Denver County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Denver County, seat of Denver: 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 Denver County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Treasury Division, Department of Finance, City and County of Denver
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasury Division states the sale "is usually held around the first part of November." In the most recent cycle posted by the county, the rules read: "Bidding will begin on November 3, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. local time and will close on November 5, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. local time." Registration, deposits, and pre-bids opened October 13, 2025, and registration and deposits had to be completed by October 27, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. local time. The unpaid tax list was published in The Denver Post on September 12, 19, and 26, 2025, and posted to the auction website beginning October 13, 2025.
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration and bidding both run through the county's auction website. Per the Treasury Division rules: "Each bidder must register on the Auction Website before they will be allowed to participate in the tax lien sale. After registering, each bidder will receive a bidding number from the Auction Website that will enable the bidder to place bids." Every bidder must post a deposit equal to ten percent of the total dollar amount of tax liens the bidder expects to win, made by electronic funds transfer, before bids are accepted. If a bidder's deposit falls below ten percent of liens won plus active bids, the active bids are not accepted. Bidders must be 18 or older, and city employees and their immediate family members may not buy. Bidding starts at the tax lien face value (unpaid taxes, interest, penalties, and fees) with bid increments of one dollar; liens go to the highest bidder, and ties are broken at random by the auction website. Liens are grouped into batches that close in one-hour increments, and bids may be changed or withdrawn until the batch closes. Payment for winning bids is drawn automatically by ACH debit from the last successful deposit account. The county also opens computer workstations for bidding at the Treasury Division, 201 West Colfax Avenue, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on a first come first served basis during the registration and bidding window.
Denver runs an internet auction, not a courthouse sale. The Treasury Division directs bidders to its auction website for rules and parcel detail, and says the list of parcels for sale posts there about two weeks before bidding opens; the downloadable Delinquent Real Property Tax List (Excel) sits on the Treasury Division's tax lien sale page. Buyers pay the advertised total (tax, interest to the auction date, and an advertising fee) plus a $4.00 certificate fee, a $10.00 auction fee, and any premium bid. The premium paid above the starting amount is not recovered. The certificate of purchase is a lien on the property, not the property itself, and is valid for 15 years. Denver sets the redemption rate by adding 9 percent to the September 1 Federal Reserve discount rate; the September 1, 2025 discount rate of 4.50 percent produced a 14 percent rate, or 1.167 percent per month, for certificates sold in November 2025. Holders may pay the following year's unpaid taxes for endorsement onto the certificate after July 1 at the same rate, but the certificate must be sent to the Special Accounts Unit rather than the taxes simply paid. Three years after the sale, an unredeemed holder may apply for a public auction of a Certificate of Option for a Treasurer's Deed under C.R.S. 39-11.5; the application deposit was $2,500.00 per application and is subject to change. Delinquent taxes had to reach the office by 3:30 p.m. on October 31, 2025 to avoid the auction. As of this check the county's posted rules and announcements still describe the November 2025 auction, so confirm the current year's dates and deadlines with the Treasury Division or the auction website before registering.
Register on RealAuctionTax 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)
City and County of Denver Treasury Division, Taxpayer Service
201 West Colfax Avenue, Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, 1st Floor, Denver, CO 80202
Official websiteNotes for Denver County
- Denver is a consolidated city and county, so the treasurer function sits in the Treasury Division of the Department of Finance rather than in a standalone elected county treasurer's office. County materials head the sale rules "THE TREASURER'S ANNUAL PUBLIC AUCTION OF REAL ESTATE TAX LIENS" while assigning the work to the Treasury Division.
- The auction website denver.coloradotaxsale.com is a Realauction.com property branded "Denver CO - RealTaxLien." The site blocks automated fetchers with a 403 but loads normally in a browser.
- The Treasury Division's Property Tax Calendar lists "Public auction of real estate property tax liens" under October, while the tax lien sale page says the auction is usually held around the first part of November and set the 2025 bidding window for November 3 to 5. Treat the sale page and the auction website as controlling for exact dates.
- The county points bidders to Colorado Revised Statutes Title 39, Articles 11, 11.5, and 12 for tax lien auctions, treasurer's deeds, and redemptions, which matches the established state classification.
- General city contact is 3-1-1, or (720) 913-1311 from outside Denver, but the tax lien auction line published on the sale page is Taxpayer Service at (720) 913-9300.
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 Denver County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Denver County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Denver County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasury Division states the sale "is usually held around the first part of November." In the most recent cycle posted by the county, the rules read: "Bidding will begin on November 3, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. local time and will close on November 5, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. local time." Registration, deposits, and pre-bids opened October 13, 2025, and registration and deposits had to be completed by October 27, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. local time. The unpaid tax list was published in The Denver Post on September 12, 19, and 26, 2025, and posted to the auction website beginning October 13, 2025.. 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 Denver 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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