Garfield County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Garfield County, seat of Glenwood Springs: 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 Garfield County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Garfield County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Early November, online. The Treasurer's tax lien sale page states: "The 2025 tax lien sale is being held November 7, 2025 online at garfield.coloradotaxsale.com." Registration and the available lien list both opened September 29, 2025, and registration closed at 2 p.m. MST on October 31, 2025. At the last check the page still described the 2025 cycle, so confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer or on the auction site.
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register on the Realauction site. The county page states that all potential bidders must register and remit a $75 deposit by 2 p.m. MST on the registration deadline (October 31 for the 2025 sale). Registration includes an IRS-required W-9, acceptance of a "buyer beware" document, and an ACH authorization with banking information, used to remit the deposit and to collect bidder payments after the sale closes. Realauction posts step-by-step training videos and runs webinars; call Realauction at 1-877-361-7325 to register for a webinar. Sale questions go to Realauction at 877-361-7325 or [email protected].
Bidding is premium bid. The county states that all tax liens on real property are sold with a premium bid, and that premium bids are not returned if a redemption occurs and earn no redemption interest. The interest rate is set each September by the State of Colorado. Winning bidders pay the total advertised price (delinquent tax, interest, and advertising fee) plus a $16.00 certificate fee, plus any premium. Certificates of purchase are emailed to buyers, with originals kept in the Treasurer's Office, and remain valid for 15 years. Certificate holders may pay the following year's unpaid taxes after August 1, endorsed onto the existing certificate at the same interest rate. After three years without redemption, the holder may apply to the Treasurer's Office for a Treasurer's Deed and pays the application fee, publication, title search, and related costs. The county cites Colorado Revised Statutes Title 39, Articles 11, 11.5, and 12. A preliminary list of liens is posted on the Realauction site when registration opens and is updated daily.
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)
Notes for Garfield County
- The county moved its website from garfield-county.com to garfieldcountyco.gov; old treasurer URLs redirect to the new domain home page rather than to the matching page.
- Redemptions are handled by the Treasurer's Office in cash, cashier's check, or wire transfer, and must be received in the office by the last working day of the month. Redemption checks are mailed to the certificate holder automatically, so holders must keep their mailing address current with the office.
- Interest paid to certificate holders is reported to the IRS, and the office mails a 1099-INT annually.
- At the last check the Treasurer's tax lien sale page had not yet been rolled over to the current year, so the posted date, registration window, and deposit deadline reflect the prior sale cycle.
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 Garfield County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Garfield County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Garfield County tax certificate sale?
- Early November, online. The Treasurer's tax lien sale page states: "The 2025 tax lien sale is being held November 7, 2025 online at garfield.coloradotaxsale.com." Registration and the available lien list both opened September 29, 2025, and registration closed at 2 p.m. MST on October 31, 2025. At the last check the page still described the 2025 cycle, so confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer or on the auction site.. 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 Garfield 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.