Gilpin County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Gilpin County, seat of Central City: 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 Gilpin County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Gilpin County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's Tax Lien Sale page is headed "Tax Lien Sale November 17-19, 2026" and states "Bidding begins November 17, 2026 at 8:00 AM MST. Bidding will continue until the closing hour, November 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM MST." The prior sale ran Tuesday, November 18, 2025 through Thursday, November 20, 2025, so mid-November is the recurring window.
- 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 "The Internet auction website will be open for registration and research on October 13, through Monday, November 16, 2026, at 5:00 PM." Bidders who already hold a Zeus account from a prior sale only need to log in and register for the Gilpin County sale. No deposit is required at registration. Only bidders with a US Taxpayer ID may participate, and the registered name must match the tax ID because W-9 forms, certificates, redemptions and refunds are generated from it. Winning bids are paid solely by ACH debit from the bank account entered at registration, with the transfer initiated November 19, 2026 at 11:59 PM MST or as soon after as practical. Rejected or unfunded payments can cancel the bid under C.R.S. 39-11-116 and bar the bidder from future sales.
Gilpin County holds an online tax lien certificate sale through the Zeus Auction Program run by SRI, Inc. Bidding starts at the total of taxes, interest, advertising and fees due at the time of sale, and any amount above that is a bonus or premium bid. The county warns that the premium is not refunded on redemption and earns no interest, so only the base certificate amount accrues the statutory rate. The redemption interest rate is set by the State Bank Commissioner by September 1 each year and changes annually. The Delinquent Tax List is published weekly for three consecutive weeks beginning October 15, 2026 in the Mountain Ear newspaper, with no deletions, and the same list goes on the county website from October 15, 2026 and is updated periodically. As of this review the county had posted the 2024 tax year list and described the tax year 2025 rules document and sale list as still being prepared, so check back closer to the sale. Liens that do not sell are struck off to the county and can be bought over the counter through the Treasurer's Office after December 1. Redemptions arising from the current sale are not processed until after December 1, 2026. A Treasurer's Deed may be applied for three years after the auction date if the lien stays unredeemed, and the county lists a $1,500 deposit for that application. County employees and officials, their immediate families and their agents cannot buy liens at this sale under C.R.S. 39-11-151. The county calls this a buyer beware sale: bidders must research each parcel themselves, all successful bids are final, and a lien conveys no right of possession, use, improvement or access. SRI support for auction mechanics is listed as 1-800-800-9588. The Treasurer also reserves the right to change the method of sale.
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)
P.O. Box 368, Central City, CO 80427 (mailing); 203 Eureka Street, Central City, CO 80427 (physical, Historic Courthouse)
Official websiteNotes for Gilpin County
- The Treasurer is Mary R. Lorenz, with Jenniffer Johnson as Chief Deputy Treasurer, per the county Treasurer page.
- Email for the office is [email protected].
- Property tax payment deadlines listed by the county: first half due February 28, full payment due April 30, second half due June 15.
- A county held tax lien list is published as a PDF report on the Treasurer's County Held Tax Liens page for over the counter purchases.
- The county website is hosted at gilpincounty.colorado.gov. Automated fetchers may get a 403 from that host, so a normal browser session may be needed to re-verify these pages.
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 Gilpin County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Gilpin County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Gilpin County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's Tax Lien Sale page is headed "Tax Lien Sale November 17-19, 2026" and states "Bidding begins November 17, 2026 at 8:00 AM MST. Bidding will continue until the closing hour, November 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM MST." The prior sale ran Tuesday, November 18, 2025 through Thursday, November 20, 2025, so mid-November is the recurring window.. 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 Gilpin 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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