Pike County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Pike County, seat of Petersburg: 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 Pike County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Pike County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annually in October, held online. The county's most recent published notice is headed "NOTICE OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SALE, Pike County Indiana, Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, October 27, 2025, Online - www.zeusauction.com", and the notice body repeats "The public auction will begin on 10/27/2025 at 10:00 AM local time." The Auditor's Office homepage posted "2025 Treasurer's Tax Sale (ONLINE) October 27, 2025 10:00 a.m. (ET) - 3:00 p.m. (ET)". The Tax Sales page separately states "October 17, 2024 is this years upcoming SRI Tax Sale." As of July 30, 2026 the county had not yet posted a notice for the 2026 sale, so confirm the current year's date with the office.
Registration and deposit
Registration is online through the Zeus auction site. The notice states: "If you are interested in participating in this public auction, registration information and the procedures you must follow to bid are available online at https://www.zeusauction.com. In order to participate, you must become a member of the auction web site (www.zeusauction.com)." After creating a Zeus account you must register for the Pike County auction specifically, read 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). Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1 a business entity must provide a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Indiana Secretary of State to the Pike County Treasurer. For the 2025 sale the notice set the registration window as beginning "September 29, 2025 at 8:00 AM local time" and closing "on October 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM local time", and warned that bidders who do not complete the full registration process will not be approved to bid.
Pike County sells tax certificates at an online electronic sale conducted under IC 6-1.1-24-2(b)(10) on the Zeus Auction platform run by SRI. Properties close in batches, and the notice says "Each property will have its specific closing time posted on the auction web site." The 2025 notice listed 162 parcels and was signed by Judith E. Gumbel, Auditor, dated September 18, 2025. Minimum bid is set by statute and covers delinquent taxes and special assessments, current-year taxes, penalties, a $25 postage and publication charge, other tax-sale costs, and unpaid costs from a prior sale. Redemption is 110% of the minimum bid within six months of the sale or 115% after six months, plus any overbid amount with 5% per annum interest and any subsequent taxes the purchaser paid with 5% per annum interest. For the 2025 sale the notice set redemption to expire October 27, 2026 for certificates sold, and stated that certificates struck to the county may have a redemption period expiring February 24, 2026. To pull a parcel from the sale, payment had to reach the county by 1:00 PM local time on October 24, 2025 in cash or certified funds payable to the Pike County Treasurer at 801 Main Street, Petersburg, IN 47567. The county also warns it may require winning bidders to pay amounts certified under IC 6-1.1-22-13.5 or added for ineligible deductions at the close of the online auction, and that Pike County requires full legal descriptions in both the court order for deed and the deed itself to record a transfer. The notice directs bidders to sriservices.com for a complete property list. Two caveats on the county's own pages: the Auditor's Tax Sales division page is out of date and still headlines the October 2024 sale, and the Auditor's "2025 SRI Treasurer's Tax Sale List" link points to an SRI properties subdomain that did not resolve when checked, so use the Document Center notice above or contact the office. The Auditor's Office also posts a separate SRI Certificate Sale advertisement in addition to the Treasurer's tax sale notice; ask the office about its terms.
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 Pike County
- The county brands the sale a "Treasurer's Tax Sale", but the tax sale notice, the parcel list and the Tax Sales page all sit under the Auditor's Office. The notice states that "The county auditor and county treasurer will apply on or after 10/10/2025 for a court judgment" and that "The Auditor and Treasurer specifically reserve the right to withhold from the sale any parcel which has been listed in error", so both offices are involved.
- Pike County Auditor's Office (publisher of the sale notice and parcel list): Pike County Courthouse, 801 E Main St, Petersburg, IN 47567, phone (812) 354-6451, fax (812) 354-3500. Auditor is Judith Gumbel; a deputy is assigned to tax sale duties. Courthouse hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Defenses to the application for judgment must be filed with the Pike County Circuit Court and served on the county auditor and treasurer before the date stated in each year's notice (10/10/2025 for the 2025 sale).
- The notice explains that under a change in law the tax sale advertisement appears only once in newspapers, and that "Subsequent notices can be found at www.pikecounty.in.gov/", so the county website is the place to watch for each year's date.
- Property taxes and post-sale amounts can be paid online at https://billpay.forte.net/pikecointax/ or in person at the Treasurer's Office on the second floor of the Pike County Courthouse.
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 Pike County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Pike County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Pike County tax certificate sale?
- Annually in October, held online. The county's most recent published notice is headed "NOTICE OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SALE, Pike County Indiana, Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, October 27, 2025, Online - www.zeusauction.com", and the notice body repeats "The public auction will begin on 10/27/2025 at 10:00 AM local time." The Auditor's Office homepage posted "2025 Treasurer's Tax Sale (ONLINE) October 27, 2025 10:00 a.m. (ET) - 3:00 p.m. (ET)". The Tax Sales page separately states "October 17, 2024 is this years upcoming SRI Tax Sale." As of July 30, 2026 the county had not yet posted a notice for the 2026 sale, 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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