Johnson County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Johnson County, seat of Franklin: 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 Johnson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Johnson County Treasurer, with SRI Incorporated administering the sale
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's office states: "Delinquent Johnson County properties are certified for tax sale no later than July 1st every year. Johnson County typically holds its annual tax sale in September or October." SRI lists the next Johnson County tax sale as Friday, October 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
Registration and deposit
The Treasurer's office directs buyers to SRI at sriservices.com "for specific information regarding properties in the tax sale, how to register as a lien buyer, and to obtain Indiana tax sale lien buyer handout/local rules." SRI's listing for the October 9, 2026 Johnson County sale shows no registration window, so confirm the registration deadline and required forms with the Treasurer's office at (317) 346-4330 before the sale.
Johnson County runs its annual tax lien sale in person, not online. SRI lists the sale format as in-person with the location given as the Commissioners' Auditorium, so bidders must attend to bid. Confirm the exact room and building with the Treasurer's office before travelling. The property list posts on SRI closer to the sale date and was empty when checked in late July 2026. Do not confuse the tax sale with the county's sheriff foreclosure auction: SRI lists a separate Johnson County foreclosure sale for September 17, 2026 that runs online at zeusauction.com, and that is a mortgage foreclosure sale rather than a tax lien sale. Payment amounts for parcels certified to the tax sale come from the Treasurer's office at (317) 346-4330. In person at the Commissioners' Auditorium in Franklin
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 Johnson County
- The Johnson County Treasurer certifies delinquent parcels for tax sale no later than July 1 each year, and the county page says the sale usually falls in September or October.
- SRI Incorporated administers the sale and hosts the property list, registration information, and the Indiana lien buyer handout and local rules.
- The sale is conducted in person, so plan to attend rather than bid from an online auction platform.
- The county government directory lists the Johnson County Auditor at (317) 346-4310; the Auditor's office handles the tax deed side after the redemption period runs.
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 Johnson County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Johnson County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Johnson County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's office states: "Delinquent Johnson County properties are certified for tax sale no later than July 1st every year. Johnson County typically holds its annual tax sale in September or October." SRI lists the next Johnson County tax sale as Friday, October 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM.. 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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