Teller County, CO tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Teller County, seat of Cripple Creek: 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 Teller County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Teller County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- November. The Treasurer's Office page headlines "TELLER COUNTY ONLINE TAX LIEN SALE" for "MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2026" and adds, "Please note: The Teller County Online Tax Lien Sale will now be one day." The office FAQ still answers the question "When is your tax lien sale?" with "It is the first full weekend in November," so confirm the exact date against the Treasurer's page each year.
- Next expected
- by the second Monday in December, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
- Sale list
- County-held tax liens list (PDF)
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online through GovEase. The Treasurer directs bidders to the platform: "For more information on the bidding process and requirements please visit GovEase." GovEase requires a bidder account (Sign Up / Log In) and then separate registration for the specific county auction. The Treasurer's page states the updated 2026 tax lien sale rules will be posted October 1, 2026 and a list of available parcels will be posted by October 8, 2026, so read the county rules before registering.
Teller County changed auction vendors to GovEase and compressed the sale to a single day. The Treasurer's page says so directly: "We have also changed the online vendor for the auction to GovEase." For the delinquent list, the office FAQ says "That listing will be available in late September, both on-line and via our paper of record, The Pikes Peak Courier," and the sale parcel list is posted by October 8. Liens that went unsold are struck to the county and stay available: the FAQ answers "Does the county hold any tax liens that are available for purchase?" with "Yes. Please contact our office to discuss," and publishes the roster as a PDF and an Excel spreadsheet titled "All Active County Held Liens, Teller Treasurer" with certificate number, account ID, certificate date, and original and current purchase price. Certificates can be redeemed by credit card in office or online; other payment must be certified funds. On the deed side, the county notes "Treasurer's Deed Public Auctions are held online through GovEase," and GovEase's live auction site currently lists a Teller County Treasurer's Deed auction plus a separate Teller Foreclosure sale run by the Public Trustee. The FAQ states a certificate holder may apply for a deed after holding the lien for 3 years.
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)
Teller County Treasurer's Office
P.O. Box 367, Cripple Creek, CO 80813 (office at 101 W Bennett Avenue, Cripple Creek, CO 80813)
Official websiteNotes for Teller County
- Teller County's Treasurer also serves as Public Trustee, so the same office page carries both tax lien sale material and Public Trustee foreclosure notices. Do not confuse the Public Trustee foreclosure auction with the tax lien certificate sale.
- The county's own paper of record for delinquent tax publication is The Pikes Peak Courier, per the Treasurer's FAQ.
- Sale rules are republished annually. The Treasurer's page commits to posting updated rules on October 1 and the available parcel list by October 8 ahead of the November sale.
- The county seat is Cripple Creek, and the Treasurer's counter is at 101 W Bennett Avenue, open Monday through Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm except holidays. Mail goes to a different box (P.O. Box 367) than the general county address (P.O. Box 959, 112 North A Street).
- A large share of the county-held lien inventory dates back to the 1990s and early 2000s on small unimproved parcels, many with no street address listed. Treat those as land diligence problems, not turnkey redemption plays.
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 Teller County, Colorado sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Teller County follows Colorado's tax lien state system.
When is the Teller County tax certificate sale?
- November. The Treasurer's Office page headlines "TELLER COUNTY ONLINE TAX LIEN SALE" for "MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2026" and adds, "Please note: The Teller County Online Tax Lien Sale will now be one day." The office FAQ still answers the question "When is your tax lien sale?" with "It is the first full weekend in November," so confirm the exact date against the Treasurer's page each year.. 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 Teller 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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