Clayton County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Clayton County, seat of Elkader: 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 Clayton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Clayton County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's page states the "Annual Tax Sale takes place on the third Monday in June each year." The 2025 terms notice covers "THE ANNUAL TAX SALE OF JUNE 16, 2025" and says the sale is held "on Monday, June 16, 2025, in the Conference Room at the Clayton County Office Building, 600 Gunder Rd, Elkader, Iowa, beginning at 10:00 a.m." with bidders placing their bids online. An adjourned tax sale is held any business day following the annual sale when 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
Register online at GovEase. The county terms state that no mailed or emailed registrations are accepted. For the 2025 sale, registration opened Wednesday, May 21, 2025 and closed Thursday, June 12, 2025, with all steps completed by noon on June 12. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete the online W-9, the GovEase Payment Disclaimer Form, the GovEase Payment Instructions Form, and the GovEase ACH Redemption Account Information Form. Bidders also upload an Iowa Certificate of Existence or trade name filing if applicable and a signed Acknowledgement for Clayton County Tax Sale from the last page of the terms. Bidders must be 18 or older. 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 trade name statement on file with the Clayton County Recorder. GovEase registration and auction support is listed at (769) 208-5050 or [email protected].
Clayton County runs a bid-down-ownership-interest lien sale under Iowa Code Chapter 446. The terms notice says delinquent taxes on each parcel are offered starting at a 100% undivided interest and bid downs range in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%, with the certificate awarded to the bidder naming the smallest percentage and ties broken by random selection. The county states it does not use batches. Successful bidders pay all delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate, due by 4:00 PM on the date of the sale. The county publishes qualifying unpaid parcels once in an official county publication during the last week of May. The 2025 terms name the Clayton County Press Journal with a June 4, 2025 publication date and say the same listing appears on GovEase, updated nightly, viewable after registering to bid. Sale-day proceedings take place at the Clayton County Office Building at 600 Gunder Rd in Elkader, but all bidding runs online through GovEase. Redemption interest is 2% per month. Subsequent tax payments by certificate holders must be made online through iowatreasurers.org. A regular tax sale certificate must sit unredeemed for one year and nine months before the holder can file the 90-day affidavit toward a tax sale deed, while public bidder parcels advertised for two years carry a nine-month period. The most recent terms document posted by the county at the time of research is the 2025 edition, so confirm the current year's date and registration window with the Treasurer's office before bidding.
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)
Clayton County Courthouse, 111 High St. NE, Suite 101, Elkader, IA 52043
Official websiteNotes for Clayton County
- Treasurer of record on the tax sale terms notice is Linda Zuercher.
- Treasurer's office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the courthouse.
- The Treasurer's property tax page states that delinquent taxes as of May 1 are assessed a publication fee and must be advertised for sale at the annual tax sale in June, and that notice of the annual tax sale is mailed no later than May 1.
- The 2025 terms PDF carries a stray reference to a June 17, 2024 start time in one paragraph while its heading and opening paragraph both state June 16, 2025. Treat the June 16, 2025 date and the third-Monday-in-June rule as controlling and confirm the current year with the office.
- Parcels remaining unsold for want of bidders after being advertised twice are offered at Public Bidder Sale, and the county is required by Iowa law to purchase the delinquency if no private-sector bidder takes it.
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 Clayton County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Clayton County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Clayton County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's page states the "Annual Tax Sale takes place on the third Monday in June each year." The 2025 terms notice covers "THE ANNUAL TAX SALE OF JUNE 16, 2025" and says the sale is held "on Monday, June 16, 2025, in the Conference Room at the Clayton County Office Building, 600 Gunder Rd, Elkader, Iowa, beginning at 10:00 a.m." with bidders placing their bids online. An adjourned tax sale is held any business day following the annual sale when 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 Clayton 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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