LaPorte County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in LaPorte County, seat of La Porte: 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 LaPorte County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- LaPorte County Treasurer, acting with the LaPorte County Auditor, with SRI Incorporated administering the sale and bidder registration
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The annual tax lien sale runs in the fall. The county's most recent notice reads "NOTICE OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SALE LaPorte County Indiana Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, October 09, 2025" and "Such sale will be held on 10/09/2025 at the LaPorte County Fairgrounds: 2581 W State Road 2, LaPorte, IN 46350 and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." The separate Commissioners' Certificate Sale runs in March: the notice dated 01/23/2026 reads "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, March 18, 2026 Online - www.zeusauction.com".
Registration and deposit
Register with SRI Incorporated before the sale. The Treasurer's Real Estate Tax Sale page states "Bidders must register with SRI prior to the sale" and points to sriservices.com. The 2025 notice adds that "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," that bidders should bring the completed registration form and a W-9 the morning of the sale, and that bidders should "arrive the morning of the tax sale at least 30 minutes before the beginning time" to receive a bid number. Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1 a business entity must give the LaPorte County Treasurer a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Secretary of State. For the online Commissioners' Certificate Sale, bidders become a member of the auction site, register for the LaPorte County auction specifically, and complete IRS Form W-9 plus the IC 6-1.1-24-5.3(c) registration statement electronically; the 2026 window ran February 18, 2026 to March 17, 2026 at 12:00 PM local time.
LaPorte County runs two separate sales. The annual tax lien certificate sale under IC 6-1.1-24 is a live, in person auction at the LaPorte County Fairgrounds, 2581 W State Road 2, and the 2025 notice set it for October 9, 2025 at 10:00 AM. The county keeps an online fallback: "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." Confirm the format with the Treasurer before each sale instead of assuming an online auction. The second sale is the Commissioners' Certificate Sale under IC 6-1.1-24-6.1, which the county does run online at www.zeusauction.com, with lots beginning to close at 4:00 PM on the sale date and each lot's closing time posted on the auction site. A complete property list is also available at www.sriservices.com. The Treasurer adds a $220.00 tax sale charge to delinquent accounts and publishes all names in the local newspapers. Redemption after the annual tax sale costs 110% of the minimum bid if redeemed within six months, 115% after six months, plus the overbid amount and 5% per annum interest on the overbid and on later taxes paid by the buyer. Redemption of a Commissioners' certificate costs the prior minimum bid plus 10% of the certificate price plus 10% per annum on later taxes paid, plus noticing and title costs. In person at the LaPorte County Fairgrounds, 2581 W State Road 2, LaPorte, IN 46350. SRI Incorporated runs the sale and handles bidder registration.
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 LaPorte County
- Treasurer Dan Barenie. Main office at 555 Michigan Avenue, Suite 102, La Porte, IN 46350, phone 219-326-6808 Ext. 2145, fax 219-326-7799. A second office is at 300 Washington St, #361, Michigan City, IN 46360, phone 219-874-5611 Ext. 2062. Office and lobby hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Auditor Michael Rosenbaum, 555 Michigan Avenue, Suite 205, La Porte, IN 46350, phone 219-326-6808 Ext. 2004. The Auditor issues the tax deed after the redemption period expires.
- The 2025 judgment application was filed in LaPorte County Superior Court No. 2 under cause number 46D02-2507-TS-001834, with any defense due before 09/22/2025.
- The 2025 notice sets the redemption deadline for certificates sold at that sale as Friday, October 09, 2026, and notes that for certificates struck to the county the period may expire Friday, February 06, 2026.
- Minimum bid includes delinquent and current-year taxes and special assessments, all penalties, $95 for postage and publication costs, other county costs attributable to the sale, and any unpaid costs from a prior tax sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2(c).
- The Treasurer publishes two bidder education documents linked from its page: Facts For Lien Purchasers (https://laporteco.in.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FACTS-FOR-LIEN-PURCHASERS.pdf) and a Lien Buyer Handout for the certificate sale.
- The county notice states that subsequent tax sale notices are posted at https://laporteco.in.gov/residents/county-treasurer/real-estate-tax-sale, so that page is the place to watch for the current year's date.
- The official county site is laporteco.in.gov. The older laportecounty.org address redirects there but currently serves an expired TLS certificate, so use laporteco.in.gov directly.
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 LaPorte County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- LaPorte County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the LaPorte County tax certificate sale?
- The annual tax lien sale runs in the fall. The county's most recent notice reads "NOTICE OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SALE LaPorte County Indiana Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, October 09, 2025" and "Such sale will be held on 10/09/2025 at the LaPorte County Fairgrounds: 2581 W State Road 2, LaPorte, IN 46350 and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." The separate Commissioners' Certificate Sale runs in March: the notice dated 01/23/2026 reads "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, March 18, 2026 Online - www.zeusauction.com".. 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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