Mills County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Mills County, seat of Glenwood: 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 Mills County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Mills County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, on the third Monday in June. The Treasurer's tax sale page states the county holds an annual tax sale "on the third Monday of each June as provided for in the Iowa (IA) Code, Section 446.7." The 2026 bidder packet sets the sale for Monday, June 15, 2026 at the Mills County Courthouse, 418 Sharp St., Glenwood, "beginning at 9:00 a.m.", with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned tax sale is held any business day after the annual sale when bidders are present and parcels remain unsold.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration is online only. The 2026 packet directs bidders to "Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." The 2026 window ran Monday, May 18 through Thursday, June 11, with all steps completed by 11:59 p.m. on June 11. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by ACH debit or e-check and complete an online W-9. All bidders must be 18 or older as of the registration deadline. 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 Mills County Recorder. Bidding opens at a 100 percent undivided interest and bids down in whole percentage points from 99 percent to 1 percent; the smallest percentage wins and equal low bids are settled by a random selection process. Mills County does not use batches. Winning bidders are invoiced at close and an ACH debit for the total due pulls automatically from the account used for the registration fee, including a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Platform support is (800) 880-9588 or [email protected].
The Treasurer conducts the sale from the courthouse in Glenwood, but every bid is placed online through Iowa Tax Auction, so there is no walk-in bidding. Mills County does not post a parcel list on its own website. The delinquent tax list is published in The Malvern Leader / Beacon-Enterprise, and the packet says the published parcels "will also be available for review on the auction site by Friday May 29th," reachable only after registration is complete. Parcels advertised twice are flagged with an asterisk and fall under the public bidder tax sale, where the 90 day notice of right of redemption may be issued nine months after the sale instead of one year and nine months. Redemption carries interest of 2 percent per month. Subsequent taxes must be paid online at iowatreasurers.org through the Tax Sale menu at $0.25 per parcel; failure to report subsequent payments omits them from the redemption calculation. The assignment transaction fee is $100.00 and the Treasurer's tax sale deed fee is $25.00 per parcel, with the certificate and fees due within 90 calendar days after the redemption period expires. Verify each year's date and registration window with the Treasurer, since the 2026 packet governs only taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027.
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)
Notes for Mills County
- Mills County runs a hybrid format: the Mills County Treasurer conducts the annual tax sale from the courthouse at 418 Sharp Street in Glenwood, but all bidding is placed online through Iowa Tax Auction.
- Registration is a hard gate. For the June 15, 2026 sale it closed at 11:59 p.m. on June 11, 2026, and the packet states mailed or emailed registrations are not accepted.
- The parcel list is not hosted on the county website. Registered bidders view it on the auction platform, and the newspaper list runs in The Malvern Leader / Beacon-Enterprise in Malvern.
- Bidding is bid-down ownership percentage from 99 percent to 1 percent, and Mills County does not use batches, so parcels are offered in published order.
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 Mills County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Mills County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Mills County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, on the third Monday in June. The Treasurer's tax sale page states the county holds an annual tax sale "on the third Monday of each June as provided for in the Iowa (IA) Code, Section 446.7." The 2026 bidder packet sets the sale for Monday, June 15, 2026 at the Mills County Courthouse, 418 Sharp St., Glenwood, "beginning at 9:00 a.m.", with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned tax sale is held any business day after the annual sale when bidders are present and parcels remain unsold.. 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 Mills 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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