Allamakee County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Allamakee County, seat of Waukon: 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 Allamakee County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Allamakee County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual tax sale on the third Monday in June. The Treasurer's tax sale page states that unpaid taxes "are offered at Public Tax Sale which is held annually on the third Monday in June online at www.iowataxauction.com." The county's 2026 bidder terms state: "The 2026 Annual Tax Sale will be held by the Allamakee County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Allamakee County Treasurer's Office on the second floor of the Allamakee County Courthouse, 110 Allamakee Street, Waukon, Iowa beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bidders will place their bids online." Bidding closes at 10:00 a.m. that same morning. The terms add that "An adjourned tax sale will be held the third Monday of each month following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale." The 2026 terms govern taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. The county terms state that no mailed or emailed registrations are accepted. For the 2026 sale, registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026 and closed Thursday, June 11, 2026, with all steps completed by 11:59 p.m. on June 11. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete an online W-9. All bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. An entity bidder needs a federal tax identification number plus either a designation of agent for service of process on file with the Iowa Secretary of State or a verified trade-name statement on file with the Allamakee County Recorder. Platform registration support is listed as (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
Iowa lien state sale run online by the Treasurer, with bidders placing bids through the Iowa Tax Auction platform while the sale is conducted from the Treasurer's office in the courthouse. Bidding is the Iowa bid-down of undivided interest: each parcel opens at a 100% undivided interest and bids step down in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%, with the certificate awarded to the smallest percentage bid. Ties at the lowest percentage are broken by random selection. The county terms state that Allamakee County will not be utilizing batches. Bids can be uploaded before the sale opens but are not applied until bidding opens at 9:00 a.m. Winning bidders receive an invoice at close and an ACH debit for the total due is initiated automatically from the account designated for registration fees. The total includes delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Certificates take roughly 7 to 15 days to issue. Redemption accrues 2% per month. An investor may file a 90-day notice of right of redemption after one year and nine months on a regular tax sale, or after nine months on a public bidder sale (parcels advertised twice, marked with an asterisk on the published list). If no deed is taken within three years the certificate is cancelled. Subsequent taxes must be paid online at www.iowatreasurers.org through the subsequent tax payment module, at $0.25 per parcel; payments made outside that module are treated as voluntary and omitted from redemption calculations. Certificate assignment carries a $100.00 transaction fee, and a Treasurer's tax sale deed costs $25.00 per parcel. Parcels that stay unsold after being advertised twice go to the Public Bidder Sale, and the county states it is required by Iowa law to purchase the delinquencies if there is no private-sector bidder. The delinquent tax list is published one time in the county's official newspaper during the first week of June (the Waukon Standard for 2026), and the parcel list is viewable on the auction site after registering, updated nightly. Confirm the current year's date, registration window, and terms with the Treasurer before bidding.
Register on Online auctionFrom 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)
Notes for Allamakee County
- The Treasurer's office is on the second floor of the Allamakee County Courthouse at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- The 2026 terms document is signed by Nicki Smedsrud, Allamakee County Treasurer, and lists the office email as [email protected] and fax as (563) 568-6401.
- Registration on the Iowa Tax Auction platform is required to view the updated parcel list, which the county says is refreshed nightly. For 2026 the county stated the published parcels would be available for review on the auction site by Wednesday, June 3, 2026.
- Adjourned sales run on the third Monday of each month after the June sale when bidders are present and parcels remain, so investors who miss the annual sale still have monthly opportunities.
- The county page notes the tax sale summary is provided for reference only and directs readers to the Iowa Code or legal counsel for their own circumstances. Iowa Code Chapters 446, 447, and 448 govern tax sales, redemption, and tax deeds.
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 Allamakee County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Allamakee County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Allamakee County tax certificate sale?
- Annual tax sale on the third Monday in June. The Treasurer's tax sale page states that unpaid taxes "are offered at Public Tax Sale which is held annually on the third Monday in June online at www.iowataxauction.com." The county's 2026 bidder terms state: "The 2026 Annual Tax Sale will be held by the Allamakee County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Allamakee County Treasurer's Office on the second floor of the Allamakee County Courthouse, 110 Allamakee Street, Waukon, Iowa beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bidders will place their bids online." Bidding closes at 10:00 a.m. that same morning. The terms add that "An adjourned tax sale will be held the third Monday of each month following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale." The 2026 terms govern taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027.. 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 Allamakee 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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