Audubon County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Audubon County, seat of Audubon: 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 Audubon County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Audubon County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Iowa counties hold the annual tax sale on the third Monday in June under Iowa Code Chapter 446. The Audubon County Treasurer's 2026 packet states the sale "will be held on Monday, June 15, 2026" and that "The Audubon County tax sale will be held in the courtroom of the Audubon County Courthouse. The sale will begin at 9:00 a.m. at this location." The Treasurer's portal page repeats: "The 2026 Tax Sale will be held June 15, 2026 at 9:00AM at the Audubon County Courthouse Courtroom." An adjourned sale follows, described as held "any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale."
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration is handled directly by the Treasurer's Office and must be completed in advance. The 2026 packet states registration "must be completed and returned by Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 4:00 p.m." and that there is "No registration the day of the tax sale." A $25 non-refundable registration fee must accompany the documents. Required paperwork is a Bidder Registration Form, a W-9, and, when bidding through an agent, an Authorization to Represent Bidder form. An entity bidder must hold 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 statement of trade name on file with the Audubon County Recorder. The Treasurer's page allows 3 bidders per entity, with each bidder permitted to represent 6 companies. All bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date, and a bidder may not have a vested interest in a parcel offered.
Audubon County runs its certificate sale live and in person at the courthouse, not online. Bidding is the Iowa bid-down-ownership-interest method: parcels open at a 100% undivided interest and bids run down in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%, with ties resolved by random drawing. Parcels are offered in published order, alphabetical by taxing district, and one representative per bidder is allowed. Payment is due at the time of purchase or at the conclusion of the sale by cash, personal check, or money order, and includes delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, publishing cost, and a $20 certificate fee per certificate. Certificates arrive roughly 7 to 10 days later. Redemption carries interest of 2% per month, and assignment of a certificate costs $100 per transaction. The parcel list itself is not posted as a standalone web file: the packet states the official publication runs June 05, 2026 in the Audubon Advocate newspaper, with copies of the tax sale publication also available at the Treasurer's Office. Two cautions for researchers. First, the Iowa County Treasurers portal navigation carries a statewide "Register And Bid For Tax Sales" link to Iowa Tax Auction (iowataxauction.com); that link appears on every county's page in the shared template, Audubon is not listed there, and Audubon's own notice confirms an in-person courthouse sale. Second, the Treasurer page on the county's own website currently displays another Iowa county's staff, address, and phone number, so the Treasurer portal page and the sale packet are the reliable sources for Audubon contact details. In-person live auction held in the courtroom of the Audubon County Courthouse. No online bidding platform is used for this county's sale.
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)
Notes for Audubon County
- Debra (Debbie) Campbell is the Audubon County Treasurer, in office since May 9, 2012. Deputy Treasurer is Amanda Kommes.
- Treasurer's office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with no business transacted after 4:15 p.m.
- The office is handicap accessible at ground level through the Sheriff's Office on the south side of the courthouse, with elevator access to the first floor.
- Email contacts listed on the Treasurer's portal page are [email protected] and [email protected].
- The phone number 712-563-2741, which appears in some third-party search listings alongside Audubon tax sale information, belongs to the Audubon Advocate newspaper that publishes the sale notice, not to the Treasurer's Office. The Treasurer's number is 712-563-2293.
- The Treasurer page at auduboncountyia.gov/county-information/treasurer.aspx currently renders another Iowa county's treasurer content, including a different staff list, street address, and phone number. Investors should rely on the Iowa County Treasurers portal page for Audubon contact details until the county site is corrected.
- Certificate holders can pay subsequent taxes by registering as a Tax Sale Investor at iowatreasurers.org under the Online Services menu, at a cost of $0.25 per parcel paid, or by written request to the Treasurer at $2.00 per parcel under Iowa Code Section 445.5(3).
- Regular tax sale certificates allow the 90-day Notice of Right of Redemption after one year and nine months from the sale date. Public bidder certificates, marked with an asterisk on the sale list, allow that notice after nine months.
- The Treasurer cancels a certificate if the holder has not filed an affidavit of service under Iowa Code 447.12 within three years of the sale. The Treasurer's tax sale deed issuance fee is $25.00 per parcel, due with the certificate and recording fees within 90 calendar days after the redemption period expires.
- The 2026 terms document states it governs taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027, which signals the 2027 annual sale date of June 21, 2027, the third Monday in June.
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 Audubon County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Audubon County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Audubon County tax certificate sale?
- Iowa counties hold the annual tax sale on the third Monday in June under Iowa Code Chapter 446. The Audubon County Treasurer's 2026 packet states the sale "will be held on Monday, June 15, 2026" and that "The Audubon County tax sale will be held in the courtroom of the Audubon County Courthouse. The sale will begin at 9:00 a.m. at this location." The Treasurer's portal page repeats: "The 2026 Tax Sale will be held June 15, 2026 at 9:00AM at the Audubon County Courthouse Courtroom." An adjourned sale follows, described as held "any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale.". 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 Audubon 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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