Ida County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Ida County, seat of Ida Grove: 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 Ida County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Ida County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, on the third Monday in June. The treasurer's page states "The 2026 tax sale will begin at 9:00 am on Monday, June 15, 2026." The legal notice reads "Notice is hereby given that the Ida County Annual Tax Sale will be held by the Ida County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Ida County Treasurer's Office at the Ida County Courthouse, 401 Moorehead St, Ida Grove IA, beginning at 9:00 am. All bids must be placed online." An adjourned tax sale is held 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 govease.com. The terms state that no mailed or emailed registrations are accepted. For the 2026 sale, registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026 and closed Thursday, June 11, 2026, with every step finished by 11:59 pm on June 11. Registration carries a non-refundable $40.00 fee paid by ACH debit, plus an electronically completed W-9. Bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. An entity bidder needs a federal tax identification number and either a designation of agent for service of process on file with the Iowa Secretary of State (515-281-5204) or a verified statement of trade name on file with the Ida County Recorder (712-364-2220). GovEase bidder support is (769) 208-5050 or [email protected]. Registration is also what unlocks the parcel data on the auction site.
The sale is online only through GovEase, although the treasurer monitors it from the Treasurer's Office at the Ida County Courthouse. Bidding is the Iowa bid-down on undivided interest: each parcel opens at a 100 percent undivided interest and bids step down in whole percentage points from 99 percent to 1 percent, with the smallest percentage winning and ties settled by random selection. The county stated it would not use batches for the 2026 sale. Bids can be uploaded before the open but do not apply until 9:00 am on sale day. Winners receive an invoice at close and pay by ACH debit for delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. A returned payment must be cured with guaranteed funds within three business days or the certificate is cancelled, and a $15.00 service fee applies. Certificates arrive in about 7 to 10 days by email, with the original held in the office. The delinquent list is published in the Ida County Courier the week of June 1 and posts to the auction site by the Friday before the sale (May 29 for 2026). Parcels marked with an asterisk are public bidder parcels advertised more than one year, and their 90 day notice of right of redemption can issue nine months after the sale instead of the usual one year and nine months. Owners can stop a parcel from going to sale by paying the treasurer in cash or certified funds by 4:00 pm the Friday before, or online at iowatreasurers.org by 11:59 pm the Sunday before. Subsequent taxes must be paid online at iowatreasurers.org through the Tax Sale login, at $0.25 per parcel. Redemption runs 2 percent per month on the sale amount and on subsequent payments, counting each partial month as a whole month. The assignment transaction fee is $100.00 and the Treasurer's Tax Sale Deed fee is $25.00 per parcel. Caution on platform identification: the Iowa County Treasurers portal shows a generic "Register And Bid For Tax Sales" navigation link to iowataxauction.com on every county page, but Ida County's own notice and terms both name govease.com as the auction site.
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)
Notes for Ida County
- Verified against Ida County's own 2026 tax sale notice and terms and conditions, both published by the Ida County Treasurer. The sale runs online on GovEase, not at the courthouse counter, even though the treasurer monitors it from the courthouse.
- Dates cited are from the 2026 cycle. Iowa Code chapter 446 sets the annual sale for the third Monday in June, so confirm the current year's date, registration window, and fees with the treasurer before bidding.
- Ida County's tax sale documents are hosted on the Iowa County Treasurers portal rather than the county's own domain, so the publication list URL changes each year.
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 Ida County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Ida County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Ida County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, on the third Monday in June. The treasurer's page states "The 2026 tax sale will begin at 9:00 am on Monday, June 15, 2026." The legal notice reads "Notice is hereby given that the Ida County Annual Tax Sale will be held by the Ida County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Ida County Treasurer's Office at the Ida County Courthouse, 401 Moorehead St, Ida Grove IA, beginning at 9:00 am. All bids must be placed online." An adjourned tax sale is held 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 Ida 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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