Adair County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Adair County, seat of Greenfield: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
Verified Jul 29, 2026 against official county and state sources.
New here? Read how Iowa tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Adair County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Adair County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Third Monday in June. The county's 2026 Tax Sale Terms state the sale "will be held in the Greenfield City Hall Meeting Room, 202 S 1st St, Greenfield, Iowa on Monday, June 15, 2026" and "will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and will continue as long as there are bidders present or until every parcel has been offered for sale." The sale then adjourns "until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026, and then at 8:00 a.m. on each successive day that the Treasurer's Office is open until all parcels are sold."
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register by mail with the Treasurer. The packet requires a signed Tax Sale Bidder Registration form, a W-9 filed for each sale year, and, where an agent will bid, an Authorization to Represent Bidder form signed by the same person. Non-individual bidders must supply proof of filing with the Secretary of State or County Recorder. Completed forms and the $25.00 non-refundable registration fee (a separate check for each registration) must reach Adair County Treasurer, 400 Public Square, Suite 2, Greenfield, IA 50849 by 4:30 p.m. on June 10, 2026. Bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date and may register only once; one individual may act as agent for up to six registered bidders. Registered bidders collect a bidder card at the Treasurer's Office between 8:00 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. on sale day, or at the sale location after 8:45 a.m. The bidder or agent must be present; written and mailed bids are not accepted.
Adair County runs a live, in person tax sale, not an online auction. The 2026 terms place the sale in the Greenfield City Hall Meeting Room and prohibit written or mailed bids, require the bidder or an authorized agent to attend, and bar audible electronic devices during bidding. Bidding is the Iowa bid down of undivided interest: each parcel opens at 100% undivided interest, bidders bid down in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%, the lowest bid wins, and ties are broken by random selection, with the selected bidder announcing "sold" or "pass" immediately. Payment is due at the end of the sale and covers delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate; two-party checks are refused and a returned check cancels the certificate and adds a $20.00 service fee. Certificates take about 15 days to issue. Redemption pays the sale amount plus 2% per month from the month of sale, subsequent taxes plus 2% per month from the month posted, and valid deed costs under Iowa Code 447.13. Subsequent taxes may be paid after November 14, 2026 for the first half and after May 14, 2027 for the second half, either at the office or online through the Tax Sale Investor registration at iowatreasurers.org for $0.75 per parcel. Assigning a certificate costs a $100.00 assignment transaction fee and is not valid until the Treasurer posts it. The delinquent parcel list is not published online: the official tax sale publication is available the week of June 4, 2026, the delinquent list runs in the Adair News, and the Treasurer's Office sells a computer printout of delinquent real estate parcels for $10.00 plus $2.50 postage. Two cautions for bidders. The Treasurer's FAQ page still carries older statewide wording that the sale "is held electronically on the third Monday in June," which conflicts with the county's own 2026 terms describing an in person sale, so confirm the format with the office before making travel plans. The shared iowatreasurers.org navigation also shows a generic "Register And Bid For Tax Sales" link pointing at the statewide Iowa Tax Auction site, but that link is boilerplate across Iowa counties and Adair's own terms describe an in person sale, so treat it as unrelated to this county unless the Treasurer says otherwise. In person at the Greenfield City Hall Meeting Room, 202 S 1st St, Greenfield. No online auction platform is confirmed for this county.
From lien to deed
- Run by
- County Treasurer
- Frequency
- none
- Typical timing
- Iowa holds no tax deed auction. The treasurer makes out a treasurer's deed to the certificate holder immediately after 90 days have expired from completed service of the notice of expiration of the right of redemption, once the holder returns the certificate and pays the deed and recording fees.
There is nothing for an investor to bid on at the deed stage in Iowa. The only auction is the June certificate sale. The certificate holder must return the certificate of purchase and remit the deed and recording fees within 90 calendar days after the redemption period expires, or the treasurer cancels the certificate.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
Two routes reach parcels after the June sale. Parcels that remain unsold for want of bidders are carried to adjourned sales, which the treasurer sets at intervals of not more than two months until the next annual sale. Separately, certificates struck to the county at the public bidder sale may be assigned by the county for the total amount due on the date of assignment, or for a compromised amount, under a written agreement filed with the treasurer and a 10 dollar assignment transaction fee. Ask the county treasurer which county-held certificates are available for assignment.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Adair County Treasurer's Office
Adair County Courthouse, 400 Public Square, Suite 2, Greenfield, IA 50849
Official websiteNotes for Adair County
- Treasurer is Brenda L. Wallace; Deputy Treasurer is Marilee Kerber. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- The sale is conducted in person at Greenfield City Hall, 202 S 1st St, about one and a half blocks south of the courthouse square, not at the courthouse itself.
- Registration closes five days before the sale, at 4:30 p.m. on June 10, 2026, so late arrivals cannot bid.
- Adjourned sales run at 8:00 a.m. on each business day after June 22, 2026 until every parcel sells, and the single $25.00 registration fee covers the annual sale and all adjourned sales.
- The Treasurer's FAQ page and the county's 2026 Tax Sale Terms disagree on whether the sale is electronic or in person; the dated 2026 terms document is the more current source and describes an in person sale.
Iowa statewide rules
- Minimum return
- No statutory minimum return; what you earn is set by the share of ownership taken at the sale
- Redemption
- A parcel may be redeemed at any time before the right of redemption expires. After one year and nine months from the date of sale, the certificate holder may serve a notice of expiration of the right of redemption on the person in possession, the person in whose name the parcel is taxed, and every mortgagee, contract vendor, recorded lessor, and other party of record. The right of redemption then ends 90 days after that service is complete, which means the affidavit of service has been filed with the county treasurer. Three shortened tracks exist: nine months from a public bidder sale under section 446.18, and three months from an abandoned-property or public nuisance sale under section 446.19A or 446.19B. After the treasurer delivers the deed, redemption is possible only through an equitable action in district court, and only by a person who could have redeemed during the 90-day window.
- Surplus proceeds
- No surplus arises. The deed conveys the parcel to the certificate holder rather than selling it to the highest bidder, so there are no excess proceeds to distribute. Where the winning bid was less than 100 percent, the deed conveys only that undivided percentage interest in the parcel.
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 Adair County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Adair County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Adair County tax certificate sale?
- Third Monday in June. The county's 2026 Tax Sale Terms state the sale "will be held in the Greenfield City Hall Meeting Room, 202 S 1st St, Greenfield, Iowa on Monday, June 15, 2026" and "will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and will continue as long as there are bidders present or until every parcel has been offered for sale." The sale then adjourns "until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026, and then at 8:00 a.m. on each successive day that the Treasurer's Office is open until all parcels are sold.". Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the Tax Collector before the sale.
How often does Adair County hold tax deed sales?
- none. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
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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