Scott County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Scott County, seat of Scottsburg: 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 Scott County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Scott County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual autumn sale. The 2026 notice reads: "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 09, 2026, Bill Graham Government Building at 2 E McClain Ave in Scottsburg" and adds that "such sale will be held on 09/09/2026 at the Bill Graham Government Building at 2 E McClain Ave in Scottsburg and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." The notice is dated July 22, 2026, and the auditor and treasurer apply for the court judgment on or after August 21, 2026.
Registration and deposit
One SRI registration covers every Indiana county SRI serves. The 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." Bring the completed registration form and a W9 form, both printable from the registration site, to the sale. Bidders without internet access may register the morning of the sale, and the county asks bidders to arrive at least 30 minutes before the 10:00 AM start to be sure of getting a bid number. Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1 a business entity that wants to bid must provide a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Secretary of State to the Scott County Treasurer.
This is a live, in-person public auction, not an online-only sale. The 2026 auction runs at the Bill Graham Government Building, 2 E McClain Ave, Scottsburg, from 10:00 AM local time until every tract has been offered. SRI Incorporated administers the sale and hosts bidder registration plus the full parcel list at sriservices.com; the county page tells investors that "specific information, including a listing of available properties in the Scott County auction, can be obtained at SRI-Tax Sale or contact the Treasurer's office at 812-752-8414." The notice keeps an electronic fallback open: "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 with the Treasurer before travelling. The certified 2026 list carries 131 parcels and was signed by the Scott County Auditor on July 22, 2026. Successful bidders receive a Tax Sale Certificate issued by the County Auditor; the redemption period for certificates sold at the 2026 sale expires Thursday, September 9, 2027, and for certificates struck to the county it may expire Thursday, January 7, 2027. Note the two addresses: the Treasurer's office sits at 1 E McClain Ave, Suite 140, while the auction venue is the Bill Graham Government Building at 2 E McClain Ave.
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 Scott County
- Minimum bid components are fixed by statute and listed on the notice: the delinquent taxes and special assessments on the tract, the taxes and special assessments due and payable in the year of the sale whether or not delinquent, all penalties on the delinquencies, an amount set by the county auditor that includes $25 for postage and publication plus any other costs directly attributable to the tax sale, and any unpaid costs due under IC 6-1.1-24-2(c) from a prior tax sale.
- Redemption math from the notice: 110% of the minimum bid if redeemed not more than six months after the sale, or 115% of the minimum bid if redeemed more than six months after the sale, plus the amount by which the purchase price exceeded the minimum bid with 5% per annum interest on that overbid, plus any taxes and special assessments the purchaser paid after the sale with 5% per annum interest.
- The Auditor and Treasurer reserve the right to withhold any parcel listed in error or that becomes ineligible for sale before or during the auction, and minimum bid amounts can change before the auction date.
- Under the current law the statutory notice runs only once in newspapers, so the county directs bidders to scottcounty.in.gov for subsequent notices and all location updates.
- Property descriptions may be omitted for parcels appearing on the certified list in consecutive years under IC 6-1.1-24-3(e). The notice says a complete property list may be obtained at www.sriservices.com or in an alternative form on request, and that the county does not warrant the accuracy of street addresses or common descriptions.
- No commissioners' certificate sale notice for parcels that failed to draw a minimum bid was posted on the county Tax Sales page at the time of this research. Check with the Treasurer's office for any such follow-on sale.
- Any defense to the application for judgment must be filed with the Scott County Circuit Court and served on the county auditor and treasurer before August 21, 2026.
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 Scott County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Scott County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Scott County tax certificate sale?
- Annual autumn sale. The 2026 notice reads: "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 09, 2026, Bill Graham Government Building at 2 E McClain Ave in Scottsburg" and adds that "such sale will be held on 09/09/2026 at the Bill Graham Government Building at 2 E McClain Ave in Scottsburg and that sale will continue until all tracts and real property have been offered for sale." The notice is dated July 22, 2026, and the auditor and treasurer apply for the court judgment on or after August 21, 2026.. 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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