Cass County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Cass County, seat of Atlantic: 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 Cass County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Cass County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's Office states: "The Annual Tax Sale is held the third Monday in June at 8:00 a.m. with an adjourned sale scheduled for the third Monday of each subsequent month." Taxes still delinquent as of May 1 are assessed a publication fee and must be advertised for sale at the annual tax sale in June.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
The Treasurer's Office page does not publish a bidder registration process, deposit requirement, or registration deadline for the annual tax sale. Contact the office directly before the June sale to confirm what registration and forms are required.
No online auction platform is confirmed for this county, so verify the sale format with the Treasurer's Office. The county page lists "Conduct annual and adjourned tax sales" among the office's duties and gives a single 8:00 a.m. start time, with no reference anywhere on the page to an online auction site or bidder portal. Cass County also returns no auctions in the public sale history of iowataxauction.com, the Zeus platform operated by SRI Incorporated that a number of Iowa counties use for online tax sales, while nearby counties including Mills and Harrison do appear there. Treat any third-party site advertising a Cass County tax sale as unverified until the Treasurer's Office confirms it. Delinquencies that go unsold for want of bidders after being advertised twice must be offered at the annual Public Bidder Sale, and the county page states Cass County is required by Iowa law to purchase the delinquencies if there is no private sector bidder. Redemption must be paid in guaranteed funds and carries interest of 2 percent per month.
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 Cass County
- County Treasurer: Tracey Marshall. Jordan Liddell is listed as Tax Deputy.
- Office fax is (712) 243-6660. The separate motor vehicle and driver's license line is (712) 243-2975, which is not the property tax line.
- Courthouse hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for property tax service.
- No standing delinquent or tax sale list is posted on the county website. The Treasurer's duties include preparing a newspaper notice of tax sale for publication, and a Delinquent Tax Statement and Tax Sale Notice is mailed in April, with notice of the annual tax sale required to be mailed no later than May 1.
- Property taxes are due in two installments. The first half is due September 1 and becomes delinquent October 1; the second half is due March 1 and becomes delinquent April 1. Delinquent interest accrues at 1.5 percent per month.
- Cass County property tax lookup and payment run through the statewide Iowa treasurers portal at iowatreasurers.org under county id 15.
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 Cass County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Cass County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Cass County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's Office states: "The Annual Tax Sale is held the third Monday in June at 8:00 a.m. with an adjourned sale scheduled for the third Monday of each subsequent month." Taxes still delinquent as of May 1 are assessed a publication fee and must be advertised for sale at the annual tax sale in June.. 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 Cass 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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