Mahaska County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Mahaska County, seat of Oskaloosa: 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 Mahaska County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Mahaska County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- June. The property tax calendar carried on the Mahaska County Treasurer's portal states: "Third Monday in June annual tax sale of outstanding property taxes, manufactured homes, mobile homes, weed assessments, special assessments, rates or charges, and drainage taxes." No year-specific sale date was posted for Mahaska County at the time of research, so confirm the exact date with the Treasurer's office.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Bidders create a free account at iowataxauction.com, then apply separately to each county auction, since each county holds its own sale with its own rules and forms. An account is required just to view auction listings, and the county must approve a bidder before bidding opens. Auctions that require an IRS Form W-9 collect a tax identification number or Social Security number. The platform states there is no registration fee for the account itself, though an individual auction may set one, and the platform does not process payments: each county sets its own payment terms, with a wire transfer to the county's bank named as the typical method. Certificate holders who later pay subsequent delinquent taxes register separately through the Treasurer's portal, which also asks for an SSN or EIN. Confirm the current registration window and any deposit with the Treasurer at (641) 673-5482.
Mahaska County's own pages on mahaskacountyia.gov cover property tax payment, motor vehicle, and driver's license services and carry no tax sale notice, bidder list, or sale date. The county Treasurer's page on the Iowa State County Treasurers Association portal is where the sale is surfaced: it carries the bidder link labeled "Register And Bid For Tax Sales" pointing to www.iowataxauction.com, which is the SRI-operated Zeus Auction Program used for Iowa tax sales. No public delinquent or sale list URL was found; listings are visible only after creating a platform account and being approved for the county's auction. On redemption, the county page states that tax sale certificates "MAY redeem in person, on-line (credit card ONLY) or by mail," that "Tax Sale redemptions made between June 1 - July 31, must be paid with CERTIFIED FUNDS (cashier check, money order)," and that certified funds are also required once the office receives a completed tax sale service affidavit including the 90-day notice of expiration of right of redemption. Call (641) 673-5482 for a redemption payoff amount. Verify the sale date, the published list, and registration cutoffs directly with the Treasurer's office before planning a 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 Mahaska County
- The Mahaska County Treasurer is Shauna Hol; office email is [email protected].
- Property tax counter hours are listed as 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional office numbers: motor vehicle (641) 673-4618, driver's license (641) 673-9521, fax (641) 673-2586.
- No county-specific tax sale page exists. The sale is surfaced through the county Treasurer's homepage on the Iowa State County Treasurers Association portal (idCounty=62), which links bidders to iowataxauction.com.
- The June timing comes from the statewide property tax calendar served on the county Treasurer's portal, not from a Mahaska-specific sale notice, so it should be presented as the statutory pattern rather than a confirmed county date.
- No public delinquent or sale list URL was found on any official Mahaska County source; the platform requires an account to view listings.
- The county Treasurer's forms page links an Affidavit of Tax Sale Redemption hosted at iowataxandtags.org, which was not separately fetched and is not cited here.
- Search coverage caveat: the session's web-search budget was exhausted, so this research was done by direct fetches of official county, state association, and platform URLs. A later pass could still surface a county sale notice published in the local newspaper of record.
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 Mahaska County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Mahaska County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Mahaska County tax certificate sale?
- June. The property tax calendar carried on the Mahaska County Treasurer's portal states: "Third Monday in June annual tax sale of outstanding property taxes, manufactured homes, mobile homes, weed assessments, special assessments, rates or charges, and drainage taxes." No year-specific sale date was posted for Mahaska County at the time of research, so confirm the exact date with the Treasurer's office.. 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 Mahaska 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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