Jay County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Jay County, seat of Portland: 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 Jay County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Jay County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- September. SRI Incorporated lists the next Jay County tax sale as "Tax Sale, Wednesday, September 2, 2026" at 10:00 AM, held in the "Commissioners' Room, 2nd Floor" of the courthouse. Jay County sets the date each year, so confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer's Office.
Registration and deposit
SRI Incorporated handles bidder signup for this sale. Each Jay County parcel on SRI's sale search carries a "Register for this sale" action, and SRI's detail page for the September 2, 2026 sale does not yet show a registration window. Confirm registration steps, deposit rules, and cutoff dates with the Jay County Treasurer's Office at 260-726-7007 or SRI support at 800-800-9588 before the sale.
Jay County runs its annual tax sale in person at the courthouse, not online. SRI's sale detail page for the September 2, 2026 sale lists the method as In-person and the location as the Commissioners' Room on the 2nd floor, so no online bidding platform applies to this county and no platform URL should be relied on. SRI Incorporated administers the sale, publishes the parcel list, and staffs bidder support at 800-800-9588. SRI also operates an online auction platform called Zeus for the counties that bid online, but Jay County's sale is not conducted there. The Jay County website does not publish any tax sale page, so SRI's county page is the only current county-specific source for sale logistics. SRI lists the County Auditor, Emily Franks at 260-726-7575, as the second county contact for the sale. In-person courthouse auction 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)
Notes for Jay County
- SRI's sale search showed 63 Jay County parcels scheduled for the September 2, 2026 tax sale, each marked with a status of DELINQUENT.
- The Jay County Auditor's Office is at 120 N Court St, Ste 202, Portland, IN 47371, phone 260-726-7575, email [email protected]. The Auditor is the office that issues the tax deed once the redemption period runs out.
- Jonelle Foreman is the Jay County Treasurer and Emily Franks is the Jay County Auditor, per both the county website and SRI's county page.
- Neither the Treasurer's page nor the Auditor's page on the county website mentions the tax sale, so buyers should work from SRI's Jay County page and call the Treasurer to confirm.
- The county lists 2026 property tax due dates as May 11 and November 10.
- The Jay County Courthouse switchboard is (260) 726-7575 at 120 North Court Street, Portland, IN 47371.
- jaycounty.net is a legacy Jay County site that still shows a 2020 notice on load. Use in.gov/counties/jay for current office information.
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 Jay County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jay County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Jay County tax certificate sale?
- September. SRI Incorporated lists the next Jay County tax sale as "Tax Sale, Wednesday, September 2, 2026" at 10:00 AM, held in the "Commissioners' Room, 2nd Floor" of the courthouse. Jay County sets the date each year, so confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer's Office.. 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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