Ohio County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Ohio County, seat of Rising Sun: 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 Ohio County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Ohio County Treasurer, acting with the Ohio County Auditor, with SRI Incorporated administering the sale
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual sale in September. The county's 2025 notice reads "Beginning 01:00 PM Local Time, September 09, 2025" and "Such sale will be held on 09/09/2025 at the Courthouse and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." SRI, the county's sale administrator, states Indiana tax sales are "typically held in late August through October" and that "Sales dates are normally finalized and posted by the end of June." As of late July 2026 the Treasurer page still posts only the 2025 notice, so confirm the current year's date with the office.
Registration and deposit
Bidders may pre-register online through SRI at https://sriservices.com/, and the county notice states "This registration is good for all counties that SRI services. You need to register only once for all counties." Bring the completed registration form and a W-9, both printable from the registration site. Walk-up registration is allowed: "If you do not have access to a computer with internet service you may register the morning of the sale," and the notice asks bidders to "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 Ohio County Treasurer a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Secretary of State. If a sale is run online instead, SRI directs bidders to register at https://www.zeusauction.com before auction registration closes.
Ohio County runs a live, in person certificate sale at the courthouse at 413 Main Street in Rising Sun, so no online platform is confirmed for a normal year. The 2025 notice adds that "At the discretion of local officials, the tax sale may switch to an online format," in which case the electronic sale runs under IC 6-1.1-24-2(b)(10) on Zeus Auction at the same date and time, with location updates posted by SRI before the sale. Verify the format with the Treasurer before travelling. Inventory is very small: the 2025 advertisement listed 7 parcels, all in or near Rising Sun. Indiana publication rules changed so the notice now appears in newspapers only once, and the county states "Subsequent notices can be found at https://ohiocountyin.gov/treasurer/." SRI also notes a complete property list may be obtained at its corporate site, typically about a month before the auction. Live auction at the Ohio County Courthouse, administered by SRI Incorporated. The notice reserves the option to move the sale to an electronic format on Zeus Auction.
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)
Ohio County Treasurer (Melinda Smith)
413 Main Street, Room 110, Rising Sun, IN 47040. Mailing: PO Box 187, Rising Sun, IN 47040
Official websiteNotes for Ohio County
- The tax sale is a joint Treasurer and Auditor action. The county auditor and county treasurer applied "on or after 08/21/2025 for a court judgment" and an order to sell at public auction to the highest bidder, subject to the right of redemption. Any defense had to be filed with the Ohio County Circuit Court and served on both offices before 08/21/2025.
- Redemption pricing from the county notice: 110% of the minimum bid if redeemed within 6 months of the sale, 115% of the minimum bid if redeemed after 6 months, plus the amount by which the purchase price exceeded the minimum bid and 5% per annum interest on that overbid, plus any taxes and special assessments the purchaser later paid with 5% per annum interest.
- Redemption deadlines stated for the 2025 sale: the period expires Wednesday, September 09, 2026 for certificates sold at the tax sale, and may expire Wednesday, January 07, 2026 for certificates struck to the county.
- Minimum bid is set by statute and equals delinquent taxes and special assessments, current-year taxes and assessments whether or not delinquent, all penalties, $25 for postage and publication plus other county costs directly attributable to the sale, and any unpaid costs from a prior sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2(c).
- The county warns that minimum bids can change before the auction, that it does not warrant street addresses or common descriptions, and that the Auditor and Treasurer reserve the right to withhold any parcel listed in error or otherwise ineligible.
- Under IC 6-1.1-24-3(e) property descriptions may be omitted for parcels that appear on the certified list in consecutive years, so the published advertisement can understate what is offered.
- If a parcel sells above the minimum bid and is not redeemed, the notice says the former owner of record divested at the time the tax deed issues may have a right to the tax sale surplus.
- Ohio County Auditor Kelli S. Vest certifies the delinquent list and issues the tax deed. Auditor phone (812) 438-2062, office at 413 Main Street, Rising Sun, Indiana.
- Courthouse office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM, so the office is closed Wednesdays. Treasurer fax (812) 438-4590.
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 Ohio County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Ohio County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Ohio County tax certificate sale?
- Annual sale in September. The county's 2025 notice reads "Beginning 01:00 PM Local Time, September 09, 2025" and "Such sale will be held on 09/09/2025 at the Courthouse and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." SRI, the county's sale administrator, states Indiana tax sales are "typically held in late August through October" and that "Sales dates are normally finalized and posted by the end of June." As of late July 2026 the Treasurer page still posts only the 2025 notice, so confirm the current year's date with the office.. 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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