Buena Vista County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Buena Vista County, seat of Storm Lake: 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 Buena Vista County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Buena Vista County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annually on the third Monday of June, opening at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 10:30 a.m. The county states "The 2026 Buena Vista County Tax sale will begin at 9:00 AM on Monday, June 15th, 2026," and the purchaser notice confirms "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Buena Vista County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Supervisors' Board Room on the first floor of the Buena Vista County Courthouse, 215 E. 5th St., Storm Lake, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m." An adjourned sale is held on any business day after the annual sale when bidders are present and parcels remain.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register online at iowataxauction.com. The treasurer accepts no mailed or emailed registrations. For 2026 registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026 and closed Thursday, June 11, 2026, with all steps completed by 11:59 p.m. on June 11, 2026. Bidders pay a non-refundable $36.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete an online W-9. Entity bidders need 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 Buena Vista County Recorder. All bidders must be at least 18 years old as of the sale date. Platform support is available at 800-800-9588 or [email protected].
Bidding is online even though the treasurer convenes the sale in the Supervisors' Board Room at the courthouse, so attending in person is not required. Iowa's bid-down-ownership format applies: each parcel opens at a 100% undivided interest and bid downs run in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%, with the certificate awarded to the smallest percentage bid and ties broken by random selection. Buena Vista County does not use batches. Bids can be uploaded before the sale but are not applied until the 9:00 a.m. open. Winners get an invoice at close and an ACH debit pulls automatically from the account used for the registration fee, covering delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Certificates arrive roughly 7 to 15 days after the sale. Redemption carries 2% per month interest on the sale amount and on subsequent tax payments. The 90-day notice of right of redemption can be issued after one year and nine months for regular tax sale parcels, or after nine months for public bidder parcels, which are marked with an asterisk on the published list. Assignment of a certificate costs $100.00. Subsequent taxes must be paid online at iowatreasurers.org for $0.25 per parcel. The delinquent list is published the week of May 31 in the Storm Lake Times Pilot, and registered bidders can review parcels on the auction site by June 5. A Treasurer's tax sale deed costs $25.00 per parcel, and the certificate plus deed and recording fees must reach the treasurer within 90 days after the redemption period expires.
Register on SRI / ZEUSFrom 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)
215 E. 5th St., Storm Lake, IA 50588 (mailing: PO Box 149, Storm Lake, IA 50588)
Official websiteNotes for Buena Vista County
- County seat is Storm Lake; the treasurer's tax department is in the Buena Vista County Courthouse at 215 E. 5th St.
- Treasurer of record on the 2026 purchaser notice is Danelle R. Haberman; office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tax department fax is (712) 749-2561 and the treasurer's published email is [email protected].
- The county cites Iowa Code Chapters 446, 447, and 448 as the governing chapters for tax sales, redemption, and tax deeds.
- If a certificate holder has not filed an affidavit of service under Iowa Code section 447.12 within three years of the sale, the treasurer cancels the certificate.
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 Buena Vista County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Buena Vista County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Buena Vista County tax certificate sale?
- Annually on the third Monday of June, opening at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 10:30 a.m. The county states "The 2026 Buena Vista County Tax sale will begin at 9:00 AM on Monday, June 15th, 2026," and the purchaser notice confirms "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Buena Vista County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Supervisors' Board Room on the first floor of the Buena Vista County Courthouse, 215 E. 5th St., Storm Lake, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m." An adjourned sale is held on any business day after the annual sale when bidders are present and parcels remain.. 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 Buena Vista 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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