Bremer County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Bremer County, seat of Waverly: 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 Bremer County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Bremer County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Third Monday in June at 11:00 a.m. CST. The county's 2026 terms state the Treasurer "will hold the annual tax sale on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Treasurer's Office beginning at 11:00 a.m. CST." An adjourned sale is held "any business day following the annual tax sale in the Treasurer's Office during normal business hours 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 online only at www.govease.com; the county states that no mailed or emailed registrations are accepted. For the June 15, 2026 sale, registration opened Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. CST and closed Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. CST. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40 registration fee by debit card, credit card, wire or ACH, complete an online W-9, upload an Iowa Secretary of State Certificate of Existence, Certificate of Authority or Designation of Agent for Service of Process where applicable, upload a Verified Statement of Trade Name filed with the Bremer County Recorder where applicable, and provide ACH details for redemption payments. All bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. Bremer County runs pre-bidding only: for 2026, pre-bidding opened 8:00 a.m. CST on June 11 and closed 10:45 a.m. CST on June 15, and the county states live bids will not be accepted. Bids run down from a 100% undivided interest in whole percentage increments to 1%, the certificate goes to the smallest percentage bid, and ties are broken by a random selection process run through the auction platform. No batches are used. Payment was due by 4:00 p.m. CST on sale day and covers delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, collection fees, publishing costs and a $20 certificate fee per certificate. GovEase bidder support is (769) 208-5050 or [email protected].
The delinquent tax list is published in the Waverly Democrat no more than three weeks and no less than one week before the sale, is posted on the county website, and is viewable on the GovEase auction site; the final auction list appears on GovEase on the sale date. Bidding is online even for people who attend in person: the Treasurer requires attendees to bring their own computer, offers wireless internet at the office, and points to public computers at the Waverly Public Library, 1500 West Bremer Avenue, Waverly. A separate Public Nuisance Tax Sale is held in the Bremer County Courthouse on the third Monday in June at 9:00 a.m. CST; those delinquencies are sold to the certifying city, and a private buyer must have an executed rehabilitation agreement with the city on file with the Treasurer. Certificates earn 2% per month, properly reported subsequent tax payments also earn 2% per month, and assigning a certificate costs a $100 transaction fee. The Treasurer retains original certificates and emails a PDF to the buyer within 10 days of the close of the sale. Caution on dates: the Treasurer's landing page heads the block "2026 Annual Tax Sale" but shows a June 16, 2025 start date, while the linked terms and the published notice both give Monday, June 15, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. CST. Confirm the current year's date and registration window with the office before planning around it.
Register on GovEaseFrom 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 Bremer County
- Treasurer is Adam P. Hoffman, serving since January 2, 2023, per the official Treasurer page.
- The Treasurer's office is closed Tuesdays to walk-in business; property tax and motor vehicle counters run Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- The county's own site at bremercounty.iowa.gov routes its Treasurer link to the Iowa State County Treasurers Association page, which hosts the tax sale list, terms and auction links.
- Taxpayers can avoid the sale by paying the Treasurer in guaranteed funds before the published cutoff; online payments are suspended for the 30 days before the tax sale.
- Regular tax sale parcels become eligible for the 90-day Notice of Right of Redemption one year and nine months after the sale; public bidder parcels, marked with an asterisk on the published list, become eligible at nine months.
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 Bremer County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Bremer County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Bremer County tax certificate sale?
- Third Monday in June at 11:00 a.m. CST. The county's 2026 terms state the Treasurer "will hold the annual tax sale on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Treasurer's Office beginning at 11:00 a.m. CST." An adjourned sale is held "any business day following the annual tax sale in the Treasurer's Office during normal business hours 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 Bremer 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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