Scott County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Scott County, seat of Davenport: 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 Scott County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Scott County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual tax sale in June. The county's 2026 rules state: "The tax sale will be held at 8:30 am on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Scott County Board Room at the Scott County Administrative Center located at 600 W. 4th Street, Davenport, Iowa." The rules add that if the sale is not completed on Monday, June 15th, it continues at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, June 16th in the Scott County Board Room. Two adjourned tax sales follow in the Scott County Treasurer's Office on August 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026. Reports of delinquent parcels are available as of May 20, 2026, and delinquent taxes are published May 27, 2026 in the Quad City Times.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Online registration only. The 2026 rules state: "Registration for the tax sale shall be processed online at www.iowatreasurers.org. Only online registrations will be accepted. Registrations will start May 8, 2026 through June 7, 2026." Investors must register prior to June 8, 2026. Each bidder number costs a $35.00 registration fee, paid online at the time of registration and non-refundable, with one bidder number per Tax I.D. Number. A Tax I.D. Number is required. All bidders and authorized agents must be 18 or older as of June 15, 2026 and must be ready to show valid proof of age and identity on entering the board room or at any point during the sale. Anyone bidding under a federal tax identification number must self-certify a Certificate of Existence from the Iowa Secretary of State, or a trade name meeting Iowa Code Chapter 547 on file with the county recorder.
Scott County runs a live, in-person tax sale with an auctioneer rather than an online auction. Registration and subsequent tax payments happen online, but the bidding itself takes place in the Board Room. Parcels are offered in item number order: regular certificates first by district and then alphabetically by deed holder, then public bidder sale certificates, then any city-certified abandoned parcels as a Public Nuisance Sale, and finally mobile homes. When more than one buyer wants the same parcel, the county uses a bid-down process on the percentage ownership interest taken in the property, moving from 95% to 90% to 80% and onward, with a random selection among bidders tied at the same percentage. The alternative method is a random number selection among all bidder numbers at one hundred percent. The winning buyer still pays the full tax amount plus a $20 tax sale certificate fee, and a redemption returns the original investment plus 2% per month. Full payment is due at the conclusion of the sale, or when the buyer leaves if that is earlier, by personal check, money order, or guaranteed funds for the exact amount. Cash, debit cards, credit cards, and two-party checks are not accepted, and IRA checks are accepted only if issued for the exact purchase amount. Certificates can take up to 15 days to arrive. Failure to pay at the conclusion of the sale cancels the purchase and sends the item to the next adjourned sale, and non-payment in Scott County or any other Iowa county bans that bidder from future Iowa tax sales. Subsequent taxes are paid online at iowatreasurers.org at twenty-five cents per parcel, starting one month and fourteen days after an installment becomes delinquent. Assignment of a certificate costs $100.00, deed issuance costs $25.00 plus a variable recording fee. A regular tax sale certificate holder may issue the 90-day Notice of Expiration of Right of Redemption after one year and nine months; a public bidder sale certificate holder may issue it nine months from the date of sale. The Treasurer cancels the sale if the holder has not completed deed-qualifying action within three years. Caution: a number of Iowa counties bid through the statewide iowataxauction.com platform, but Scott County's own published rules describe a live sale in the Board Room and never reference that platform, so confirm the format with the Treasurer's Office before assuming online bidding is available here. In person at the Scott County Board Room, Scott County Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th Street, Davenport. Bidder registration is handled online.
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.
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)
Scott County Treasurer's Office
Scott County Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th Street, Davenport, IA 52801
Official websiteNotes for Scott County
- Scott County's seat is Davenport, and the tax sale is held in the Scott County Board Room at the Scott County Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th Street, Davenport.
- The Treasurer is Tony Knobbe. The Property Tax Division line, 563-326-8670, is the number the tax sale rules give for tax sale questions; the Motor Vehicle Division line is 563-326-8664.
- The Treasurer's tax sale page posts dated parcel lists as Excel files in the run-up to the sale, and the list shrinks as owners pay. The 2026 page carried lists dated May 20, May 27, June 2, June 8 and June 16.
- The Treasurer's tax sale page states that properties left unsold after two consecutive years move to the County Planning and Development Department's Tax Deed Program.
- The 90-day notice of right of redemption and notice of cost may be filed electronically by scanning documents to [email protected] with a subject line in the form 90-day notice (Certificate #).
- The county website lists the Treasurer's ZIP as 52801-1003 while the tax sale rules letterhead shows 52801-1030, so the ZIP+4 is left off the recorded address.
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 Scott County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Scott County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Scott County tax certificate sale?
- Annual tax sale in June. The county's 2026 rules state: "The tax sale will be held at 8:30 am on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Scott County Board Room at the Scott County Administrative Center located at 600 W. 4th Street, Davenport, Iowa." The rules add that if the sale is not completed on Monday, June 15th, it continues at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, June 16th in the Scott County Board Room. Two adjourned tax sales follow in the Scott County Treasurer's Office on August 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026. Reports of delinquent parcels are available as of May 20, 2026, and delinquent taxes are published May 27, 2026 in the Quad City Times.. 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 Scott 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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