Lawrence County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Lawrence County, seat of Bedford: 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 Lawrence County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Lawrence County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Late September, held online. SRI's Lawrence County sale calendar lists the annual Tax Sale for 09/28/2026 at 10:00 AM with the location given as "Online - www.zeusauction.com". The Treasurer's page carries the heading "Lawrence County Tax Sale" followed by "Online Sale" and the line "For auction information, visit SRI Services." Confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer before planning around it.
Registration and deposit
Bidding runs through the Zeus Auction Program, SRI's online auction system. Create a free Zeus account at zeusauction.com/register.php (name, email, username, password, mailing address and phone), then apply to the Lawrence County auction. Zeus states that each auction has its own three-step registration process and its own rules, and that an account is required before you can view auction listings. Zeus charges no account fee, though it notes an individual auction may set a registration fee, which would appear in that auction's registration information. Zeus does not process payments; each sale publishes its own payment guidelines, commonly a wire transfer to the county's bank. Ask the Treasurer's office about Indiana bidder certification paperwork and any deposit before the sale.
Lawrence County contracts SRI Incorporated to administer and host the sale, and the county's own Treasurer and Property Tax pages carry no sale list or date of their own; both link out to sriservices.com under the labels "SRI Tax Sale Information" and "SRI Services". SRI describes itself on the Zeus FAQ as a local government vendor providing tax sale, commissioner certificate and deed sale, foreclosure and document management services to counties in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana and Michigan since 1989, with online auctions since 2004. SRI's Lawrence County calendar also lists separate Foreclosure Auction dates (08/11/2026 and 09/08/2026 at 1:00 PM) that run on the same platform; those are sheriff foreclosure sales, not the tax sale, so read the sale type before you bid. SRI's property search at sriservices.com/properties can be browsed without a login, but Zeus requires an account to see auction listings and to bid. The Lawrence County Auditor issues the tax deed after the redemption period and posts no tax sale material on its own page.
Register on SRI / ZEUSFrom 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 Lawrence County
- County seat is Bedford. The courthouse at 916 15th Street houses the Treasurer (Room 27) and the Auditor.
- Treasurer's office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.
- SRI's Lawrence County record lists the Treasurer as Penny Cobb and the Auditor as Martha L. Arnold-Turner, matching the names on the county website.
- SRI's record for the county lists a direct tax sale line for the Treasurer at 812-275-5262 and an Auditor line at 812-275-3111; the county website publishes 812-275-2431 as the Treasurer's main number.
- SRI lists the Times-Mail as the county's legal notice newspaper for tax sale advertising.
- The county website has no standalone tax sale page, so the sale list, minimum bids and bidder rules live on the SRI and Zeus sites rather than on lawrencecounty.in.gov.
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 Lawrence County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Lawrence County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Lawrence County tax certificate sale?
- Late September, held online. SRI's Lawrence County sale calendar lists the annual Tax Sale for 09/28/2026 at 10:00 AM with the location given as "Online - www.zeusauction.com". The Treasurer's page carries the heading "Lawrence County Tax Sale" followed by "Online Sale" and the line "For auction information, visit SRI Services." Confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer before planning around it.. 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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