Madison County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Madison County, seat of Anderson: 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 Madison County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Madison County Treasurer's Office, with the Madison County Auditor's Office publishing the notices and fielding tax sale questions
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Once a year in the fall. The most recent Notice of Real Property Tax Sale posted by the Treasurer's Office set the sale for October 6, 2025, and reads "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, October 06, 2025, Millcreek Civic Center, 403 W. Main St., Chesterfield, IN 46017" and "Such sale will be held on 10/06/2025 at the Millcreek Civic Center, 403 W. Main St., Chesterfield, IN 46017 and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." As of late July 2026 the county had not yet posted a notice for the next annual sale. The separate Commissioners' Certificate Sale of parcels that drew no bid ran on March 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the same Millcreek Civic Center.
Registration and deposit
Register with SRI before the sale. The county 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. Make sure to bring the completed form with you to each sale." Bidders without internet access may register the morning of the sale. The notice also says to "arrive the morning of the tax sale at least 30 minutes before the beginning time to be assured you will receive your bid number before the start of the sale" and to bring both the registration form and a W-9, which print from the registration site. Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1 a business entity bidding at the Madison County tax sale must give the Madison County Treasurer a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Indiana Secretary of State.
Madison County holds a live courthouse-style auction rather than a standing online sale, so no online bidding platform is confirmed for a normal year. The county notice keeps an online fallback open: "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 Auditor's Office before you travel. Redemption on a certificate bought at the annual sale costs 110 percent of the minimum bid if redeemed within six months of the sale, or 115 percent after six months, plus the amount the purchase price exceeded the minimum bid with 5 percent annual interest, plus any later taxes the buyer paid with 5 percent annual interest. For the October 6, 2025 sale the notice sets the redemption deadline at October 6, 2026. Parcels struck to the county may have a redemption period expiring February 3, 2026. Live in-person auction at the Millcreek Civic Center in Chesterfield, administered under contract 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 Madison County
- The Treasurer's Office collects the delinquent taxes and holds the annual tax sale. The Auditor's Office publishes the legal notices, answers tax sale questions, and handles redemptions. The county page names Tiffany Stafford, tax sale lead in the Auditor's Office, at 765-641-9422 or [email protected]. The Auditor's main line is (765) 641-9419.
- Both the annual tax sale and the Commissioners' Certificate Sale have been held at the Millcreek Civic Center, 403 W. Main St., Chesterfield, IN 46017, not at the Government Center in Anderson. Check the notice for the current venue before you go.
- The SRI Tax Sale link on the county tax sale page points to a properties.sriservices.com address that failed to resolve when checked on July 29, 2026. Use sriservices.com or call the Auditor's Office for the current property list.
- The Treasurer's online portal carries a page titled Madison County Commissioners Certificate Sale Listing 2026 plus a judgments list, separate from the Auditor's legal advertisements.
- Redemption after a Commissioners' Certificate Sale purchase is priced differently from the annual sale. The March 9, 2026 notice sets it at the minimum bid under Section 5 of IC 6-1.1-24, plus 10 percent of the amount the certificate sold for, plus attorney fees and notice costs, title search costs, and any taxes the buyer paid after the sale with 10 percent annual interest.
- The Treasurer's office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and the office email is [email protected]. Property tax due dates listed for 2026 are May 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026.
- Parcels certified to the tax sale cannot be paid online. The Treasurer's portal states that owners must pay in person or by mail with a cashier's check, money order, or cash.
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 Madison County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Madison County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Madison County tax certificate sale?
- Once a year in the fall. The most recent Notice of Real Property Tax Sale posted by the Treasurer's Office set the sale for October 6, 2025, and reads "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, October 06, 2025, Millcreek Civic Center, 403 W. Main St., Chesterfield, IN 46017" and "Such sale will be held on 10/06/2025 at the Millcreek Civic Center, 403 W. Main St., Chesterfield, IN 46017 and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." As of late July 2026 the county had not yet posted a notice for the next annual sale. The separate Commissioners' Certificate Sale of parcels that drew no bid ran on March 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the same Millcreek Civic Center.. 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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