duck Lake (Lot #10050) and Schoolcraft County properties with frontage on the West Branch Manistique River (Lot #10114) and the North Branch of Stutts Creek (Lot #10115).
- Some large-acreage properties that are accessible include an 80-acre property in Oceana County along West Jefferson Road (Lot #10099), a 43-acre-plus Grand Traverse County property along Hoosier Valley Road (Lot #10051), a 20-acre parcel in Allegan County on 105th Avenue (Lot #10046), a 94-acre-plus property in Montmorency County along M-32 (Lot #10077) and several properties in Schoolcraft County between 18 acres and 124 acres in size (Lot #s 10107, 10108, 10114 and 10115).
“Most of the properties included in the auction were designated as surplus properties during the DNR’s state land review,” the DNR said. “In fact, 98% of the parcels offered at auction this year were part of that review process, which aims to examine isolated state-managed parcels that are 200 acres or smaller with a substantial private-public boundary.”
To learn more about the review process, visit here.
Anyone with questions can contact Michael Michalek, a resource specialist in the DNR’s Real Estate Section, at MichalekM1@Michigan.gov or 517-331-8387.