Montgomery County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Montgomery County, seat of Crawfordsville: 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 Montgomery County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Montgomery County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's Real Estate Tax Sale page states the sale "is usually scheduled during the month of October." The most recent published notice set the annual tax sale for October 07, 2025, "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time," with properties commencing closing at 4:00 PM local time the same day and each parcel's specific closing time posted on the auction site.
Registration and deposit
Registration and bidding run entirely through the Zeus Auction site. Per the 2025 notice, you must first become a member of www.zeusauction.com, then register for the Montgomery County auction specifically. You must read, understand and agree to the rules of sale and payment terms, complete IRS Form W-9, and agree electronically to the registration statement described at IC 6-1.1-24-5.3(c). A business entity must provide a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement under IC 5-23 from the Secretary of State to the Montgomery County Treasurer. For the 2025 sale the registration period opened at 8:00 AM local time on September 03, 2025 and closed at 12:00 PM local time on October 03, 2025; bidders who do not complete the full registration process are not approved to bid.
Montgomery County is an Indiana tax lien county. The Treasurer prepares the annual real estate tax sale and SRI Incorporated conducts it; the county page states "SRI is the company that conducts the sale. They advertise the properties on their website, www.SRIservices.com 30 days before the sale." The sale is an electronic auction conducted under IC 6-1.1-24-2(b)10 at www.zeusauction.com, so bidding is online rather than at the courthouse. Parcels three installments behind (a balance due from the spring of the prior year or earlier) become eligible, a certified letter goes to each listed taxpayer, the list is published in the local newspaper, and a $150 tax sale charge is added to each parcel. Bidding opens at the total owed on the parcel through the current year. Redemption is 110% of the minimum bid if redeemed within six months of sale or 115% if redeemed later, plus any surplus above the minimum bid with 5% per annum interest on that surplus; the 2025 notice set the redemption period expiry at October 07, 2026. The Montgomery County Auditor issues the sale certificate, and taking title or redeeming a parcel is handled in the Auditor's office at (765) 364-6400. Liens not sold at the annual sale move to a Commissioners' Certificate Sale, also online at www.zeusauction.com with reduced minimum bids; the most recent one was set for January 15, 2026 at 10:00 AM local time with registration closing at 4:00 PM local time on January 09, 2026. To pull a parcel from the sale, payment in cash or certified funds payable to the Montgomery County Treasurer had to reach 1580 Constitution Row, Suite B, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 by 12:00 PM local time on Friday, October 3, 2025. One caution: the Treasurer's page still carries older in-person language saying bidders "must register prior to the start of the sale" and that the "High bid must be paid in the Treasurer's office the day of the tax sale with certified funds," while the current statutory notice describes an online Zeus auction with an advance registration window. Confirm payment and registration mechanics with the Treasurer before bidding. The county also notes a tax sale property layer on its GIS site (Beacon by Schneider Corporation).
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 Montgomery County
- Annual tax lien sale is an electronic auction at www.zeusauction.com under IC 6-1.1-24-2(b)10; SRI Incorporated conducts it for the Treasurer.
- County seat is Crawfordsville. The Treasurer sits at the County Government Center, 1580 Constitution Row, Suite B; the Courthouse at 100 E Main St. is the county's general address.
- Treasurer is Heather Laffoon (in office since January 2019). County Auditor named on the 2025 sale notice is Mindy Byers.
- Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Treasurer fax is (765) 364-6413.
- Unsold liens roll to a Commissioners' Certificate Sale, also on Zeus Auction, with reduced minimum bids. The most recent was January 15, 2026.
- The county's Document Center points investors to the vendor list at https://www.sriservices.com/invest for real-time updates to available sale properties. That page is a JavaScript application, so it needs a browser to render.
- The Treasurer's page mixes current online-auction facts with older in-person payment language; the statutory notice is the more current description.
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 Montgomery County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Montgomery County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Montgomery County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's Real Estate Tax Sale page states the sale "is usually scheduled during the month of October." The most recent published notice set the annual tax sale for October 07, 2025, "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time," with properties commencing closing at 4:00 PM local time the same day and each parcel's specific closing time posted on the auction site.. 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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