Dearborn County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Dearborn County, seat of Lawrenceburg: 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 Dearborn County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Dearborn County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Mid September, at 10:00 a.m. The county's tax sale page sets the front end of the calendar: "On or before July 1 of each year, the County Treasurer shall certify to the County Auditor, a list of real property with delinquent taxes that are eligible for tax sale." SRI, the vendor Dearborn County points bidders to, states that "Indiana tax sales are typically held in late August through October" and lists the Dearborn County tax sale on September 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., matching mid September dates in each of the four prior years.
Registration and deposit
Registration runs through SRI. Its knowledge base says that for a live sale you "Register at https://www.sriservices.com" by creating an account, finding the parcel of interest and clicking "Register for Auction," or you may "register at the sale location the morning of the sale." SRI also advises bidders to "be sure to read all the documentation associated with the sale when you are registering."
Dearborn County runs a live, in-person tax sale rather than an online auction, so no online bidding platform is confirmed for this county. SRI lists the sale at the county administration building at 165 Mary Street in Lawrenceburg, in the Henry Dearborn Room on the first floor. Verify the format and location with the Treasurer's Office before travelling. SRI's Zeus Auction site conducts online sales for other Indiana counties, which can leave the impression that every SRI county bids online. That is not the case here. The county page notes that delinquent property taxes must exceed $25 to be certified, and that a parcel is not removed from the certified list "unless all delinquent taxes, special assessments, penalties due on the delinquency, interest, and costs directly attributable to the tax sale have been paid in full." The Auditor's Office maintains the eligible-for-sale list and issues the tax deed after redemption expires. Live in-person auction administered by SRI Incorporated for the county
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 Dearborn County
- Dearborn County's own tax sale page is published by the Treasurer's Office and carries the statutory framework plus contact details, but it lists no sale date and no auction platform. Its only outbound link is to SRI at https://sriservices.com/ with the instruction to scroll to Dearborn County.
- The delinquent and eligible-for-sale list is served by the Auditor's datapitstop site. Open the Tax List page and use the "Eligible for Tax Sale" filter. The page also offers "Sold at Tax Sale" and "Comm Sale Sold" views, which are useful for tracking prior-year outcomes and commissioners' certificate sales. That host serves over plain HTTP only; the HTTPS version does not respond.
- The Treasurer's Office page names Hayley M. Hatfield as County Treasurer and gives the mailing address as Dearborn County Treasurer, 165 Mary Street, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025. The Auditor's Office handles deductions, tax rates and tax sales on the record-keeping side and is a separate office in the same building.
- Data quality is medium rather than high because the county's own tax sale page does not publish the sale date or the bidding format. Those come from SRI, the county's contracted sale administrator, so reconfirm the current-year date with the Treasurer's Office before relying on it.
- Property tax due dates for 2025 payable 2026 are May 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 per the Treasurer's Office page, which is the delinquency clock that feeds the following year's certification.
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 Dearborn County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Dearborn County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Dearborn County tax certificate sale?
- Mid September, at 10:00 a.m. The county's tax sale page sets the front end of the calendar: "On or before July 1 of each year, the County Treasurer shall certify to the County Auditor, a list of real property with delinquent taxes that are eligible for tax sale." SRI, the vendor Dearborn County points bidders to, states that "Indiana tax sales are typically held in late August through October" and lists the Dearborn County tax sale on September 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., matching mid September dates in each of the four prior years.. 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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