Porter County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Porter County, seat of Valparaiso: 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 Porter County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Porter County Auditor's Office, which holds the annual tax sale jointly with the Porter County Treasurer's Office. The sale is conducted by the county's vendor, SRI Incorporated of Indianapolis.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Auditor's tax sale page states: "Porter County's 2026 Tax Sale will be held online October 21-22, 2026." The county's Property Tax Portal adds that "Generally, Tax Sales are held in the fall of every year," and that unsold parcels certified to the Board of Commissioners are "offered for resale to the public through a Certificate Sale which is generally held in the spring following the Tax Sale." For comparison, the 2025 notice opened the sale "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, October 14, 2025."
Registration and deposit
Bidders register once with SRI. The county's 2025 tax sale 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." The registration form and a W-9 print from the registration site and must be brought to the sale, and the notice allows registering the morning of the sale. It does not state any pre-auction deposit. Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1, a business entity that seeks to register to bid must provide a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Secretary of State to the Porter County Treasurer. The Auditor also directs bidders to the "Lien Buyer Handout" prepared by SRI for post-sale noticing requirements.
Porter County's annual tax lien sale is advertised jointly by the county auditor and treasurer and conducted by SRI Incorporated. The 2025 sale ran live in the Administration Center Commissioners' Chambers, and the published notice reserved the option to move to an electronic sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2(b)(10) at www.zeusauction.com. For 2026 the Auditor says the sale will be held online on October 21 and 22 and that more information is coming, so confirm the venue and platform with the Auditor before the sale. Per Porter County Ordinance No. 00-7, requests for tax sale results can only be made in person at the Auditor's office and cannot be distributed electronically. The 2025 notice also says a complete property list may be obtained at www.sriservices.com or in an alternative form on request, and that subsequent notices are posted at www.portercountyin.gov/124/Auditor. Registration and bidding run through SRI, so treat listings on third-party auction sites as unofficial courtesy postings rather than the sale platform. The Auditor's page links to an SRI county detail address that did not resolve when checked, so start at sriservices.com.
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 Porter County
- The tax sale page lives under the Auditor, whose duties include "Works with Treasurer to hold annual Tax Sale." The Auditor lists Karen Martin as the tax sale contact.
- The Porter County Treasurer's Office is at 155 Indiana Avenue, Suite 209, Valparaiso, IN 46383, phone 219-465-3470, open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Its listed functions include the "Annual Tax Sale for unpaid real property." Delinquent payoffs and tax sale payment plans go through the Treasurer.
- The county's Options For Certified Properties page lists redemption windows of one year after a tax sale, 120 days if the county pursues title, and 120 days after a certificate sale, and points redemption questions to the Auditor's office at 219-465-3449.
- The 2025 notice sets the minimum bid components and states the redemption amount is 110 percent of the minimum bid if redeemed within six months of the sale, or 115 percent if redeemed after six months, plus the surplus over the minimum bid with 5 percent annual interest. It gives a redemption expiration of October 14, 2026 for certificates sold in that sale.
- Two separate sales exist here: the fall tax sale run through SRI, and a spring certificate sale of parcels certified to the Board of Commissioners.
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 Porter County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Porter County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Porter County tax certificate sale?
- The Auditor's tax sale page states: "Porter County's 2026 Tax Sale will be held online October 21-22, 2026." The county's Property Tax Portal adds that "Generally, Tax Sales are held in the fall of every year," and that unsold parcels certified to the Board of Commissioners are "offered for resale to the public through a Certificate Sale which is generally held in the spring following the Tax Sale." For comparison, the 2025 notice opened the sale "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, October 14, 2025.". 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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