Grand County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Grand County, seat of Hot Sulphur 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 Grand County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Grand County Treasurer / Public Trustee
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual online tax lien sale held in November. The Treasurer's Tax Liens page states: "The Grand County tax lien sale is held online at the Grand County Official Tax Certificate Auction Site and will be held Thursday, November 6, 2025. The online tax sale will open for registration on Friday, October 3, 2025, and the available list will be posted at that time." The page carries an "Updated 3/16/2026" stamp and still shows the November 2025 sale, so the next sale date is not yet posted; confirm with the Treasurer. The auction site's Tax Certificate Process page notes that Colorado public tax lien sales are "usually held in either November or December each year," and the county staff directory says delinquent taxes are "advertised and sold at the annual tax lien sale, usually held in November."
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register online at grand.coloradotaxsale.com. For the November 6, 2025 sale the bidding rules set registration opening 10/03/2025 at 8:00 AM MT and closing 10/30/2025 at 2:00 PM MT, with bidding open from 10/03/2025 at 8:00 AM MT. The registration fee is $0.00 and a deposit equal to 10% of estimated winnings (minimum $10.00) is required by ACH before the registration deadline. The county brochure requires a bidder information sheet and a W-9, and no change to the registrant's name is allowed once registration is complete. Winning bidders must fund the full amount of their winning bids on the auction site by 2:00 PM MT the day after the sale. RealAuction customer service for this sale is 1-877-361-7325, and RealAuction posts training videos on the site for registered bidders.
The sale is conducted entirely online through RealAuction's RealTaxLien platform, so there is no in-person courthouse bidding. Bidding is premium bid to the highest bidder: the minimum start is the tax lien face value (unpaid taxes, interest, penalties, and fees), increments are $1.00, and ties are broken at random by the auction site. Premiums go to the county, earn no interest, and are not returned on redemption. Liens close in 60-minute batches, with the first batch closing at 9:00 AM MT and the last at 11:00 AM MT on sale day, followed by an auxiliary batch. Redemption interest is nine percentage points above the September 1 Federal Reserve discount rate; the auction site states certificates sold in 2025 carry 14%. Certificates of purchase are held electronically by the Treasurer's office, which processes redemptions and endorsements. After August 1 a holder may pay the following year's unpaid taxes and have them endorsed onto the certificate at the same rate. After three years an unredeemed certificate holder may apply for a Treasurer's Deed, but under HB24-1056 (effective July 1, 2024) the deed option is auctioned to the highest bidder rather than issued automatically to the lien holder; the county's application fee is $1,200 for real property and $250 for severed minerals, and the process runs roughly five to six months with the auction 120 days after first advertising. Manufactured homes are handled separately while the state works out certificate-of-ownership rules. Grand County employees and officials and their families may not purchase at the sale.
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)
Grand County Treasurer / Public Trustee
Mailing: P.O. Box 288, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451. Physical: 308 Byers Avenue, Suite 118, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451
Official websiteNotes for Grand County
- Treasurer / Public Trustee is Marcy Wheatley; the office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and email is [email protected].
- Delinquent notices go out July 1 and interest accrues at 1% per month after the due dates, per the county's property tax page.
- The Treasurer also serves as Public Trustee, so the county site carries separate foreclosure and Treasurer's Deed auction pages that are distinct from the annual tax lien certificate sale.
- The auction site's Preview Items for Sale page holds the advertised list but shows it as unavailable between sales; the list posts when registration opens.
- The county page was last updated 3/16/2026 and still displays the November 6, 2025 sale, so investors should call 970-725-3061 to confirm the current year's date.
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 Grand County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Grand County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Grand County tax certificate sale?
- Annual online tax lien sale held in November. The Treasurer's Tax Liens page states: "The Grand County tax lien sale is held online at the Grand County Official Tax Certificate Auction Site and will be held Thursday, November 6, 2025. The online tax sale will open for registration on Friday, October 3, 2025, and the available list will be posted at that time." The page carries an "Updated 3/16/2026" stamp and still shows the November 2025 sale, so the next sale date is not yet posted; confirm with the Treasurer. The auction site's Tax Certificate Process page notes that Colorado public tax lien sales are "usually held in either November or December each year," and the county staff directory says delinquent taxes are "advertised and sold at the annual tax lien sale, usually held in November.". 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 Grand 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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