Prowers County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Prowers County, seat of Lamar: 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 Prowers County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Prowers County Treasurer and Public Trustee
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- November each year. The Treasurer's Important Dates page states "The annual tax lien sale will be in November of each year" and that the delinquent listing publishes in October "in preparation for the annual Tax Lien Sale normally held in mid-November." The county's Tax Lien Sale Information sheet gives November 6 as the sale date for its most recently posted sale. The unpaid real estate and severed mineral tax list runs in the Prowers Journal for three consecutive weeks on Wednesdays, beginning at least four weeks before the sale.
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Bidders register online at GovEase. The county's sale sheet states "Registration will be open for buyers beginning October 09, 2024, on-line at http://govease.com/auctions, and the day of sale up until sale time." The Treasurer must have a W-9 on file for each buyer before the sale starts, along with a Buyers Declaration of Statutory Compliance and a Bidder Verification Form. Telephone, fax and mail bids are not accepted.
Prowers County runs its tax lien sale online through GovEase rather than at the courthouse, as an open auction to the highest bidder. Each lien is offered in item-number sequence for the amount of taxes, interest and fees, and sells to the bidder paying the largest amount, with bid increments of at least $1.00. Premium bid above taxes, interest and fees is paid at the investor's expense and earns no interest. A $10.00 sale fee is added to each parcel. The Colorado State Banking Commission sets the sale rate each September; the county's posted sheet cites 15% for that year, with interest accruing monthly and paid when the certificate is redeemed. A certificate holder may apply for a deed three years after the sale date if the owner has not redeemed, and the deposit to begin the deed process runs from $500.00 to $750.00 depending on the property's valuation. Any parcel not bid on stays open for purchase until the close of the next business day, after which it is struck off to the county; county-held certificates can be assigned to individuals for a $4.00 assignment fee. The Treasurer's office holds the original certificates, which speeds redemption payouts and simplifies the August endorsement. The office also states plainly that all sales carry a buyer-beware warning and that it cannot guarantee a property is buildable or desirable. Copies of the newspaper publication are mailed on written request with $5.00 for postage and fees. Two site quirks are worth knowing: the Treasurer page's "Delinquent Tax Publications" link currently opens the Public Trustee active foreclosure list rather than the delinquent tax roll, and the sale sheet still directs readers to the county's former prowerscounty.net web address, which no longer resolves. The current official site is prowersco.gov. Confirm the current year's sale date and registration window with the Treasurer's office before bidding.
Register on GovEaseTax 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 Prowers County
- County seat is Lamar. The Treasurer's office is at 301 S. Main St., Ste. 200, and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, including over the lunch hour.
- Abbie Campbell is listed as the Prowers County Treasurer.
- Property tax deadlines: first half is due the last day of February, second half is due June 15, and a single full payment is due April 30. Real estate and severed mineral taxes must reach the Treasurer by September 23 to stay out of the October publication.
- The county posts a county-held tax lien sale certificate list showing liens struck off to the county in prior sales, which are available by assignment for a $4.00 fee.
- The Treasurer page also links a Treasurer's Deed Auction file, so deed-stage inventory occasionally appears alongside the certificate 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 Prowers County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Prowers County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Prowers County tax certificate sale?
- November each year. The Treasurer's Important Dates page states "The annual tax lien sale will be in November of each year" and that the delinquent listing publishes in October "in preparation for the annual Tax Lien Sale normally held in mid-November." The county's Tax Lien Sale Information sheet gives November 6 as the sale date for its most recently posted sale. The unpaid real estate and severed mineral tax list runs in the Prowers Journal for three consecutive weeks on Wednesdays, beginning at least four weeks before 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 Prowers 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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