Story County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Story County, seat of Nevada: 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 Story County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Story County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual tax sale held in mid-June. The 2026 memo states: "The Story County Tax Sale will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026." The terms add that the sale closes at 10:30 a.m. the same morning, and that "An adjourned tax sale will 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)
Registration and deposit
Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. For 2026, registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026, and all steps had to be completed by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Mailed and emailed registrations are not accepted. Registration requires a non-refundable $36.00 fee paid by ACH debit and an electronically completed W-9. 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 trade name on file with the Story County Recorder. Auction site support is listed at (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
The sale is held in the public meeting room on the second floor of the Story County Administration Building, 900 Sixth St., Nevada, but bidding is entirely online. The county states that all bids must be placed through www.iowataxauction.com and that live bids will not be accepted, so no in-person bidding is available. Delinquent taxes on each parcel are offered to all bidders starting at a 100% undivided interest, and bid downs run in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%. Story County does not use batches. The certificate goes to the bidder designating the smallest percentage, with ties broken by random selection. Bids may be uploaded before the sale opens but are not applied until 9:00 a.m. on sale day. Winning bidders receive an invoice at close and the total due is drawn by ACH debit from the account designated for registration fees, covering delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate.
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 Story County
- The Story County delinquent tax list is published the week of June 1 in the Ames Tribune, 317 5th St., Ames, IA 50010. For the 2026 sale, parcels on the published list were also posted for review on the auction site and the county website on Friday, May 29, but bidders must finish registration before they can access the data.
- Story County requires subsequent tax payments on a held certificate to be made online at www.iowatreasurers.org, using the Login option under the Tax Sale menu. A non-refundable fee of $0.25 per parcel applies, and the county states it is not responsible for a certificate holder failing to access or correctly submit subsequent payments.
- Redemption interest is 2% per month on the amount for which the parcel sold, with each fraction of a month counted as a whole month. Subsequent taxes paid by the certificate holder accrue the same 2% per month.
- Redemption notice timing differs by sale type. For a regular tax sale parcel, the 90-day Notice of Right of Redemption may be issued after one year and nine months from the sale date. For a public bidder tax sale parcel, advertised for two years and marked with an asterisk on the published list, the notice may be issued nine months from the sale date.
- If three years pass from the tax sale and the holder has not filed an affidavit of service under Iowa Code section 447.12, the Treasurer cancels the certificate. Electronic submission of the affidavit of service is not accepted.
- A Treasurer's tax sale deed costs $25.00 per parcel. The certificate of purchase, the deed issuance fee, and recording fees must reach the Treasurer within 90 calendar days after the redemption period expires or the certificate is canceled.
- Certificates are assignable by endorsement and entry in the county system, with a $100.00 assignment transaction fee that is not added to the redemption amount. The Treasurer's office holds the original certificates and emails copies within roughly 7 to 15 days.
- The Treasurer's office also lists fax (515) 382-7336 and email [email protected] on its tax sale notice. The county administration building main line is (515) 382-6581.
- The county FAQ page can be confusing on this point: it routes general sale questions to the Sheriff's Office, but that refers to sheriff's foreclosure sales, not the annual tax lien certificate sale, which the Treasurer runs.
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 Story County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Story County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Story County tax certificate sale?
- Annual tax sale held in mid-June. The 2026 memo states: "The Story County Tax Sale will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026." The terms add that the sale closes at 10:30 a.m. the same morning, and that "An adjourned tax sale will 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 Story 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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