Moffat County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Moffat County, seat of Craig: 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 Moffat County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Moffat County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's office states that "Delinquent taxes are advertised in September and the Tax Lien Sale held in November for real property Ad Valorem taxes." The most recent published notice set the sale for "November 6th, 2025 9:00 AM" at the Moffat County Courthouse, with delinquent payments due in the Treasurer's office "before November 3rd, 2025, in cash or certified funds" to keep a parcel out of the sale.
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Bidders register in advance at the Treasurer's office. The county states that "All bidders must have an assigned buyer number" and directs buyers to "register before the sale at the Treasurers office and fill out all the necessary forms." Bidding is open to all registered buyers with no rotation process. Liens are sold in item number order to the highest bidder, opening bids are rounded up to the next whole dollar, and later bids must move in increments of at least $5.00. Payment is due the day of the sale in cash, certified funds, or check, and certificates on check payments are held until the check clears.
Moffat County runs a live, in-person tax lien certificate sale, not an online auction. The 2025 notice states the sale is held "ON THE MAIN FLOOR AT THE COMMISSIONER CHAMBER'S OF THE MOFFAT COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 1198 WEST VICTORY WAY, CRAIG, COLORADO." No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county, so plan to attend in person and verify the current year's date and registration paperwork with the Treasurer's office. The delinquent list is advertised in the Craig Daily Press for three consecutive weeks in September and October before the sale. Bidding is by premium: any amount bid above the advertised total is not refunded and earns no interest. Liens receiving no bid are struck off to Moffat County and can be bought from the county after the sale is final, at the amount due at the time of purchase and with no premium. The county's VisualGov site is a tax search and payment portal, not an auction platform. In person at the Moffat County Courthouse
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)
Notes for Moffat County
- The sale is a live courthouse auction. The 2025 public notice places it on the main floor in the Commissioners' Chambers of the Moffat County Courthouse at 1198 West Victory Way, Craig.
- The county maintains two official web presences for the Treasurer: the county government page at moffatcounty.colorado.gov and the Treasurer's own site at moffattax.com, which the county page links to.
- Register and obtain a buyer number at the Treasurer's office before the sale. No pre-sale online registration portal is published for Moffat County.
- The 2025 notice states that redemption on liens sold at that sale carries interest "at a rate of 14% per annum in addition to the total advertised amount due." Colorado resets this rate annually, so confirm the current year's rate before bidding.
- County-held certificates are available. Liens that draw no bid are struck off to Moffat County and may be purchased after the sale is considered final, with no premium charged.
- A Treasurer's deed can be applied for after a minimum of three years from the date of the original sale. The Treasurer lists deed application deposits of $800 for real estate and $200 for mineral interests, with unused amounts refunded.
- The sale covers mineral interests as well as real estate. The Treasurer warns buyers to research each item, citing small percentage mineral interests and unbuildable lots as common traps.
- Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
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 Moffat County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Moffat County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Moffat County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's office states that "Delinquent taxes are advertised in September and the Tax Lien Sale held in November for real property Ad Valorem taxes." The most recent published notice set the sale for "November 6th, 2025 9:00 AM" at the Moffat County Courthouse, with delinquent payments due in the Treasurer's office "before November 3rd, 2025, in cash or certified funds" to keep a parcel out of the sale.. 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 Moffat 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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