District of Columbia Code
Subchapter II - Sale
§ 47–1355. Void certificate of sale

(a) Except as otherwise provided, a certificate of sale shall be void if:
(1) An action to foreclose the right of redemption is not brought within one year from the date of the certificate of sale;
(2) Repealed;
(3) An action to foreclose the right of redemption is dismissed for a lack of prosecution;
(3) An action to foreclose the right of redemption is dismissed for lack of prosecution, or a pleading has not been filed by the plaintiff within the later of one year from the last hearing in the case or October 1, 2019.
(4) The purchaser fails to comply with § 47-1382; or
(5) A sale is set aside because of fraud on the part of the purchaser.
(b) If a certificate shall become void:
(1) The right, title, and interest of the purchaser in the real property shall cease;
(2) All monies paid for the real property by the purchaser shall be forfeited to the District and deposited by the Mayor in the General Fund of the District; and
(3) The real property shall be deemed to have been bid off in the name of the District for the taxes for which the real property was sold or bid off at the original public tax sale to which the certificate corresponds, and interest thereon shall accrue from the date that the property was sold or bid off, as if the sale or assignment to the purchaser had not occurred.
(c) Subsection (b) of this section shall not apply if a judgment or sale is set aside in the absence of fraud on the part of the purchaser and the certificate of sale is not void under subsection (a) of this section.
(June 9, 2001, D.C. Law 13-305, § 507(a)(2), 48 DCR 334; Dec. 4, 2014, D.C. Law 20-141, § 101(c)(18), 61 DCR 7763; Feb. 26, 2015, D.C Law 20-155, §§ 7102(c)(18), 7104, 61 DCR 9990; Oct. 30, 2018, D.C. Law 22-168, § 7093(c)(2), 65 DCR 9388.)
This section is referenced in § 47-1348, § 47-1352, and § 47-1353.
The 2014 amendment by D.C. Law 20-141, repealed before its effective date, would have repealed (a)(2).
The 2015 amendment by D.C. Law 20-155 repealed (a)(2).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7093(c)(2) of Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-458, Oct. 3, 2018, 65 DCR 11212).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7093(c)(2) of Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-434, July 30, 2018, 65 DCR 8200).
For temporary (90 day) addition of section, see § 7 of Real Property Tax Clarity and Litter Control Administration Emergency Act of 2001 (D.C. Act 14-22, March 16, 2001, 48 DCR 2706).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 101(c)(19) of the Residential Real Property Equity and Transparency Emergency Amendment Act of 2014, (D.C. Act 20-342, May 28, 2014, 61 DCR 5691).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 101(c)(19) of the Residential Real Property Equity and Transparency Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2014 (D.C. Act 20-409, Aug. 1, 2014, 61 DCR 8281).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7112(c)(18) of the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2014 (D.C. Act 20-377, July 14, 2014, 61 DCR 7598, 20 STAT 3696).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7102(c)(18) of the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2014 (D.C. Act 20-449, October 10, 2014, 61 DCR 10915, 20 STAT 4188).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, as amended by D.C. Law 20-155, § 7102(c), see the first § 2(q) of the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Support Clarification Emergency Act of 2014 (D.C. Act 20-461, November 6, 2014, 61 DCR 11784, 20 STAT 4368).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7102(c)(18) of the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Support Second Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2014 (D.C. Act 20-566, January 9, 2015, 62 DCR 884, 21 STAT 541).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, as amended by D.C. Law 20-155, § 7102(c), see the first § 2(q) of the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Support Clarification Emergency Act of 2014 (D.C. Act 20-587, January 13, 2015, 62 DCR 1294, 21 STAT 758).
For temporary (225 day) addition of section, see § 7 of Real Property Tax Clarity and Litter Control Administration Temporary Amendment Act of 2001 (D.C. Law 14-8, June 13, 2001, law notification 48 DCR 5916).
D.C. Law 20-141 became effective on Dec. 4, 2014, but was repealed prior to its effective date by emergency D.C. Act 20-377, § 7114, eff. July 14, 2014, 61 DCR 7598, by emergency D.C. Act 20-449, § 7104, eff. October 10, 2014, 61 DCR 10915, by emergency D.C. Act 20-566, § 7104, eff. January 9, 2015, 62 DCR 884, and by D.C. Law 20-155, § 7104, 61 DCR 9990.