Clear Creek County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Clear Creek County, seat of Georgetown: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
Verified Jul 30, 2026 against official county and state sources.
New here? Read how Colorado tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Clear Creek County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Clear Creek County Treasurer & Public Trustee
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annually in early November, one day only. The Treasurer's Important Tax Deadlines page lists "November 6, 2026" as "Tax Lien Sale (Internet Auction) zeusauction.com", with "November 5, 2026 by Noon" as the "Very Last day to pay any taxes to avoid Tax Lien Sale". The prior sale ran Friday, November 7, 2025: "Bidding OPENS FRIDAY, November 07, 2025 at 8:00 AM MST" and "Bidding CLOSES FRIDAY November 07, 2025 at 5:00 PM MST."
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register online at zeusauction.com. The county states "Each bidder will be required to register online with www.zeusauction.com to participate" and that the auction site opens for registration and research roughly two and a half weeks ahead of the sale, closing at 5:00 p.m. the day before bidding (for 2025: on or about October 20 through November 6 at 5:00 p.m.). "Only bidders with a US Tax Payer ID are allowed to participate" and "Registration name, line one, must match the Tax ID number supplied with no variations." "No deposit is required at the time of registration." Winning bids are paid by ACH from the bank account used at registration, the only accepted form of payment. Auction operation questions go to SRI at 1-800-800-9588.
Bidding is premium style: "Bidding will begin at the amount of taxes, interest, advertising and fees due at the time of sale. Any bid in excess of this amount is called a Bonus or Premium Bid." The county warns the bonus is not returned if the property is redeemed and earns no interest on it. The rate set by the Colorado State Bank Commissioner was 14% on 2024 liens sold in 2025. The published notice stresses "YOU ARE NOT BUYING THE LAND", only a lien against the property, with no right of possession, use, improvement, or access. Redemptions from the sale open December 1. After three years without redemption a certificate holder may apply for a public auction of a certificate of option for Treasurer's Deed; the county estimates about $1,500 in expense deposits and up to six months. House Bill 24-1056, effective July 1, 2024, substantially changed Colorado's Treasurer's Deed process after Tyler v. Hennepin County, though it did not change the lien sale itself or redemption interest. The county also sells county-held (struck off) certificates over the counter at the Treasurer's Office. The list is advertised in the Clear Creek Courant and posted online in the weeks before the sale. The county's numbered sale page still showed the prior year's sale at the time of research, so confirm the current year's exact dates with the Treasurer.
Register on SRI / ZEUSTax deed sale
- Run by
- County Treasurer
- Frequency
- on application
- Typical timing
- There is no fixed calendar. A public auction is scheduled only when a certificate holder applies for one, at least three years after the tax lien sale, and the treasurer must hold it between 110 and 125 calendar days after the known interested party notice is first published or mailed.
Registration and deposit
What sells is a certificate of option for treasurer's deed, not the parcel outright. The treasurer may only accept bids above the combined amount owed to the lawful holder plus the treasurer's fees and costs. County officials, county employees acting in their individual capacity, and their immediate family members may not bid. Payment is by cash, cashier's check, bank check, or electronic funds transfer subject to the treasurer's bidding rules. Any overbid goes to junior lienors who filed a notice of intent to redeem and then to the property owner. Confirm the notice, the bidding rules, and the auction venue with the county treasurer.
This Article 11.5 process replaced direct deed issuance on July 1, 2024. Colorado does not hold a routine calendar tax deed sale, so treat this as an occasional, application-driven auction rather than a recurring event.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
Liens that draw no bid are struck off to the county and the treasurer issues the county a certificate of purchase. The county may then assign, sell, or transfer those certificates in the manner, at the times, and on the terms set by resolution of the board of county commissioners, which is how county-held liens are sold between annual auctions. A certificate on property owing more than ten thousand dollars in taxes needs the property tax administrator's approval after published notice. Whether a county maintains a published county-held list, and on what terms, varies. Contact the county treasurer.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Clear Creek County
- Treasurer of record is Carol Lee; office hours are listed as "Monday through Thursday 7:30 am to 4:00 pm".
- Public computer workstations for the auction are available at local libraries and in the County Treasurer's Office.
- Two county domains serve the same content: clearcreekcounty.us and co.clear-creek.co.us.
- SRI Inc. runs bidder and platform support at 1-800-800-9588; the Treasurer handles redemption and payoff questions at 303-679-2353.
- The delinquent list is advertised in the Clear Creek Courant for three consecutive weeks before the sale and posted as a PDF on the Treasurer's Taxes page.
Colorado statewide rules
- Redemption
- Redemption may be made at any time before a treasurer's deed is executed, so the practical window runs well past the three-year mark and through the Article 11.5 auction process. The treasurer must hold that public auction between 110 and 125 calendar days after the known interested party notice is first published or mailed, which gives owners and junior lienors a further defined period to pay. A separate rule lets an owner who was under a legal disability when the deed was executed redeem within nine years of the deed being recorded, at 15 percent per year plus the present value of any improvements.
- Deed deposit
- The treasurer may require the applying lawful holder to post a deposit covering the recording fee plus the actual and reasonable cost of administering the auction, and all Article 11.5 fees and costs are chargeable as additional amounts owing under the tax lien. For bidders, the treasurer accepts cash, cashier's check, bank check, or electronic funds transfer subject to the treasurer's bidding rules. The statute sets no fixed bidder deposit percentage, so the deposit terms come from county bidding rules.
- Surplus proceeds
- Any overbid goes first to junior lienors in order of recording priority, measured as of the recording date of the application for public auction, who filed a notice of intent to redeem and whose liens are unredeemed, up to each lien's unpaid amount plus fees and costs. Whatever remains is paid to the property owner. The treasurer must post a public notice about these funds and mail the owner a notice within thirty calendar days of the auction. Unclaimed remaining overbids sit in escrow for six months without interest, then transfer to the state administrator under the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act. An agreement to pay someone to recover an owner's overbid is unenforceable, and inducing one is a class 2 misdemeanor.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Clear Creek County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Clear Creek County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Clear Creek County tax certificate sale?
- Annually in early November, one day only. The Treasurer's Important Tax Deadlines page lists "November 6, 2026" as "Tax Lien Sale (Internet Auction) zeusauction.com", with "November 5, 2026 by Noon" as the "Very Last day to pay any taxes to avoid Tax Lien Sale". The prior sale ran Friday, November 7, 2025: "Bidding OPENS FRIDAY, November 07, 2025 at 8:00 AM MST" and "Bidding CLOSES FRIDAY November 07, 2025 at 5:00 PM MST.". Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the Tax Collector before the sale.
How often does Clear Creek County hold tax deed sales?
- on application. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
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