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Colorado Tax Sales

Colorado sells tax lien certificates paying up to 13% under C.R.S. Title 39, Article 11. Tax Sale Atlas holds the sale calendar, auction platform and list locations for all 64 Colorado counties, each read from the county’s own official pages and checked against the statute on Oct 12, 2026.

Colorado is a tax-lien state. Each year the county treasurer holds a public auction of tax liens on parcels whose prior-year taxes are still delinquent, and the auction must commence on or before the second Monday in December. Read more…

Bidding is premium bid: the lien opens at the taxes, delinquent interest, and fees then due, and it goes to whoever pays the largest amount in excess of that figure. The premium is credited to the county general fund, so it is not part of the investor's return. The certificate earns redemption interest at a single statewide rate that the state bank commissioner resets every September 1, which is 13 percent for the rate year that began October 1, 2026. After August 1 of the third calendar year following the sale, the certificate holder may apply for a treasurer's deed, and the treasurer then sells the property at a public auction under Article 11.5. That article replaced direct deed issuance on July 1, 2024, and SB 26-144 repealed and reenacted it effective June 1, 2026.

Rules verified Oct 12, 2026 against Colorado Statutes.

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Sale type: Tax lien
Maximum rate: 13%
Bidding method: Premium bid
Over-the-counter: Available

Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Oct 12, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify

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Tax lien certificates

You pay the overdue taxes and receive a certificate that earns a return set by statute. Bidders compete on price by bidding above the minimum, and a premium paid above that minimum changes what you actually earn. Compare bidding methods to see how that changes what you earn. Read the Colorado tax lien interest rate before comparing returns.

Bidding method: Premium bid
Maximum rate: 13% per year, set by statute (bidding is on price)
Minimum return: No statutory minimum return; what you earn is set by the price at the sale
Next expected: by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact dates post per county)
Certificate life: Expires 7 years after issuance

Sale timingThe auction must commence on or before the second Monday in December each year. More…

If the lien cannot be advertised and offered by then, the treasurer holds the sale on a later day that still allows time for the required published notice. Most counties schedule the sale during the autumn, so confirm the exact date with the county treasurer.

Zero-bid ruleColorado does not bid the interest rate down. More…

Every certificate sold in a given rate year earns the same statewide rate, and competition happens through premium bidding instead. The lien opens at the taxes, delinquent interest, and fees due, and the bidder who pays the largest amount in excess wins. That excess is credited to the county general fund. It earns no interest, it is not added to the redemption amount, and it is not refunded when the owner redeems, so an aggressive premium directly reduces the investor's yield. Treasurers may also set a minimum total below which they will not accept competitive bids.

Tax deed process

The deed process can lead to property ownership. Confirm the steps below, the interest conveyed, and the title and possession requirements for the parcel. If the parcels you are bidding on are vacant land rather than houses, see what buying land at a tax sale hands you.

Auction method: premium bid

Runs afterAfter August 1 of the third calendar year following the tax lien sale, the lawful holder of the certificate of purchase may apply to the treasurer for a treasurer's deed. More…

The treasurer then sells the property at a public auction, and the winning bidder receives a certificate of option for a treasurer's deed. A lawful holder who did not win may repurchase that certificate by filing a notice of intent within three business days and paying the winning bid's excess over the debt, with interest, by noon on the eighth business day. Title vests at the close of the eighth business day after the auction, and the treasurer then records the deed. On and after July 1, 2024 a treasurer may not issue a deed under Article 11, which is how Colorado answered Tyler v. Hennepin County on owner equity, and the Article 11.5 that governs now is the version SB 26-144 reenacted effective June 1, 2026.

Run by

County Treasurer

DepositThe treasurer may require the applying lawful holder to deposit up to one thousand dollars plus statutory fees when the application is accepted, applied against the treasurer's fees and costs, and all Article 11.5 fees and costs are chargeable as additional amounts owing under the certificate of purchase. More…

A third-party winner may be charged up to three hundred dollars for processing. The statute sets no bidder deposit percentage, so payment terms come from the treasurer's written auction policies.

Balance duePayment of a winning bid must reach the treasurer by the date and time of the auction, or by a later time that same day the treasurer sets in writing, in the form the treasurer specifies. More…

If the high bidder does not pay, the next highest bidder who tenders the full bid on time wins, and the treasurer may bar a non-paying bidder from these auctions for up to five years. A lawful holder who wins with a bid above the amount owed to it pays only the excess, within three business days.

