Clinton County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Clinton County, seat of Frankfort: 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 Clinton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Clinton County Treasurer (Gina Brettnacher), whose office conducts the Treasurer's Tax Sale with administrative support from Government Utilities Technology Service (GUTS); the Clinton County Auditor issues the tax sale certificate after payment clears
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Late September, starting at 10:00 AM local time. The GUTS tax sale page lists the Clinton County sale as "Wednesday, September 30, 2026" at "10 a.m. (local time)" in the "Clinton County Annex Building, County Meeting Room Ste 105, 2 E Washington St, Frankfort". Recent sales have all landed in the second half of September at the same 10:00 AM start: September 17, 2025, September 18, 2024, and September 20, 2023.
Registration and deposit
Bidders pre-register using the fillable "Registration Form for Tax Sale Bidder" posted on the GUTS tax sale page. GUTS states that "Bidders are requested to fill out and submit their Bidder Registration form by Noon the day before each county's sale", and the county's published procedures set the same noon deadline on the day before the sale. Complete and sign the form, then scan and email it to [email protected] or fax it to 317-769-3329. The form collects an SSN or federal ID number, driver's license number, contact details, and the exact name to appear on the tax sale certificate and deed. Business entities must be registered and in good standing with the Indiana Secretary of State and provide a certificate of authority or proof of registration. Registered bidders pick up a bidder paddle the morning of the sale and must display it to the auctioneer to be recognized on each parcel. Anyone who owes delinquent taxes, penalties, special assessments, or prior tax sale costs in the county is ineligible to bid.
Clinton County runs a live, in person tax lien certificate sale. There is no online bidding platform; GUTS is the county's sale administrator and publishes the parcel list, procedures, and registration form, but bidding happens in the room. Parcels are called in Tax Sale ID order and a call for a specific item number counts as a minimum bid, after which the item goes to the highest bidder. The minimum bid covers all taxes, penalties, and special assessments then due on the parcel, including the fall installment, plus a tax sale cost the county's published procedures put at $115 per parcel. After every item has been offered once, the GUTS team reopens the auction for remaining items on a first-asked, first-offered basis. Payment is due the day of the sale by cash or certified check made payable to the Clinton County Treasurer; personal and business checks are refused, and a high bidder who fails to pay in acceptable funds by the end of the sale day owes a 25% penalty under IC 6-1.1-24-8. All sales are final, with no refunds or exchanges. Redemption runs one year from the sale date: 110% of the minimum bid if redeemed within six months, 115% if redeemed after six months but within one year, plus 5% per annum on any overbid and on later taxes or assessments the buyer reports to the Auditor on Form 137B. Buyers must give statutory notice within six months of the sale and petition the court for a deed within three months after redemption expires, or the lien terminates. As of July 29, 2026 the GUTS advertising list report for the 2026 Clinton County sale loads but returns zero parcels, so the list is not yet published; the county advertises it in The Times newspaper in August. Confirm the date, location, and parcel list with the Treasurer's office before making travel or funding plans.
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)
Notes for Clinton County
- Two offices split the process. The Clinton County Treasurer conducts the tax sale and takes payment; the Clinton County Auditor (Britt Ostler, 765-659-6330, 2 E Washington St., Suite 206, Frankfort, IN 46041) issues the tax sale certificate, handles assignments, processes Form 137B reimbursement claims, and quotes redemption amounts.
- Treasurer office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- The sale venue moved. Older procedure documents point to the Skanta Theatre on the second floor of the Frankfort Public Library at 208 W. Clinton St.; the 2026 listing puts the sale in the Clinton County Annex Building, County Meeting Room Suite 105, 2 E Washington St., Frankfort. Verify the room before the sale date.
- The direct GUTS report link for the 2026 advertising list is https://taxsale.g-uts.com/publicreports.aspx?reportname=advertisinglist&site=12&year=2026&type=1 and it is year-pinned. The GUTS tax sale information page carries the current year's advertising list, procedures, and registration form links for Clinton County and is the more durable entry point.
- GUTS also hosts a separate commissioners' certificate sale page for parcels that went unsold at a prior tax sale, where the county holds the certificate and offers it at a lower minimum bid with a shorter redemption period. The most recent Clinton County certificate sale posted there is from 2021, so this is not a reliable annual event for this county.
- The 2026 procedures document link on the GUTS site returned a server error when checked on July 29, 2026, so the procedural detail above comes from the county's linked Information and Procedures guide for the Clinton County tax sale. Figures such as the $115 tax sale cost may be restated each year.
- Third-party aggregator sites publish Clinton County tax sale pages. None of them conduct this sale. The Clinton County Treasurer and the GUTS tax sale page are the only official sources for the date, parcel list, and registration.
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 Clinton County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Clinton County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Clinton County tax certificate sale?
- Late September, starting at 10:00 AM local time. The GUTS tax sale page lists the Clinton County sale as "Wednesday, September 30, 2026" at "10 a.m. (local time)" in the "Clinton County Annex Building, County Meeting Room Ste 105, 2 E Washington St, Frankfort". Recent sales have all landed in the second half of September at the same 10:00 AM start: September 17, 2025, September 18, 2024, and September 20, 2023.. 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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