Monroe County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Monroe County, seat of Albia: 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 Monroe County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Monroe County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Monroe County Treasurer states: "The Annual Tax Sale is held the third Monday in June with an adjourned sale scheduled for the third Monday every other month." The county's 2026 notice sets the sale for Monday, June 15, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 10:00 a.m., and describes an adjourned sale held "any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale." The delinquent tax statement and tax sale notice is mailed in April.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online even though the sale is conducted from the Treasurer's Office at 10 Benton Ave E, 2nd Floor, Albia. The county notice states bidders must "Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." For the 2026 sale, registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026 and closed Thursday, June 11, 2026, with all steps completed by 11:59 p.m. on June 11. Registration requires a non-refundable $40.00 fee paid by ACH debit and an electronically completed W-9. All 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 Monroe County Recorder. The platform lists registration and auction support at (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
Bidding runs on undivided ownership percentage. Each parcel opens at a 100 percent undivided interest and bid downs move in whole percentage points from 99 percent to 1 percent, with the certificate awarded to the bidder designating the smallest percentage. Ties at the lowest percentage are broken by a random selection process. The county notice states "Monroe County will not be utilizing batches," and bids may be uploaded before the sale but are not applied until the 9:00 a.m. open. Winners receive an invoice at close and an ACH debit pulls the total automatically from the account used for the registration fee. The total includes delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. A dishonored payment gives the bidder three business days to repay with guaranteed funds or the certificates are canceled, plus a $30.00 returned payment service fee. The Delinquent Tax List is published in the Monroe County News (111 Benton Ave E, Albia, IA 52531, (641) 932-7121) on June 3, and the same parcels become viewable on the auction site on June 3 once registration is complete. Monroe County runs two tracks: regular tax sale parcels, advertised once, where the 90 day notice of right of redemption may be issued after one year and nine months, and public bidder tax sale parcels, advertised for two years and flagged with an asterisk on the published list, where the 90 day notice may be issued after nine months. Subsequent taxes must be paid through the subsequent tax payment module at iowatreasurers.org, at $0.25 per parcel; the county warns that online payments made outside that module are treated as voluntary and omitted from redemption calculations. Certificate assignments carry a $100.00 assignment transaction fee, and the Treasurer's tax sale deed issuance fee is $25.00 per parcel. Certificates run three years before the Treasurer cancels them if no affidavit of service has been filed. The 2026 notice is effective for taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027, so confirm the current year's date, registration window, and fees with the Treasurer before bidding.
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 Monroe County
- Monroe County confirms its own annual tax sale details in a signed Notice to Tax Sale Purchasers issued by Treasurer Faith Powless, so this record is county-verified rather than a statewide default.
- The sale is administered in person from the Treasurer's Office on the second floor of the Monroe County Courthouse in Albia, but all bids are placed online through the Iowa Tax Auction platform. There is no in-person bidding floor.
- Registration closes several days before the sale, so an investor who waits until sale week cannot bid. For 2026 the deadline was 11:59 p.m. on June 11 for a June 15 sale.
- Parcels remain hidden on the auction site until registration is complete. The county notice states "You must complete the registration process in order to access the data."
- Iowa has no tax deed auction. The June certificate sale is the only auction, and a certificate holder reaches a Treasurer's deed by serving the 90 day notice of right of redemption and paying the deed and recording fees.
- The Treasurer's office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Office fax is 641-932-5351 and the Treasurer's email is [email protected], per the county's tax sale notice.
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 Monroe County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Monroe County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Monroe County tax certificate sale?
- The Monroe County Treasurer states: "The Annual Tax Sale is held the third Monday in June with an adjourned sale scheduled for the third Monday every other month." The county's 2026 notice sets the sale for Monday, June 15, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 10:00 a.m., and describes an adjourned sale held "any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale." The delinquent tax statement and tax sale notice is mailed in April.. 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 Monroe 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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