Sullivan County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Sullivan County, seat of Sullivan: 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 Sullivan County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Sullivan County Treasurer's Office, with the Sullivan County Auditor's Office administering the sale and handling redemptions
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, in late September. SRI Services, the vendor the county's tax sale page points bidders to, lists the next Sullivan County tax sale as "Tuesday, September 29, 2026" with "Sale Hours" of "10:00 AM", marked "In-person". Confirm the date with the Treasurer's Office before making travel plans, since Indiana counties set the date locally each year.
Registration and deposit
The county states that "Bidders must register to be eligible to bid." Registration runs through the county for this in-person sale, and SRI lists no registration window for the September 29, 2026 sale, so ask the office when bidder registration opens and what forms it wants. Call the Sullivan County Treasurer's Office at (812) 268-6410 for questions about taxes due on parcels going to sale, and the Sullivan County Auditor's Office at (812) 268-4491 for redemption questions.
Sullivan County holds its annual tax sale in person at the courthouse rotunda, not online, so plan to attend or send a representative. The county describes the redemption period as one year, with the redemption amount equal to the total taxes due and paid by the tax sale bidder plus 10 percent, and an additional 5 percent per annum on the amount bid above the taxes actually due, accruing daily. After 30 days a winning bidder may file costs for attorney fees not to exceed $500 and title search fees not to exceed $300. Winning bidders may not enter the property during the one year redemption period and must give the legal notices required by law to take title if the owner does not redeem. Sullivan County also runs a separate online sheriff foreclosure auction through the Zeus Auction Program, which is a different sale from the tax lien sale; do not treat a Zeus foreclosure listing as a tax sale parcel. As of the July 2026 check, SRI's search returned no parcels yet for the September 2026 tax sale, which is normal this far ahead of the advertising window. In person at the Sullivan County courthouse in Sullivan. SRI Services lists the sale location as "Courthouse Rotunda" and marks the sale "In-person". No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county's tax sale; verify with the office before relying on remote bidding.
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 Sullivan County
- Sullivan County's tax sale is conducted in person at the courthouse rotunda in Sullivan. SRI Services marks it "In-person" and lists no online bidding site for it.
- The Treasurer's Office answers questions about taxes due on parcels headed to the tax sale at (812) 268-6410. The Auditor's Office answers tax sale redemption questions at (812) 268-4491 and, per its own page, administers the county tax sale.
- The county's tax sale page directs bidders to SRI Services for further answers about the Sullivan County tax sale, and SRI publishes the sale date, hour, and location for the county.
- SRI lists zero commissioners' certificate sales and zero deed sales for Sullivan County at present, so the annual tax sale is the only tax lien sale on the county's calendar.
- Sullivan County's online sheriff foreclosure auction on the Zeus Auction Program is a separate mortgage foreclosure sale, not the tax lien sale. Sullivan County Auditor's Office mailing address is 100 Courthouse Square, Room 202, Sullivan, IN 47882, phone (812) 268-4491.
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 Sullivan County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Sullivan County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Sullivan County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, in late September. SRI Services, the vendor the county's tax sale page points bidders to, lists the next Sullivan County tax sale as "Tuesday, September 29, 2026" with "Sale Hours" of "10:00 AM", marked "In-person". Confirm the date with the Treasurer's Office before making travel plans, since Indiana counties set the date locally each year.. 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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