Clearwater County, ID tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Clearwater County, seated at Orofino, does not run a fixed annual tax deed auction. The Board of Commissioners schedules a sale when it holds deeded parcels to dispose of, so plan on checking rather than waiting for a set month.
• •The path to the auction starts with the Treasurer as Tax Collector. Delinquent parcels get a Pending Issue of Tax Deed by certified mail, the delinquency is published in a local newspaper for four consecutive weeks, and the commissioners hold a hearing before the deed conveys to the county. The recorded owner may pay all delinquent and current year taxes and keep the property up to the sale by the commissioners.
• •The Clearwater Tribune in Orofino carries the county's tax deed legal notices, including the Notice of Pending Issue of Tax Deed the Tax Collector publishes ahead of the commissioners' hearing. That notice lists each parcel by delinquency entry number, legal description and amount due, and directs questions to the Treasurer at the courthouse no later than ten working days before the hearing.
• •The county's online surplus auctions on Public Surplus cover surplus vehicles and equipment from county departments. Tax deeded land does not go through that channel.
• •The Board of Commissioners meets weekly at the courthouse, 150 Michigan Avenue, and posts its agendas on the county site. Approved minutes are not posted online; request a copy from the Commissioners' Office at 208-476-3615 or the Clerk and Recorder.
• •Treasurer contact for the tax deed side: Dawn C. Erlewine, Clearwater County Courthouse Room 101, 150 Michigan Avenue, Orofino, phone 208-476-5213, fax 208-476-8988. Mail goes to PO Box 707, Orofino, ID 83544. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.

Idaho rules

Redemption

The window belongs to the county's holding period, not to the auction. After the tax deed issues to the county, the record owner or a party in interest may redeem by paying the delinquency with late charges, accrued interest and costs including title search and professional fees, plus the taxes that accrued after the deed. That right runs only up to the moment the commissioners enter into a contract of sale or the property is transferred by county deed. Fourteen months after issuance it expires regardless. Since 31-808 requires the auction within those same fourteen months, a buyer at the county auction takes the property with the redemption already extinguished, and the tax deed is presumptive evidence of the regularity of everything before it.Idaho Code 63-1007 - Redemption, expiration of rightIdaho Code 63-1007Verified Sep 7, 2026

Deed deposit

No statutory deposit. The commissioners set a minimum bid covering all property taxes owing, interest and costs, and the parcel goes to the highest bidder over it. Payment terms are set by each county's own terms of sale, so confirm them before you bid.Idaho Code 31-808 - Sale of county property, including property acquired through tax deedIdaho Code 31-808Verified Sep 7, 2026

Governing statute

Idaho Code title 63, chapter 10Idaho Code 63-1005 - Pending issue of tax deedIdaho Code 63-1005Verified Sep 7, 2026

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.

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