Montrose County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Montrose County, seat of Montrose: 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 Montrose County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Montrose County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, held in late October. The county's Tax Lien Sale Procedures state: "The sale of Montrose County delinquent tax and special assessment tax liens will be held on October 30, 2025. The sale will commence at 10:00 a.m. and will be conducted at Montrose County Event Center, 1036 North 7th Street, Montrose Colorado." Bidders are told to arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. because the doors lock at that time. A date for the next sale had not been posted on the county site at last check, so confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer's office.
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
- Sale list
- Delinquent Tax Sale List
Registration and deposit
Registration closes roughly three weeks before the sale and is handled on paper, not through an auction platform. The county's registration notice states: "All registrations will be completed electronically or by mail no later than October 10, 2025." Investors obtain two forms, the Investor Bidder Document and an IRS W-9, from the Treasurer's page, complete everything except the Social Security number and signature, and return them by email or post by the deadline. The notice adds: "The number of investors may be limited. THE PERMITTED INVESTORS WILL BE DECIDED BY THE ARRIVAL DATE OF THE REGISTRATION FORMS." Selected investors receive a confirmation email and are assigned a bidder number. The number and documents are placed on a matching numbered chair on sale day, where the Social Security number is recorded and the forms are signed.
Montrose County runs a live, in person tax lien sale at the Montrose County Event Center, 1036 N 7th St, Montrose. There is no online bidding platform, so remote bidding is not available. Bidding uses a round robin format: chairs are numbered to match bidder numbers, a number is drawn to start, and bidding proceeds in numerical order with each successive lien. A bidder may pass, but does not get another chance until the rotation comes back around. The procedures state that all bids "must be remitted at close of sale by cash or check" and that "Debit or Credit Cards will not be accepted," with payment taken immediately after the sale in the same room. Buyer agents are barred: "we have agreed NOT TO ALLOW AGENTS to participate in the sale" and "Only individuals buying tax liens on their own behalf will be allowed to participate." County officials, employees, and their immediate family may not buy. Parcels are offered under Title 39 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, following the published list order as closely as practical. For the 2025 sale the county set redemption interest at 14 percent, calculated by adding nine percentage points to the September 1 federal discount rate. Certificate holders may apply for a Treasurer's Deed after the third anniversary of the certificate, which starts a separate Treasurer's Deed public auction held in person at the Treasurer's office. Delinquent lists are published in the Montrose Daily Press and posted on the county site; the real property advertising list currently reports that there are none at this time, so the next cycle's list has not been posted yet. Caution: third party auction websites sometimes publish notices for this sale. The Treasurer's office conducts it in person and lists no online platform, so verify any such listing against the county site.
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)
Montrose County Treasurer - Public Trustee
320 S. 1st Street, Suite 200, Montrose, CO 81401 (mailing: P.O. Box 609, Montrose, CO 81402)
Official websiteNotes for Montrose County
- The sale is conducted in person at the Montrose County Event Center, not at the courthouse and not online.
- Registration is a mail or email paper process with a hard cutoff about three weeks before the sale, and the field of investors may be capped by order of receipt.
- Payment is cash or check only, due immediately at the close of the sale.
- Buyer agents and bidding on behalf of others are prohibited.
- The Treasurer's office email for investor questions is [email protected].
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 Montrose County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Montrose County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Montrose County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, held in late October. The county's Tax Lien Sale Procedures state: "The sale of Montrose County delinquent tax and special assessment tax liens will be held on October 30, 2025. The sale will commence at 10:00 a.m. and will be conducted at Montrose County Event Center, 1036 North 7th Street, Montrose Colorado." Bidders are told to arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. because the doors lock at that time. A date for the next sale had not been posted on the county site at last check, so confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer's office.. 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 Montrose 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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