Costilla County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Costilla County, seat of San Luis: 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 Costilla County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Costilla County Treasurer / Public Trustee (Costilla County Treasurer's Office)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer holds the annual tax lien sale online in early November. The county's most recent posted flier states the sale is the "2025 Costilla County Online Tax Lien Sale" with a "Start Time" of "November 4th, 2025 at 8:00 AM Mountain" and says "Registration will begin on October 14th and close on October 30th." The county has not yet posted dates for the next sale, so confirm the current year's schedule with the Treasurer's office.
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register through GovEase before the sale. The county flier directs bidders to sign up at liveauctions.govease.com/Bidder/UserProfile and states: "You can create an account and register by visiting www.govease.com. You must create an account and then complete the online registration documents before you can be approved to bid." For the most recent posted sale the registration window ran October 14 through October 30. GovEase publishes bidder training videos at govease.com/bidderhelp, and its bidder support contacts on the county flier are [email protected] and (769) 208-5050 ext. 2.
Costilla County sells tax lien certificates through the Treasurer's Office, and the county's Tax Lien Sale Information page names GovEase as "the county's tax lien sale auction vendor." The sale is conducted entirely online, not at the courthouse. The Treasurer posts the delinquent real estate tax list ahead of the sale, and the page confirms the list for the most recent cycle is published. Investors should note a live restriction on the back end of the process: the Treasurer's department page carries an urgent notice stating that effective June 1, 2026, legislative changes under Senate Bill 26-144 affect the Treasurer's Deed process and that the office will not accept new applications for treasurer's deeds until further notice. That affects how and when a certificate holder can convert a lien to a deed, so verify current deed procedure with the office before bidding. Office hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, with occasional lunch closure.
Register on GovEaseTax 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 Costilla County
- The county's Tax Lien Sale Information page links directly to GovEase and describes it as the county's tax lien sale auction vendor, so the certificate sale is an online auction rather than an in person courthouse sale.
- The most recent posted GovEase flier sets registration from October 14 to October 30 and a sale start of November 4 at 8:00 a.m. Mountain time. Dates shift year to year, so check the Treasurer's page each fall.
- Bidders must create a GovEase account and complete the online registration documents before the county approves them to bid.
- The Treasurer publishes the delinquent parcel list as a supporting document on the Tax Lien Sale Information page, titled by sale year and tax year, for example 2025 Tax Lien Sale for Tax Year: 2024.
- The Treasurer's office posted an urgent notice that, effective June 1, 2026, changes under Senate Bill 26-144 affect the treasurer's deed process and the office is not accepting new treasurer's deed applications until further notice. Certificate holders should confirm the current deed path with the office.
- Treasurer contact verified in the county staff directory: Michael Ray Vigil, County Treasurer, phone (719) 937-7672, fax (719) 672-6024, mailing address P.O. Box 348, San Luis, CO 81152.
- The county website sits behind a bot challenge, so automated fetches may be blocked. Load the pages in a normal browser.
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 Costilla County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Costilla County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Costilla County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer holds the annual tax lien sale online in early November. The county's most recent posted flier states the sale is the "2025 Costilla County Online Tax Lien Sale" with a "Start Time" of "November 4th, 2025 at 8:00 AM Mountain" and says "Registration will begin on October 14th and close on October 30th." The county has not yet posted dates for the next sale, so confirm the current year's schedule with the Treasurer's office.. 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 Costilla 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.
Explore all 64 Colorado counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.