Franklin County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Franklin County, seat of Hampton: 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 Franklin County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Franklin County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual tax sale on the third Monday in June. The county's 2026 notice states: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Franklin County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in Room #14 on the basement floor of the Franklin County Courthouse, 12 1st Avenue NW, Hampton, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m." Bidding closes at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned sale is held on any business day after 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 iowataxauction.com. The county states "No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." 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. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete an online W-9. Bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. An entity bidder needs a federal tax ID plus either a designation of agent for service of process with the Iowa Secretary of State or a verified statement of trade name with the Franklin County Recorder. Auction site support is (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
The sale is conducted from the Franklin County Courthouse, but all bids are placed online through iowataxauction.com. Bidding is the Iowa bid-down-ownership method: each parcel opens at a 100% undivided interest and bids drop in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%, with the certificate awarded to the smallest percentage bid. Ties are broken by random selection. Franklin County does not use batches, and parcels are offered in published order. Bids may be uploaded before the sale but are not applied until the 9:00 a.m. open. The delinquent list is published the week of June 1 in the Hampton Chronicle, and parcels are viewable on the auction site to registered bidders roughly two weeks before the sale (May 29 for 2026). Owners can stop a parcel from going to sale by paying by 4:00 p.m. the Friday before. Winning bidders are invoiced at close and charged by ACH debit for delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, publication costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Redemption accrues 2% per month, counting each partial month as a whole month. The 90-day notice of right of redemption may 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. Certificates are canceled if no affidavit of service is filed within three years. Certificate assignment carries a $100.00 fee and a Treasurer's tax sale deed costs $25.00 per parcel. Subsequent taxes can be paid at the Treasurer's office or through iowatreasurers.org. The Treasurer posts the current year's list and purchaser notice on its Iowa Treasurers portal page, so check there for the year you plan to bid.
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)
Notes for Franklin County
- Franklin County has no standalone treasurer website. The county government site routes the Treasurer to the statewide Iowa Treasurers portal page for county 35, which hosts the tax sale notice and delinquent list.
- Chad W. Murray is listed as Franklin County Treasurer on the 2026 notice and the delinquent list publication.
- The 2026 notice states it governs taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027, which implies a June 21, 2027 sale date, but confirm the 2027 date with the office before relying on it.
- Iowa Code Chapters 446, 447, and 448 are cited on the county notice as the governing chapters for tax sales, redemption, and tax deeds.
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 Franklin County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Franklin County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Franklin County tax certificate sale?
- Annual tax sale on the third Monday in June. The county's 2026 notice states: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Franklin County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in Room #14 on the basement floor of the Franklin County Courthouse, 12 1st Avenue NW, Hampton, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m." Bidding closes at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned sale is held on any business day after 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 Franklin 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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