Fulton County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Fulton County, seat of Rochester: 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 Fulton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Fulton County Treasurer's Office, acting jointly with the Fulton County Auditor's Office, with SRI Incorporated administering the sale
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Early September, annually. The county's 2026 notice is headed "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 02, 2026" and states "Such sale will be held on 09/02/2026 at the Commissioners' Meeting Room and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." The notice also states the auditor and treasurer "will apply on or after 08/07/2026 for a court judgment" and that any defense must be filed with the Fulton County Circuit Court before 08/07/2026. The notice was dated July 15, 2026 and lists 163 properties.
Registration and deposit
Register online with SRI at https://sriservices.com/. The notice states: "If you are interested in bidding on the tax sale for an Indiana county, you may register online at https://sriservices.com/. This registration is good for all counties that SRI services. You need to register only once for all counties." Print and bring the completed registration form and a W-9 to the sale. Bidders without internet access may register the morning of the sale. The notice asks bidders to "arrive the morning of the tax sale at least 30 minutes before the beginning time" to receive a bid number before the start. Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1, a business entity registering to bid must supply the Fulton County Treasurer with a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Secretary of State.
Fulton County runs its certificate sale as a live, in-person auction. The 2026 notice sets the venue as the Commissioners' Meeting Room and there is no confirmed standing online platform for this county, so plan to attend in person and verify the format with the Treasurer before the sale date. The notice does reserve a conditional electronic option: "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." Treat Zeus Auction as a contingency venue rather than the default. The county also warns that, under a change in law, the sale notice appears only once in newspapers and "Subsequent notices can be found at https://co.fulton.in.us." The published parcel list may omit property descriptions for parcels appearing on the certified list in consecutive years, per IC 6-1.1-24-3(e); a complete list is available from SRI or in an alternative form on request. The Auditor and Treasurer reserve the right to pull any parcel listed in error before or during the sale, and minimum bids can change before the auction date. Live in-person auction in the Commissioners' Meeting Room, Rochester, administered by SRI Incorporated. Bidder registration is handled online through SRI.
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 Fulton County
- The Treasurer's Office page states the office "is required by statute to collect delinquent taxes through the tax sale process" and links to a dedicated Tax Sale Information page at https://www.co.fulton.in.us/338/Tax-Sale-Information, whose only quick link is SRI Services.
- The Fulton County Auditor's Office is at 125 E 9th Street, Suite 108, Rochester, IN 46975, phone 574-223-2912, email [email protected]. The Auditor certified the 2026 delinquent list and lists SRI Incorporated under its quick links.
- Both offices are open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.
- The 2026 notice sets redemption at 110% of the minimum bid if redeemed within six months of the sale date, or 115% if redeemed more than six months after the sale, plus any overbid amount and 5% per annum interest on the overbid. Subsequent taxes and special assessments paid by the purchaser also carry 5% per annum interest.
- Redemption on 2026 certificates sold at the sale expires Thursday, September 02, 2027. For certificates struck to the county, the notice says redemption may expire Thursday, December 31, 2026.
- Minimum bid equals delinquent taxes and special assessments, taxes and special assessments due and payable in the sale year, all penalties, a $25 postage and publication charge plus other tax sale costs assessed by the auditor, and any unpaid costs from a prior tax sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2(c).
- If a parcel sells above the minimum bid and is not redeemed, the notice says the divested owner of record may have a right to the tax sale surplus.
- The county does not warrant street addresses or common descriptions, and states a misstatement in the key number or street address does not invalidate an otherwise valid sale.
- Neither the county website nor the notice publishes a street address for the Commissioners' Meeting Room. County offices, including the Treasurer and Auditor, are at 125 E 9th Street, Rochester, IN 46975; confirm the exact room and building with the Treasurer before 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 Fulton County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Fulton County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Fulton County tax certificate sale?
- Early September, annually. The county's 2026 notice is headed "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 02, 2026" and states "Such sale will be held on 09/02/2026 at the Commissioners' Meeting Room and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." The notice also states the auditor and treasurer "will apply on or after 08/07/2026 for a court judgment" and that any defense must be filed with the Fulton County Circuit Court before 08/07/2026. The notice was dated July 15, 2026 and lists 163 properties.. 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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