Putnam County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Putnam County, seat of Greencastle: 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 Putnam County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Putnam County Treasurer's Office (certifies the delinquent list and collects winning-bid payment) with the Putnam County Auditor's Office (signs the tax sale certificate and later issues the tax deed). The Auditor's page states "Putnam County property tax sales will be managed by SRI Services."
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual fall tax sale in September at 10:00 a.m. local time. The Auditor's FAQ answers "What Date and Time is your Fall Tax Sale being held?" with "September 10, 2026 at 10:00AM", and answers the venue question with "Putnam County Courthouse 1 West Washington Greencastle, Indiana 46135." The prior year's published notice set the sale "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 22, 2025" at the "Lobby Of Courthouse."
Registration and deposit
Two paths. The Auditor's FAQ says "A bidder can register online through the SRI website approximately 30 days prior to the date of the sale or in person the day of the sale beginning at 8:30AM." The county's published notice adds that bidders "may register online at https://sriservices.com/", that "This registration is good for all counties that SRI services" and only needs doing once, to "bring the completed form with you to each sale", and to "arrive the morning of the tax sale at least 30 minutes before the beginning time." The Treasurer's page states "Bidders must register prior to the start of the sale." Winning bidders pay at the County Treasurer's Office; the Auditor's FAQ says "Forms of payment include check, cash, or credit/debit card and payments will need to be made by 2PM the day of the tax sale."
This is a live, in person auction, not an online sale. The 2025 published notice states the sale "will be held on 09/22/2025 at the Lobby Of Courthouse and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." That notice also reserves a statutory option to move online: "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 for the current year with the Auditor's office at 765-653-5513, option 1, before you travel. Minimum bid, per the Treasurer's page, "is the total amount owed on the parcel through the current year." A winning bid buys a certificate, not the land: "A Tax Sale Certificate does not convey ownership to the property. Ownership will be conveyed through a Tax Deed issued by the County Auditor." Owners may pay off up to 4:00 p.m. the day before the sale, so parcels drop off the list late. Properties are advertised in the Banner Graphic and Hoosier Topics, and the notice says it now runs only once in print with "Subsequent notices can be found at https://co.putnam.in.us/." The Treasurer's page warns that the tax sale is separate from a Putnam County sheriff's sale, so ignore sheriff's-sale or foreclosure listings when researching this auction. SRI Incorporated (SRI Services) administers the sale; bidding happens live in person at the Putnam County Courthouse
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)
Putnam County Treasurer's Office
Putnam County Courthouse, 2nd floor, 1 West Washington, Greencastle, IN 46135
Official websiteNotes for Putnam County
- The Treasurer's page states the county "must certify a list of those properties eligible for the tax sale to the County Auditor no later than fifty-one (51) days after the due date for the Spring installment of taxes," after which the Auditor mails a certified-letter tax sale notice to the owner.
- Redemption windows in the 2025 published notice: "The period of redemption shall expire on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 for certificates sold in the tax sale. For certificates struck to the county, the period of redemption may expire Tuesday, January 20, 2026."
- Parcels that do not sell roll to a Commissioners' Certificate Sale. The Treasurer's page states that there "the redemption period is 120 days and minimum bids may be reduced." No commissioners' certificate sale date is posted on the county site.
- The county may also assign unsold certificates of sale to other political subdivisions such as cities and towns, which then carry out the remaining steps.
- The published notice cites I.C. 6-1.1-24-1 et seq. and IC 6-1.1-25-4.5 for post-sale attorney fees and notice costs added to the redemption amount.
- Where surplus applies: "If the tract or item of real property is sold for an amount more than the minimum bid and the property is not redeemed, the owner of record of the property who is divested of ownership at the time the tax deed is issued may have a right to the tax sale surplus."
- Key contacts on the county site: Treasurer Karrie Minor, 765-653-4510 ([email protected]); the Auditor's tax sale line is 765-653-5513, option 1.
- Address sourcing: the county directory lists the Treasurer's Office as "Courthouse, 2nd floor" with phone (765) 653-4510; the courthouse street address (1 West Washington, Greencastle, Indiana 46135) is given on the Auditor's tax sale page as the sale venue.
- As of July 30, 2026 the newest advertisement posted on the Auditor's page is the 2025 notice. The Auditor's FAQ says "The SRI website will publish a certified list of the properties approximately 60 days prior to the date of the sale and the local newspaper will begin advertising those properties in August," so check the SRI site for the current year's list.
- The 2025 notice flags that under IC 6-1.1-24-3(e) property descriptions may be omitted for parcels appearing on the certified list in consecutive years, and that "A complete property list may be obtained at www.sriservices.com or in an alternative form upon request." It also states the Auditor and Treasurer "reserve the right to withhold from the sale any parcel which has been listed in error."
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 Putnam County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Putnam County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Putnam County tax certificate sale?
- Annual fall tax sale in September at 10:00 a.m. local time. The Auditor's FAQ answers "What Date and Time is your Fall Tax Sale being held?" with "September 10, 2026 at 10:00AM", and answers the venue question with "Putnam County Courthouse 1 West Washington Greencastle, Indiana 46135." The prior year's published notice set the sale "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 22, 2025" at the "Lobby Of Courthouse.". 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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