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Tax Sale Atlas

Clarke County, IA tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Clarke County, IA tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. Iowa sells tax lien certificates paying up to 24%. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Oct 6, 2026.

How tax lien sales work in Clarke County, seat of Osceola: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Iowa tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next tax deed sale
Iowa holds no tax deed auction.
Format
Online
Registration
Register online at Iowa Tax Auction; mailed or emailed registrations are not accepted.
County office
641-342-3311
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Oct 6, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
Look up a sale detail

Clarke County Treasurer. Online auction. annual

Record quality: high. Last verified: 2026-10-06.

Notice to Tax Sale Purchasers 2026, Clarke County Treasurer (source accessed 2026-10-06)

Recorded reference information. Verify current sale conditions with the county. Read the full sale details.

Link to this detail

How Clarke County sells delinquent taxes

From lien to deed

Iowa holds no separate tax deed auction. The county treasurer makes out a deed for each parcel sold and unredeemed immediately after 90 days have expired from the date of completed service of the notice of expiration of the right of redemption, once the holder returns the certificate of purchase and pays the deed and recording fees.

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Online auction
Run by
Clarke County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Annual tax sale in June.
Registration
Register online at Iowa Tax Auction; mailed or emailed registrations are not accepted.
Next expected
on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
When it runs
Annual tax sale in June. The 2026 sale opened Monday, June 15, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. and closed at 9:30 a.m., run from the Treasurer's office on the first floor of the Clarke County Courthouse, 100 S. Main St., Osceola, with all bids placed online. Adjourned sales follow on any business day with bidders present and parcels still available.
Registration and deposit

Register online at Iowa Tax Auction; mailed or emailed registrations are not accepted. For 2026, registration ran from Monday, May 18 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 11. Each bidder pays a non-refundable $36.00 registration fee by ACH debit and completes the online W-9. Bidders must be 18 or older. An entity bidder needs a federal tax ID plus a designation of agent on file with the Iowa Secretary of State or a verified trade name statement with the Clarke County Recorder (641-342-3313). Registration help: (877) 243-9997 or support@iowataxauction.com.

Sale format and venue
Bidding starts at a 100% undivided interest and bids down in whole percentage points to 1%; the smallest percentage wins, and ties go to a random selection. Bids can be uploaded before the sale but apply only when it opens. Winners are charged by ACH debit from the registration account for taxes, interest, fees, publishing costs and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate; certificates arrive in 7 to 15 days. Assignments cost $100.00 per transaction. Subsequent tax payments must be made online at iowatreasurers.org for a $0.25 per parcel fee. The delinquent list runs in the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune the first week of June, and registered bidders can review the parcels on the auction site from about June 4.
Register on Online auction
Source: Notice to Tax Sale Purchasers 2026, Clarke County Treasurer· Verified Oct 6, 2026

Clarke County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Clarke County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid.

  1. Confirm the advertised parcel list

    Clarke County publishes no tax sale list online. The County Treasurer advertises the parcels ahead of the sale rather than posting them, so the list reaches bidders through the county legal newspaper and the office itself. Call 641-342-3311 to ask for the current advertisement.

  2. Register to bid

    Register online at Iowa Tax Auction; mailed or emailed registrations are not accepted. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Iowa holds no tax deed auction. Bidding runs on Online; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use the County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Clarke County

  1. Confirm the parcel list before pricing

    There is no online list to price against. Clarke County advertises the parcels before the sale rather than posting them, so get the advertisement from the office on 641-342-3311 and price from the parcel numbers it carries.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Register online at Iowa Tax Auction; mailed or emailed registrations are not accepted. For 2026, registration ran from Monday, May 18 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 11. Each bidder pays a non-refundable $36.00 registration fee by ACH debit and completes the online W-9. Bidders must be 18 or older. An entity bidder needs a federal tax ID plus a designation of agent on file with the Iowa Secretary of State or a verified trade name statement with the Clarke County Recorder (641-342-3313). Registration help: (877) 243-9997 or support@iowataxauction.com.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Iowa due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.

  4. Set a walk-away number

    Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.

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. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Iowa calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

Clarke County Treasurer's Office

641-342-3311

Clarke County Courthouse, 100 S. Main St., P.O. Box 157, Osceola, IA 50213

Official website

County notes

  • Clarke County's sale is run by the Treasurer from the courthouse in Osceola, but all bidding happens online on Iowa Tax Auction, so registration there is required even if you attend.
  • The 2026 sale was Monday, June 15, opening at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 9:30 a.m. in a single batch; registration closed June 11 and cost $36.00.
  • The delinquent list is published in the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune (641-342-2131) the first week of June, and registered bidders see the parcels on the auction site. The Treasurer also sells a paper listing for $15.00 or provides an electronic file on request.
  • Treasurer Jessica Smith: 641-342-3311, jsmith@clarkecountyiowa.org. Property tax window hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Redeeming a certificate requires certified funds.

Iowa rules

Max interest rate
24% per year, fixed by statute (not bid down)
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.
Governing statute
Iowa Code Chapter 446

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.

See the full Iowa rules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Clarke County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In Iowa investors buy the lien, not the property; the County Treasurer runs the sale.

When is the Clarke County tax certificate sale?

Annual tax sale in June. The 2026 sale opened Monday, June 15, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. and closed at 9:30 a.m., run from the Treasurer's office on the first floor of the Clarke County Courthouse, 100 S. Main St., Osceola, with all bids placed online. Adjourned sales follow on any business day with bidders present and parcels still available. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Clarke County hold tax deed sales?

Clarke County tax deed sale schedule: none. Iowa holds no tax deed auction. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Iowa's redemption rule: 1 year 9 months from the sale before the notice of expiration can be served, then 90 days after service is complete. Call the County Treasurer as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Verified Oct 6, 2026 against official county and state sources.

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 office that runs the sale before you bid.

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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Iowa tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Clarke County Treasurer's OfficeOpen auction