Does Muscatine County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Muscatine County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.

When is the Muscatine County tax certificate sale?

The county states "The Annual Tax Sale takes place the 3rd Monday in June each year." The 2026 sale is set for Monday, June 15, 2026, and the terms document states it begins "at 9:00 a.m." with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned sale "may be held any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale.". 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 Muscatine 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.

County-verified

Muscatine County, IA tax sales

How tax lien certificate sales work in Muscatine County, seat of Muscatine: 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 Muscatine County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Online auction

Run by: Muscatine County Treasurer
Frequency: annual
Typical timing: The county states "The Annual Tax Sale takes place the 3rd Monday in June each year." The 2026 sale is set for Monday, June 15, 2026, and the terms document states it begins "at 9:00 a.m." with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned sale "may be held any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale."
Next expected: on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list: Official tax sale parcel list on Iowa Tax Auction (posted around June 1; registration required to view the data)

Registration and deposit

Registration is online only at iowataxauction.com. The county's 2026 terms state "No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted" and that "Registration will begin Monday, May 18, 2026 and ends Thursday, June 11, 2026. All steps in the registration process must be completed by 11:59 on June 11, 2026." Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by e-check, complete an online W-9, and must be at least 18 years old as of June 15, 2026. Entity bidders need a federal tax ID number plus either a designation of agent for service of process on file with the Iowa Secretary of State or a verified trade name on file with the Muscatine County Recorder. Platform registration support is listed as (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].

Muscatine County runs its annual tax sale online. The Treasurer conducts the sale at the County Administration Building, but per the 2026 terms "Bidders will place their bids online" through iowataxauction.com, which brands itself as the Zeus Auction Program. Bidding is a bid-down of undivided interest: each parcel opens at a 100% undivided interest and "Bid downs will range in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%." The county confirms it "will not be utilizing batches." At the 10:30 a.m. close the certificate goes to the bidder naming the smallest percentage, with ties resolved by random selection. Winning bidders are invoiced and an ACH debit is automatically initiated from the account used to pay the registration fee; the total includes delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per parcel. Certificates arrive roughly 7 to 15 days after the sale. Redemption interest runs at 2% per month, each partial month counted as a whole month. Assignment of a certificate carries a $100.00 transaction fee, and a Treasurer's tax sale deed costs $25.00 per parcel. Subsequent taxes must be paid online through iowatreasurers.org (a $0.25 per parcel fee applies); the county warns that payments made outside that module "will be treated as voluntary payments and will be omitted from redemption calculations." Parcels advertised twice carry an asterisk on the list and qualify as public bidder tax sales, where the 90-day notice of right of redemption may issue nine months after the sale instead of one year and nine months. The delinquent tax list is published in the Muscatine Journal; the county gives a 2026 publication date of May 27, 2026, and notes the publication fee attaches on May 1 regardless of when the ad runs. Deadlines to avoid the sale in 2026: pay online by midnight June 13, 2026, or in office through June 12, 2026; to stay out of the newspaper, pay by May 15, 2026; guaranteed funds are required after May 8, 2026. Confirm the current year's dates with the Treasurer before relying on them.

Source: Muscatine County Treasurer, Tax Sale page· Verified Jul 29, 2026

From 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.

Source: Iowa Code 448.1 - Return of certificate of purchase, execution of deed, feesIowa Code 448.1· Verified Jul 29, 2026

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)

Muscatine County Treasurer

563-263-7113 (property tax); 563-263-6764 (main Treasurer line)

Muscatine County Administration Building, 414 E. Third St., Suite 102, Muscatine, IA 52761

Official website

Notes for Muscatine County

The Treasurer's office is closed on the second Tuesday of each month from 8:00 a.m. to noon, per the department alert on the Treasurer page.
The Treasurer of record on the 2026 tax sale terms document is Amy L. Zybarth. The office email listed there is [email protected].
Property tax installments are due September 30 and March 31, with delinquent notices mailed November 1 and May 1 each year. Late payments accrue 1.5% interest per month as penalty.
Iowa Code section 447.12 requires the certificate holder to file an affidavit of service within three years of the sale or the Treasurer cancels the certificate. The county states electronic submission of the affidavit will not be accepted.
The certificate of purchase, the $25.00 deed issuance fee, and recording fees must reach the Treasurer within 90 calendar days after the redemption period expires or the certificate is cancelled.

Iowa statewide rules

Max interest rate: 24% per year, fixed by statute (not bid down)
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.
Governing statute: Iowa Code Chapter 446

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.

See the full Iowarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Muscatine County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?: Muscatine County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Muscatine County tax certificate sale?: The county states "The Annual Tax Sale takes place the 3rd Monday in June each year." The 2026 sale is set for Monday, June 15, 2026, and the terms document states it begins "at 9:00 a.m." with bidding closing at 10:30 a.m. An adjourned sale "may be held any business day following the annual tax sale in which there are bidders present and there are parcels still available for sale.". 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 Muscatine 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.