Elkhart County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Elkhart County, seat of Goshen: 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 Elkhart County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Elkhart County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Mid September. The county's published notice is headed "NOTICE OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SALE Elkhart County Indiana, Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 16, 2025" and states the sale "will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." For the current year the Treasurer's Dates to Remember list sets June 30, 2026 as the date the annual tax sale delinquent list is created and shows the sale date itself as not yet set, so confirm the date with the Treasurer or on the SRI site.
- Sale list
- SRI tax sale property list
Registration and deposit
Register online at sriservices.com. The notice states that one SRI registration "is good for all counties that SRI services" and that "If you do not have access to a computer with internet service you may register the morning of the sale." Bring the completed registration form and IRS Form W-9 on sale day, and arrive at least 30 minutes before the start time to be sure of getting a bid number. Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1, a business entity that seeks to register to bid must provide the Elkhart County Treasurer with a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Secretary of State in accordance with IC 5-23.
Elkhart County holds its annual tax lien certificate sale in person. The 2025 notice sets the sale at the Elkhart County Administration Building, Room 104, 117 North Second Street, Goshen, Indiana, beginning at 10:00 AM local time. The county contracts SRI Incorporated to administer the sale. The notice adds that "At the discretion of local officials, the tax sale may switch to an online format," in which case the auction runs as an electronic sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2(b)(10) at zeusauction.com commencing on the same date and time, with all location updates posted at sriservices.com before the sale. Because the in person format is the default, confirm the venue with the Treasurer before traveling. The county auditor and county treasurer apply jointly for the court judgment and order of sale, and the published notice is signed by the County Auditor. Property will not be sold for less than the statutory minimum, which combines the delinquent taxes and special assessments with penalties, costs and an amount prescribed by the county auditor. A complete property list may be obtained at sriservices.com or in an alternative form on request, and the list is also published in The Goshen News and The Wakarusa Tribune. The separate Commissioners' Certificate Sale, in which the Commissioners accept bids for certificates the county holds at the price referred to in IC 6-1.1-24-6.1(a)(3), has been conducted as an online electronic sale at zeusauction.com with a registration cutoff before the auction opens. Several third party auction aggregators republish these Elkhart County notices; treat only the Treasurer's page, the county's own notice, and sriservices.com as authoritative.
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 Elkhart County
- The Treasurer's tax sale section states: "Real estate parcels with delinquent taxes and/or special assessments of three installments or greater are subject to tax sale."
- The Treasurer directs bidders to IC 6-1.1-24-1 et seq. and IC 6-1.1-25-1 et seq., and points to the SRI site for registration instructions, a buyer handout, redemption information and applicable laws.
- Treasurer of record is Cynthia Chadwell; the office email is [email protected] and the fax is (574) 535-6659.
- Mail payments to Elkhart County Treasurer, P.O. Box 116, Goshen, IN 46527, or use the street address. A drop box sits at the north entrance of the Administration Building at 117 N. Second St.
- Office hours are Monday 8:00am to 5:00pm and Tuesday through Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm.
- The Elkhart County Auditor, which issues the tax deed after the redemption period, is at 117 N 2nd St., Room 203, Goshen, IN 46526, (574) 535-6710 for deductions and (574) 535-6719 for the Auditor's office.
- Property taxes fall due May 10 and November 10 (May 11, 2026 for the 2026 spring installment), which is what drives the delinquency list created each June 30.
- Delinquent mobile home and personal property taxes are handled separately by American Financial Credit Services, not through the real property tax sale.
- The elkhartcounty.com server returns HTTP 403 to automated fetchers, so these pages were read through a rendering proxy. The URLs are live and load normally in a browser.
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 Elkhart County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Elkhart County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Elkhart County tax certificate sale?
- Mid September. The county's published notice is headed "NOTICE OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SALE Elkhart County Indiana, Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 16, 2025" and states the sale "will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." For the current year the Treasurer's Dates to Remember list sets June 30, 2026 as the date the annual tax sale delinquent list is created and shows the sale date itself as not yet set, so confirm the date with the Treasurer or on the SRI site.. 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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