Jones County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Jones County, seat of Anamosa: 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 Jones County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Jones County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county held its 2026 annual tax sale on Monday, June 15, 2026 beginning at 9:00 a.m., with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. The published notice states the sale runs "in the Supervisors' Board Room on the first floor of the Jones County Courthouse, 500 W. Main St., Anamosa, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bidders will place their bids online." Iowa sets the annual sale on the third Monday in June, so expect the same slot each year. The notice adds that "an adjourned tax sale will be held any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale." Confirm the next date with the Treasurer.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration is online only at iowataxauction.com. The county states 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 p.m. on June 11. Bidders pay a non-refundable $36.00 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 identification number plus either a designation of agent for service of process on file with the Iowa Secretary of State or a verified statement of trade name on file with the Jones County Recorder. Bidding starts at a 100 percent undivided interest and bids down in whole percentage points from 99 percent to 1 percent; the county does not use batches, and ties at the lowest percentage are settled by a random selection process. Winning bidders get an invoice at close and an ACH debit runs automatically from the account used for the registration fee. Registration and platform support is at (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
Jones County runs a hybrid sale: the auction is conducted at the courthouse but all bids are placed online through iowataxauction.com, and the notice says bidders need not be present at the courthouse. The Delinquent Tax List is published the week of June 1 in the Anamosa Journal Eureka and the Monticello Express, and the notice says parcels on the published list are also viewable on the auction site by Friday, May 29, though you must finish registration to see the data. Costs on top of the winning bid include a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Assignments carry a $100.00 assignment transaction fee, which cannot be added to the redemption amount. Redemption interest is 2 percent per month, with each fraction of a month counted as a whole month. Parcels advertised twice are flagged with an asterisk on the published list as public bidder sales, which shorten the wait to issue the 90 day notice of right of redemption from one year and nine months to nine months. Subsequent taxes must be paid through the Treasurer's online subsequent tax payment module at iowatreasurers.org; the county warns that other online payments count as voluntary and are dropped from the redemption calculation. Certificates are cancelled if no affidavit of service is filed within three years of the sale.
Register on Online auctionFrom 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)
500 W. Main St., Room 106, Anamosa, IA 52205 (mailing: P.O. Box 79, Anamosa, IA 52205-0079)
Official websiteNotes for Jones County
- Treasurer Amy L. Picray signs the annual Notice to Tax Sale Purchasers, which is posted on the Jones County Treasurer page and governs terms for certificates sold from the June 15, 2026 sale forward.
- The jonescountyiowa.gov Treasurer link redirects to the shared Iowa County Treasurers portal at iowatreasurers.org, which is where the county posts its tax sale documents.
- Bidding is online through the Iowa Tax Auction platform even though the sale itself is convened at the Jones County Courthouse.
- Registration closes several days before the sale, so plan on completing the online W-9 and the $36.00 ACH registration fee in mid-May rather than sale week.
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 Jones County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jones County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Jones County tax certificate sale?
- The county held its 2026 annual tax sale on Monday, June 15, 2026 beginning at 9:00 a.m., with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. The published notice states the sale runs "in the Supervisors' Board Room on the first floor of the Jones County Courthouse, 500 W. Main St., Anamosa, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bidders will place their bids online." Iowa sets the annual sale on the third Monday in June, so expect the same slot each year. The notice adds that "an adjourned tax sale will be held any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale." Confirm the next date with the Treasurer.. 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 Jones 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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