Clay County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Clay County, seat of Brazil: 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 Indiana tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Clay County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Clay County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, mid-September. The 2026 notice reads "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 16, 2026" and "Such sale will be held on 09/16/2026 at the Commissioners' Courtroom #106 and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." The 2025 sale ran September 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM in the same room. The auditor and treasurer apply for the judgment ordering the sale on or after 08/28/2026.
Registration and deposit
Register online with SRI at https://sriservices.com/. Per the notice, "This registration is good for all counties that SRI services. You need to register only once for all counties." Print the registration form and W9 from the registration site and bring both the morning of the sale. Bidders without internet access may register that morning. Arrive at least 30 minutes before the 10:00 AM start to be sure you get a bid number. Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1 a business entity must provide the Clay County Treasurer a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement under IC 5-23 from the Secretary of State.
Clay County holds its tax lien certificate sale live and in person in Commissioners' Courtroom #106 at the Clay County Courthouse, 609 East National Avenue, Brazil. No online platform is confirmed for a normal year, so plan to attend and verify with the Treasurer. The notice does reserve a fallback: "At the discretion of local officials, the tax sale may switch to an online format. If those measures are taking place, the public auction will be conducted as an electronic sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2 (b) 10 at www.zeusauction.com commencing on the same date/time listed above. All location updates will be posted at www.sriservices.com prior to the tax sale." Minimum bid equals delinquent taxes and special assessments, current-year taxes, penalties, a $25 postage and publication charge, other county costs attributable to the sale, and any unpaid costs from a prior sale. Redemption runs 110% of the minimum bid within six months of sale or 115% after six months, plus the amount by which the purchase price exceeded the minimum bid and 5% per annum on that excess, plus any subsequent taxes the purchaser paid with 5% per annum. For certificates sold at the 2026 sale the redemption period expires September 16, 2027; for certificates struck to the county it may expire January 14, 2027. A complete property list is also available from SRI at www.sriservices.com or in an alternative form on request. The county's own domain claycountyin.gov did not respond over HTTPS during this check, so use the in.gov county pages above. In-person auction at the Clay County Courthouse, administered by SRI Incorporated
From lien to deed
Indiana holds no general public tax deed auction. Once the redemption period runs out, the certificate holder files a verified petition in the same court that entered the judgment of sale, and the court directs the county auditor to issue the deed. That petition must be filed no later than three months after the redemption period expires, or the purchaser's lien terminates. One narrow exception exists: real property a county, city, or town executive has certified as vacant or abandoned is auctioned separately, and there the county auditor deeds fee simple title straight to the highest bidder with no right of redemption.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
Parcels that draw no bid at the treasurer's tax sale pass to the county executive, which acquires a lien for the minimum sale price and receives a tax sale certificate. The county executive may then adopt a resolution and offer those certificates at a separate advertised public sale, often called the commissioners' certificate sale, priced below the minimum bid that failed at the tax sale. Notice runs once a week for three consecutive weeks with the final advertisement at least 30 days before the sale. This is a scheduled sale rather than a walk-in list, and redemption on a certificate bought this way is 120 days. Check the county auditor page for the next commissioners' certificate sale date.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Clay County Courthouse, 609 East National Avenue, Room 101, Brazil, IN 47834
Official websiteNotes for Clay County
- The Clay County Treasurer is Jennifer Flater. The Treasurer's page links the current tax sale listing to www.sriservices.com and posts the annual Notice of Real Property Tax Sale.
- The Clay County Auditor, Patti Foxx, handles tax sale publication, records of sale, and deeds. Auditor's office: Clay County Courthouse, 609 East National Avenue, Room 105, Brazil, IN 47834, phone 812-448-9001, email [email protected].
- Any defense to the application for judgment must be filed with the Clay County Circuit Court and served on the auditor and treasurer before 08/28/2026.
- The notice states the publication now appears only once in newspapers and that later notices are posted on the county website.
- The Auditor and Treasurer reserve the right to withhold any parcel listed in error or otherwise ineligible, before or during the sale.
Indiana statewide rules
- Redemption
- The standard period is one year after the date of the treasurer's tax sale. Several tracks run 120 days instead: a certificate bought at the county executive's certificate sale, a lien the county executive holds that was never sold on, a sale to a purchasing agency qualified under IC 36-7-17 or IC 36-7-17.1, a certificate the county executive assigns to another political subdivision, and a parcel that was not offered at the tax sale at all. Property on the county auditor's vacant and abandoned list carries no right of redemption after its sale. A county treasurer may also extend redemption by agreement with the owner, in which case the extended period ends one year after the date of that agreement.
- Surplus proceeds
- The treasurer applies the payment first to the taxes, assessments, penalties, and costs in the minimum bid, then to other delinquent property taxes, then deposits the remainder in a tax sale surplus fund. The owner of record at the time the parcel was certified for sale, or the purchaser on a redemption, may file a verified claim against that fund. Unclaimed surplus transfers to the county general fund three years after it was received.
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 Clay County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Clay County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Clay County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, mid-September. The 2026 notice reads "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 16, 2026" and "Such sale will be held on 09/16/2026 at the Commissioners' Courtroom #106 and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." The 2025 sale ran September 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM in the same room. The auditor and treasurer apply for the judgment ordering the sale on or after 08/28/2026.. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the Tax Collector before the sale.
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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