Surplus proceedsJunior lienors whose liens were recorded before the application for treasurer's deed may file a claim for overbid money within eight business days after the auction. More…

Between the ninth and fifteenth business day the overbid is paid to them in order of recording priority, each up to the unpaid lien plus fees and costs, and whatever remains goes to the property owner. The treasurer mails the owner a notice within thirty days after the claim period ends. Unclaimed overbid stays in escrow for two years without interest to the claimant. Amounts under twenty-five dollars left unclaimed for six months go to the county general fund, and larger amounts left unclaimed for two years go to the state treasurer as unclaimed property. An agreement to pay someone to recover an unclaimed overbid is enforceable only if the fee is capped at ten percent and the agreement is made at least two years after the transfer.

Confirm marketability and insurance requirements with a title professional. Budget any title-clearing work and delays before relying on a resale. See the due diligence guide, or check what survives a tax deed in Colorado.

Redemption, delinquency, and over-the-counter at a glance

Redemption

How longRedemption may be made at any time before a treasurer's deed is executed, so the practical window runs past the three-year mark and into the Article 11.5 process. More…

Once a deed application is pending, the owner must file an intent to redeem with the treasurer no later than seven calendar days before the scheduled public auction, then pay the amount on the redemption statement while it is in effect, and must redeem the entire property. The auction itself is set 30 to 60 calendar days after the treasurer mails the notice of public auction. A separate rule lets an owner who was under a legal disability when a tax deed was executed under Article 11 redeem within nine years of the deed being recorded, at 15 percent per year plus the present value of any improvements.

What the owner paysThe taxes, delinquent interest, and costs for which the lien was sold, plus redemption interest from the date of sale at the rate in force, plus every subsequent tax the holder paid and had endorsed on the certificate with interest at the same rate, plus the statutory fees the purchaser paid. More…

Portions of months count as whole months. The premium the investor bid above the taxes is not part of the redemption amount and is not returned.

Delinquency

How it startsColorado property taxes may be paid in full or in two equal installments. More…

The first installment is due by the last day of February and the second by June 15, or the full amount may be paid in a single payment by April 30. Delinquent interest runs at 1 percent per month from March 1 on a late first installment, from June 16 on a late second installment, and from May 1 on a late single payment. The treasurer must mail a delinquency notice to each owner no later than September 1, and the notice sets a payment date at least fifteen days out before the lien is advertised and sold. Parcels still unpaid go to the tax lien auction later that same year.

Over-the-counter

How to buyIf a tax lien draws no bid, the treasurer strikes it off to the county, city, town, or city and county for the taxes, delinquent interest, and fees, and issues that government a certificate of purchase. More…

A county holding certificates of purchase may then assign, sell, or transfer them in the manner, at the times, and on the terms set by resolution of its board of county commissioners, which is the mechanism Colorado counties use to sell county-held liens over the counter between annual sales. Availability, pricing, and whether a county offers a public list at all vary by county, so check with the treasurer.

What is availableColorado has no statewide lands-available list of the Florida type. More…

Where a county obtained a tax deed under the pre-July-2024 process, the board of county commissioners lists that real property for sale and may repair and insure it in the meantime. Unclaimed Article 11.5 overbids, not properties, are what escheat: amounts of twenty-five dollars or more go to the state treasurer as unclaimed property two years after the auction, and smaller amounts go to the county general fund after six months.

Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Colorado calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.

All 64 Colorado counties

Sales are organized by county. Search your city or county and compare the available sale details. Where deed-sale formats are listed, filter for online or in-person sales. Certificate platforms appear where that sale type is available.

Colorado

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Frequently asked questions

Does Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Colorado sells tax liens. The county treasurer auctions liens on delinquent parcels and issues the winner a certificate of purchase. There is no separate tax deed auction of the property at the delinquency stage. The only deed path runs through Article 11.5: after August 1 of the third calendar year following the sale, the certificate holder applies for a treasurer's deed, and the treasurer sells the property at a public auction where the winner receives a certificate of option for a treasurer's deed.

What interest rate do Colorado tax liens pay?

One statewide rate applies to every certificate sold in a given rate year, and it is not bid down. C.R.S. 39-12-103(3) sets it at nine percentage points above the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank discount rate, rounded to the nearest full percent, and the commissioner of banking establishes it each September 1 to take effect October 1. The rate effective October 1, 2026 is 13 percent. Confirm the current rate with the Colorado Division of Banking before you bid.

How does bidding work at a Colorado tax lien sale?

Bidding is premium bid. The lien opens at the taxes, delinquent interest, and fees due, and it goes to whoever pays the largest amount in excess. That excess is credited to the county general fund. It earns no interest and it is not returned when the owner redeems, so the premium is a real cost against the investor's return, not a deposit.

See all Colorado FAQ

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