Owyhee County, ID tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •The county publishes no tax-deed property list online. Parcels are advertised only in the legal notices of the local newspaper, The Owyhee Avalanche in Homedale, at least ten calendar days before the auction, and Idaho newspaper legal notices are also searchable by county at no charge on the Idaho Newspaper Association's public notice database. Between sales, the Treasurer's office at 208-495-1158 is the place to ask which parcels are heading to auction.
• •No auction date appears anywhere on the county website, and no sale notice has been posted to its legal notices page. The Board of County Commissioners meets at the courthouse in Murphy, posts each meeting agenda as a PDF and archives past minutes, so the motion that sets a sale date shows up there before it reaches any other page. Watch the agenda and the newspaper together.
• •The Treasurer describes redemption as running "within one (1) year of tax deed issuance or until sold at public auction, whichever comes first," which matches Idaho Code 63-1007: the former owner's right ends when the county sells. The same page adds a caution aimed squarely at buyers, that after sale at public auction there is an additional one year period in which the property may be redeemed if the tax deed process is proven to be irregular. That is a challenge to the county's deed process rather than an ordinary redemption right, and it is why insurers wait.
• •The opening bid is set by the commissioners on a recommendation from the Treasurer and the Assessor, and the commissioners may inspect the property first. It covers taxes, penalty and interest, pending issue fees, certifications and special assessments, publication costs and anticipated recording fees, so it reflects what the county is owed rather than market value.
• •The county issues a quitclaim deed on a tax deed sale, and states that these properties are generally not eligible for title insurance for at least one year after purchase, though a buyer may employ an attorney to pursue a quiet title action. Underwrite access, boundaries and the legal description before bidding, because the county conveys only whatever interest it holds.
• •Bidding above the minimum does not enrich the county. Surplus is paid to parties in interest who file valid claims, and the remainder goes to the Idaho State Treasurer as unclaimed funds, so overage claims from past Owyhee County sales are handled by the state rather than the county.

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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