White County, IN tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in White County, seat of Monticello: 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 White County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- White County Treasurer's Office, with SRI Incorporated contracted to administer the sale
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's Office lists among its duties "Conducting tax sales (usually one sale per year, in the fall; list may be purchased in late summer by contacting the White County Auditor)". SRI, the administrator the county links for property tax sales, shows the White County tax sale set for August 26, 2026 at 9:00 AM local time, conducted online. Indiana counties reset the date every year, so confirm the current one with the Treasurer or the Auditor before you register.
Registration and deposit
White County sells online, so bidding runs through a Zeus Auction account rather than a courthouse sign-in sheet. Zeus describes the flow as create an account with a short form, select an auction, apply and wait for approval, view approved listings on a watchlist, then bid with on-screen alerts. Indiana also requires a business bidder to show it is registered and in good standing with the Secretary of State. Confirm the registration cutoff and the required forms with the White County Treasurer at 574-583-5771 or the Auditor at 574-583-1515.
This is an online sale, not a live courthouse auction. SRI records the sale location for White County as "Online - www.zeusauction.com" with a 9:00 AM start. Two paths exist to the parcel data: the printed sale list, which the Treasurer's page says may be purchased in late summer by contacting the White County Auditor, and SRI's free property search, which Zeus describes as letting you "search all properties for sale without a login" while noting that "For online auctions you must register and/or login to Zeus". Indiana bidding runs upward to the highest bidder and the winning amount is due immediately, so fund and approve your bidder account well before the sale. Verify the date, the parcel list and the registration deadline with the county before bidding.
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)
White County Treasurer's Office
110 N Main Street, First Floor, White County Government Center, Monticello, IN 47960
Official websiteNotes for White County
- The Treasurer conducts the tax sale. The Auditor's Office sells the sale list in late summer and is the office whose page links Property Tax Sales to SRI Incorporated. Reach the White County Auditor at 574-583-1515, same address at 110 N Main Street, Monticello, IN 47960.
- Both the Treasurer and the Auditor are on the first floor of the White County Government Center and are open 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday, closed on holidays. Plan list purchases and registration questions inside those hours.
- SRI records the county's legal notice publications as the Monticello Herald Journal and the News & Review, which is where the statutory sale advertisement runs.
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 White County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- White County follows Indiana's tax lien state system.
When is the White County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's Office lists among its duties "Conducting tax sales (usually one sale per year, in the fall; list may be purchased in late summer by contacting the White County Auditor)". SRI, the administrator the county links for property tax sales, shows the White County tax sale set for August 26, 2026 at 9:00 AM local time, conducted online. Indiana counties reset the date every year, so confirm the current one with the Treasurer or the Auditor before you register.. 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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