Vigo County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Vigo County, seat of Terre Haute: 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 Vigo County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Vigo County Treasurer and Vigo County Auditor
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Mid-September, online. The 2025 advertisement is headed "NOTICE OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SALE Vigo County Indiana Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 16, 2025 Online - www.zeusauction.com", and the county's 2025 Tax Sale page lists "Sale Starts September 16, 2025 @ 10am - September 18, 2025 @ 4pm". The 2024 notice used the same pattern, "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 17, 2024". As of July 30, 2026 the county had not yet posted a 2026 annual tax sale notice, so confirm the current date with the Treasurer or on the auction site.
Registration and deposit
Register on the auction site, not with the county. The 2025 notice states that "registration information and the procedures you must follow to bid are available online at https://www.zeusauction.com" and that "In order to participate, you must become a member of the auction web site (www.zeusauction.com)", then "you must register for the Vigo County auction, specifically." Bidders must complete IRS Form W-9 and agree electronically to the registration statement at IC 6-1.1-24-5.3(c). Under IC 6-1.1-24-5.1 a business entity must give the Vigo County Treasurer a Certificate of Existence or Foreign Registration Statement from the Secretary of State. The 2025 window ran from August 13, 2025 to September 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM, and the notice warns that an incomplete registration means no bidding approval.
The annual sale is a lien sale: bidders buy a tax sale certificate subject to the owner's right of redemption, and the Auditor later issues the tax deed. It runs fully online. The 2025 notice says the auction "will be conducted as an electronic sale under IC 6-1.1-24-2(b)10, at the following web site: www.zeusauction.com", opening 09/16/2025 at 10:00 AM local time, with properties that "commence closing in batches at 12:00 PM local time on 09/18/2025" and each parcel's closing time posted on the site. Redemption is 110% of the minimum bid within six months of the sale and 115% after six months, plus the overbid above the minimum bid with 5% per annum interest on that overbid and on taxes the buyer later pays. The 2025 notice set the redemption expiration at Friday, September 18, 2026. To pull a parcel before the sale, payment had to reach the Treasurer by 3:00 PM local time on Monday, September 15, 2025, in cash or certified funds payable to the Vigo County Treasurer at 191 Oak St., Terre Haute, IN 47807. SRI Incorporated provides the sale service, and the county directs bidders to www.sriservices.com for the complete property list and location updates. Vigo County also holds a separate Commissioners' Certificate Sale of certificates struck to the county under IC 6-1.1-24-6.1, and that one is IN PERSON: the current notice reads "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, March 25, 2026, Terre Haute Convention Center, Ballroom D, 800 Wabash Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47807", with minimum bids of $250.00 on most parcels, though the notice adds that "At the discretion of local officials, the tax sale may switch to an online format" on Zeus Auction. The county keeps no standing tax sale landing page; notices and lists are filed in the Document Center, so search it by year.
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 Vigo County
- Property becomes eligible for the tax sale once taxes are three or more installments past due. The Treasurer's FAQ reads: "Property taxes must be three (3) or more installments past due to be eligible for Tax Sale."
- The Treasurer's office lists "Conduction of Annual Tax Sale" among its duties, and the Auditor's office lists "Conduct the Bi-Annual County Property Tax Sales, per State Code, on all property that become delinquent by 3 tax payments or more." Both offices are named in the sale notice.
- Tax deed and redemption questions go to the Auditor. Vigo County Auditor, Larry T. Hutchings II, 131 Oak St, Terre Haute, IN 47807, phone (812) 462-3361, open Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm.
- Treasurer's office hours are 8AM to 4PM, Monday through Friday, closed on major holidays. The Treasurer at the time of research is Josie Thompson.
- Caution on stale links: the "Click here for property listing" link on the county's 2025 Tax Sale page now serves the March 25, 2026 Commissioners' Certificate Sale notice rather than the 2025 annual sale list. Check the header on any downloaded list before relying on it.
- No third-party notice site was confirmed as the Vigo County auction platform. The county names only www.zeusauction.com for online bidding and www.sriservices.com for lists and location updates.
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 Vigo County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Vigo County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the Vigo County tax certificate sale?
- Mid-September, online. The 2025 advertisement is headed "NOTICE OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SALE Vigo County Indiana Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 16, 2025 Online - www.zeusauction.com", and the county's 2025 Tax Sale page lists "Sale Starts September 16, 2025 @ 10am - September 18, 2025 @ 4pm". The 2024 notice used the same pattern, "Beginning 10:00 AM Local Time, September 17, 2024". As of July 30, 2026 the county had not yet posted a 2026 annual tax sale notice, so confirm the current date with the Treasurer or on the auction site.. 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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