Larimer County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Larimer County, seat of Fort Collins: 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 Larimer County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Larimer County Treasurer and Public Trustee
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- November, annually. The county page states "The 2026 Tax Lien Sale will be held on November 19, 2026" with doors opening at 7:30am and "premium bidding begins at 8:30am." The 2025 sale ran "November 20, 2025 at 8 a.m." Real property taxes still unpaid on September 30 are advertised as delinquent, and "Advertising will run for three consecutive weeks during the month of October."
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration is done in person on sale day, opening at 7:30am at the Thomas McKee 4-H Community Building, Larimer County Fairgrounds at the Ranch, 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland, CO. Bidders must complete a W-9 and a Declaration of Statutory Compliance, either in advance or at check in; the county allows those forms to be mailed to the Treasurer's office by November 17, 2026, two days before the sale. A W-9 already on file from a prior year is accepted. Bid order is set by drawing: "The first bidder will be chosen by randomly selecting a bidder number, then bidding will proceed in seating order." Premium bidding applies to larger delinquencies, with $50 minimum raises. Winning purchases must be paid in full before leaving the premises, by personal or business check only; the county does not accept cash or certified funds.
Larimer County runs its tax lien certificate sale as a live, in person auction at the county fairgrounds in Loveland, not online. No online certificate bidding platform is confirmed for this county, so verify format with the Treasurer's office before planning a remote bid. The advertised property list is seasonal: the county posts it as an Excel download on the Tax Lien Sale page "Beginning the first week of October" and updates it "nightly through the Tax Lien Sale," so the file is absent outside the fall sale window. Investors can subscribe to lien email notifications at https://apps.larimer.org/subscriptions?sub=lien. Caution on two points that are easy to confuse. First, a 2020 news article announced the Larimer sale was held online with RealAuction; that was a one year change and the county's current sale page describes an in person auction with no online platform. Second, GovEase does serve Larimer County, but only for the separate Treasurer's Deed auction, not the certificate sale. Under Colorado House Bill 24-1056, effective July 1, 2024, "the option for Treasurer's Deed will be sold through an online public auction to the highest bidder," and the county states "All auctions will take place on https://liveauctions.govease.com/co/colarimertread/1452/browsestandard." That deed auction runs about 120 days after the initial advertising date, carries a $1,000 application fee, and is handled by the Treasurer's Civil Deputy at (970) 498-7029. The certificate sale itself conveys no property: the county states "The property itself is not sold at Tax Lien Sale." In the 2025 sale the county advertised 1,804 real property accounts totaling nearly $4.74 million in unpaid taxes. A $10.00 advertising fee is added to each delinquent account. In person at the Larimer County Fairgrounds, no online bidding platform
Tax 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)
Larimer County Treasurer and Public Trustee
200 W. Oak Street, Suite 2100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1250, Fort Collins, CO 80522
Official websiteNotes for Larimer County
- The tax lien certificate sale is a live in person auction at the Larimer County Fairgrounds at the Ranch, 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland, CO, in the Thomas McKee 4-H Community Building. There is no online certificate bidding platform.
- Sale day schedule: registration doors open 7:30am, premium bidding begins 8:30am. The 2026 date is November 19, 2026.
- Bid order is assigned by random draw of a bidder number, then proceeds in seating order. Premium bids use $50 minimum raises.
- Payment is due in full before leaving the sale, by personal or business check only. The county does not take cash or certified funds.
- Required paperwork is a W-9 plus a Declaration of Statutory Compliance. Both can be mailed to the Treasurer ahead of the sale (two days prior for 2026) or completed at check in. A W-9 on file from a prior year carries over.
- The advertised property list is published as an Excel download on the Tax Lien Sale page starting the first week of October and refreshed nightly until the sale. It is not available outside that window.
- Delinquency and advertising timeline: taxes become delinquent in mid June, accounts unpaid by September 30 are advertised, advertising runs three consecutive weeks in October, and the sale follows in November. A $10.00 advertising fee is added.
- Treasurer's Deed is a separate, later process. Since Colorado HB 24-1056 took effect July 1, 2024, the deed option is sold at an online public auction on GovEase roughly 120 days after advertising begins, with a $1,000 application fee. Contact the Treasurer's Civil Deputy at (970) 498-7029.
- A 2020 news announcement that the Larimer sale would run online with RealAuction applied to that year only. Do not assume remote bidding is available.
- The certificate sale does not transfer property. The county states plainly that the property itself is not sold at the tax lien sale.
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 Larimer County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Larimer County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Larimer County tax certificate sale?
- November, annually. The county page states "The 2026 Tax Lien Sale will be held on November 19, 2026" with doors opening at 7:30am and "premium bidding begins at 8:30am." The 2025 sale ran "November 20, 2025 at 8 a.m." Real property taxes still unpaid on September 30 are advertised as delinquent, and "Advertising will run for three consecutive weeks during the month of October.". 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 Larimer 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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