Cerro Gordo County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Cerro Gordo County, seat of Mason City: 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 Cerro Gordo County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Cerro Gordo County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county tax sale page states that "The Annual Tax Sale takes place the 3rd Monday in June each year" and that "The tax sale is an online event that is held on the 3rd Monday in June at 9:00 a.m." The 2026 purchaser notice sets the sale for Monday, June 15, 2026 beginning at 9:00 a.m., with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned tax sale is held any business day after the annual sale on which bidders are present and parcels remain available.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration is online only through Iowa Tax Auction. The county notice states "Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." For the 2026 sale, registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026 and ended Thursday, June 11, 2026, with all steps completed by 11:59 p.m. on June 11. Bidders pay a non-refundable $36.00 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 statement of trade name on file with the Cerro Gordo County Recorder. Bidding is a bid down of undivided ownership interest: parcels open at a 100 percent undivided interest and bids step in whole percentage points from 99 percent to 1 percent, and the county does not use batches. The certificate goes to the bidder designating the smallest percentage, and ties at the lowest percentage are settled by a random selection process. Winners are invoiced at close and an ACH debit for the total due pulls automatically from the account used for the registration fee, including a $20.00 certificate fee for each certificate purchased. Platform support is (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
Bidding runs online through Iowa Tax Auction while the treasurer conducts the sale from the Cerro Gordo County Board Room on the first floor of the courthouse at 220 N Washington Ave, Mason City. Bids can be uploaded before the open but are not applied until the sale opens at 9:00 a.m., and parcels are listed in published order. The Delinquent Tax List is published the week of May 25 in the Globe Gazette, and parcels on the published list are available for review on the auction site by Friday, May 29, though registration is required to reach the data. To keep a parcel off the publication, payment must reach the treasurer's office by May 18, 2026. Redemption carries 2 percent per month on the amount for which the parcel sold and on subsequent tax payments, with each fraction of a month counted as a whole month. Parcels advertised once are regular tax sale, where the 90 day notice of right of redemption may issue after one year and nine months from the sale date. Parcels advertised for two years carry an asterisk on the published list as public bidder tax sale, where the 90 day notice may issue after nine months. The treasurer cancels a certificate if the holder has not filed an affidavit of service under Iowa Code section 447.12 within three years of the sale. The county notice sets an assignment transaction fee of $100.00, a treasurer's tax sale deed fee of $25.00 per parcel, and a $30.00 service fee on payments returned for insufficient funds.
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 Cerro Gordo County
- Cerro Gordo bids down undivided ownership interest rather than an interest rate. Parcels open at a 100 percent undivided interest and step in whole percentage points from 99 percent down to 1 percent, with ties at the lowest percentage settled by random selection.
- The county does not use bidding batches. Every parcel is offered in published order in one online session that opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 10:30 a.m.
- Registration and payment run on the same bank account. The $36.00 registration fee is not refundable, and the ACH debit for winning bids pulls automatically from that account once the sale closes.
- Subsequent tax payments must go through the online subsequent tax payment module at iowatreasurers.org. The county notice warns that online payments made outside that module are treated as voluntary payments and omitted from redemption calculations. A fee of $0.25 per parcel applies.
- The county's 2026 notice sets the assignment transaction fee at $100.00 per transaction and states the fee cannot be added to the amount needed to redeem. Confirm the current figure with the treasurer before assigning a certificate.
- Certificates take 7 to 15 days to arrive after the sale while the treasurer's staff post records and balance proceeds. A replacement for a lost or destroyed certificate costs $20.00.
- The 2026 terms govern taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027 along with their assignments, so confirm the current year's notice before bidding.
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 Cerro Gordo County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Cerro Gordo County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Cerro Gordo County tax certificate sale?
- The county tax sale page states that "The Annual Tax Sale takes place the 3rd Monday in June each year" and that "The tax sale is an online event that is held on the 3rd Monday in June at 9:00 a.m." The 2026 purchaser notice sets the sale for Monday, June 15, 2026 beginning at 9:00 a.m., with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned tax sale is held any business day after the annual sale on which bidders are present and parcels remain available.. 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 Cerro Gordo 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.
Explore all 99 Iowa counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.