Starke County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Starke County, seat of Knox: 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 Starke County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Starke County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- One sale per year in mid September. The county's published notice states the sale begins at "10:00 AM Local Time, September 18, 2025" and that "Such sale will be held on 09/18/2025 at the Courthouse Annex, Commissioners' Meeting Room." That notice was dated 08/07/2025. No date for the next sale was posted on the Treasurer or Auditor pages as of July 30, 2026.
Registration and deposit
Register with SRI online at sriservices.com. The county notice says the registration "is good for all counties that SRI services" and that a bidder needs to register only once. Bring the completed registration form and an IRS Form W-9 to the sale; both print from the registration site. Bidders without internet access may register the morning of the sale, and the notice asks bidders to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start time to get a bid number. Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1 a business entity must provide a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Secretary of State to the Starke County Treasurer.
Starke County runs one annual tax sale under IC 6-1.1-24, applied for jointly by the County Auditor and County Treasurer and administered by SRI Incorporated. The 2025 notice set the sale at the Courthouse Annex, Commissioners' Meeting Room, so the default format is a live in person auction, not an online one. The same notice reserves the option for local officials to switch to an electronic sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2(b)(10) at www.zeusauction.com starting on the same date and time, and says all location updates will be posted at www.sriservices.com before the sale, so confirm the format before travelling. A complete property list may also be obtained at www.sriservices.com. Because a change in law limits the newspaper notice to a single run, the county directs bidders to starke.in.gov, the Auditor page, and the Treasurer page for subsequent notices. As of July 30, 2026 only the 2025 advertisement was posted, so confirm the current year date with the Treasurer at (574) 772-9111. Third party auction and lien listing sites republish Starke's notice without conducting the sale, so treat the county notice as the only authority on format, date, and location. Live in person auction at the Courthouse Annex, Commissioners' Meeting Room, administered by SRI Incorporated
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)
Notes for Starke County
- The Auditor and Treasurer apply on or after 09/01/2025 for a court judgment against the listed parcels and for an order to sell them at public auction to the highest bidder, subject to the right of redemption. Any defense to the application must be filed with the Starke County Circuit Court and served on the Auditor and Treasurer before that date. [starke_notice_2025]
- Redemption of a parcel sold at the Starke County sale costs 110 percent of the minimum bid if redeemed within six months of the sale date, or 115 percent if redeemed more than six months after the sale, plus 5 percent per annum interest on any overbid above the minimum bid, plus any taxes and special assessments the purchaser paid after the sale with 5 percent per annum interest. [starke_notice_2025]
- For certificates sold at the September 18, 2025 sale the notice states the redemption period expires Friday, September 18, 2026. For certificates struck to the county, the notice states redemption may expire Friday, January 16, 2026. [starke_notice_2025]
- No parcel sells for less than the sum of the delinquent taxes and special assessments, the taxes and assessments due and payable in the year of the sale, all penalties, 25 dollars for postage and publication, other county costs directly attributable to the tax sale, and any unpaid costs from a prior sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2(c). Minimum bids are set by law and can change before the auction date. [starke_notice_2025]
- If a parcel sells above the minimum bid and is not redeemed, the notice says the owner of record who is divested of ownership when the tax deed issues may have a right to the tax sale surplus. [starke_notice_2025]
- The Auditor and Treasurer reserve the right to withhold any parcel listed in error or that becomes ineligible before or during the sale, and the county does not warrant the accuracy of street addresses or common descriptions. [starke_notice_2025]
- The Starke County Auditor, Michaelene Houston, shares the 53 East Mound Street address in Knox and posts the same tax sale advertisement. Main line (574) 772-9101. The Auditor handles the tax deed side of the process. [starke_auditor]
- Treasurer and Auditor office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Central. Treasurer Kelly Graham; Treasurer fax (574) 772-9116. Property tax records are searchable at lowtaxinfo.com/starkecounty. [starke_treasurer]
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 Starke County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Starke County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Starke County tax certificate sale?
- One sale per year in mid September. The county's published notice states the sale begins at "10:00 AM Local Time, September 18, 2025" and that "Such sale will be held on 09/18/2025 at the Courthouse Annex, Commissioners' Meeting Room." That notice was dated 08/07/2025. No date for the next sale was posted on the Treasurer or Auditor pages as of July 30, 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.
Explore all 92 Indiana counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.