Howard County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Howard County, seat of Cresco: 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 Howard County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Howard County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county treasurer states that "The Annual Tax Sale is held the third Monday in June at 10:00 a.m. with an adjourned sale scheduled for the third Monday of each subsequent month." The 2026 notice sets the sale for Monday, June 15, 2026: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Howard County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Treasurer's Office on the 2nd floor of the Howard County Courthouse, 137 N Elm St Cresco, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m." Bidding opens at 9:00 a.m. and the sale closes at 10:00 a.m. An adjourned sale is held on 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
Bidders register online at www.iowataxauction.com. The 2026 notice states that "No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted" and that "Registration will begin on Monday, May 18, 2026, 12:01 a.m. and end Thursday, June 11, 2026," with all steps completed by 11:59 p.m. on June 11, 2026. Registration requires a non-refundable $40.00 fee paid by ACH debit and a completed online W-9. 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 trade name statement on file with the Howard County Recorder. Auction site support is listed as (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
Bids are placed online through the Iowa Tax Auction platform even though the sale itself is conducted in the Treasurer's Office on the 2nd floor of the Howard County Courthouse in Cresco. Bidding is a bid-down of the undivided percentage interest: every parcel opens at a 100% undivided interest and "Bid downs will range in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%." The certificate goes to the bidder naming the smallest percentage, and ties are broken by random selection. The notice states "Howard County will not be utilizing batches." Bids may be uploaded before the sale but are not applied until the sale opens. Winning bidders are invoiced at close and the total due is drawn by ACH debit from the account used for the registration fee; the total includes delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Redemption interest runs at 2% per month. Certificate assignment carries a $100.00 transaction fee and a Treasurer's Tax Sale Deed costs $25.00 per parcel. Subsequent tax payments must be made online through the subsequent tax payment module at www.iowatreasurers.org, at $0.25 per parcel; payments made outside that module are treated as voluntary and left out of the redemption calculation. The delinquent tax list is published the week of June 3, 2026 in the Times Plain Dealer, 214 N Elm St, Cresco. Parcels on the published list are also posted for review on the auction site by Friday, May 29, 2026, but registration must be completed first to reach that data, so there is no public pre-sale parcel list on the county website. The Treasurer's own web page describes the sale schedule but does not link the notice or the auction platform; the notice document is hosted on the auction site.
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 Howard County
- The Treasurer is Christine Hron. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the office fax is 563-547-9217.
- Parcels advertised twice are flagged with an asterisk on the published list and sell as public bidder tax sales, where the 90-day notice of right of redemption may be issued nine months after the sale instead of the regular one year and nine months.
- If a certificate holder has not filed an affidavit of service under Iowa Code section 447.12 within three years of the sale, the Treasurer cancels the certificate.
- Certificates are typically mailed 7 to 15 days after the sale while the office posts records and balances proceeds.
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 Howard County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Howard County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Howard County tax certificate sale?
- The county treasurer states that "The Annual Tax Sale is held the third Monday in June at 10:00 a.m. with an adjourned sale scheduled for the third Monday of each subsequent month." The 2026 notice sets the sale for Monday, June 15, 2026: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Howard County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Treasurer's Office on the 2nd floor of the Howard County Courthouse, 137 N Elm St Cresco, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m." Bidding opens at 9:00 a.m. and the sale closes at 10:00 a.m. An adjourned sale is held on 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 Howard 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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