Union County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Union County, seat of Creston: 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 Union County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Union County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annually on the third Monday in June. The county's tax sale explainer states the sale "is administered by the County Treasurer in accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 446 on the third Monday in June." The 2026 terms state the Treasurer "will hold the annual tax sale on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Treasurer's office beginning at 9:00 a.m." The Treasurer's department page adds that "Delinquent taxes are published in June and subject to the annual June Tax Sale." An adjourned sale is held on 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
Register online at govease.com. Mailed and emailed registrations are not accepted. For the 2026 sale, registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026 and closed Wednesday, June 10, 2026, with all steps finished by 5:00 p.m. Bidders pay a $40 non-refundable registration fee by ACH, complete an online W-9, and, where applicable, upload an Iowa Secretary of State certificate of existence or certificate of authorization and designation of agent for service of process, plus a verified statement of trade name filed with the Union County Recorder. Entities must hold a federal tax identification number. Bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. GovEase registration and auction support is listed at (769) 208-5050 and [email protected].
Union County sells tax sale certificates, not deeds. Bidding is online through GovEase even though the sale is conducted from the Treasurer's office. The 2026 terms state bidders "will place their bids online" and that anyone attending in person "must supply your own computer," with wireless internet available for bidders using their own laptop. Live floor bids are not accepted. Bidding is a bid-down of the undivided percentage interest: each parcel opens at a 100% undivided interest and bid downs move in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%. The certificate goes to the bidder designating the smallest percentage, and ties are broken by a random selection process. Union County does not use batches, and parcels are offered in published order. Bids can be uploaded before the sale but do not apply until the sale opens at 9:00 a.m. Payment was due by 4:00 p.m. on sale day and covers delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20 certificate fee per certificate purchased. The delinquent tax list is published the first week of June in the Creston News Advertiser, 503 W. Adams St., Creston, IA 50801, phone 641-782-2141, and the listing is also carried on iowatreasurers.org and govease.com. For 2026 the terms said published parcels would be reviewable on the auction site by Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Redemption interest runs at 2% per month, and properly reported subsequent tax payments accrue at the same rate. The 90-day notice of right of redemption may be issued one year and nine months after a regular tax sale, or nine months after a public bidder sale, and public bidder parcels are marked with an asterisk on the published list. Original certificates are retained by the Treasurer and a PDF is emailed to the holder. Assignment of a certificate costs $100. The Treasurer cancels a sale if no affidavit of service under section 447.12 is filed within three years, with no refund to the purchaser. The county cites Iowa Code Chapters 445, 446, 447, and 448 and applies caveat emptor to the sale. Confirm the current year's date, registration window, and terms with the Treasurer's office before bidding.
Register on GovEaseFrom 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 Union County
- The Union County Treasurer is Kelly Busch. The office is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with driver's license service by appointment only.
- The county publishes two tax sale documents each year on the Treasurer page: a plain-language "What is a Tax Sale" explainer and the annual terms and conditions, which doubles as the bidder acknowledgment form.
- Both county tax sale documents are scanned PDFs rather than machine-readable text, so the sale date does not appear in the page's HTML and is easy to miss on a quick scan.
- The county fax is (641) 782-1709 and the Treasurer's published email is [email protected].
- Entity bidders needing a designation of agent can reach the Iowa Secretary of State at 515-281-5204 and the Union County Recorder at 641-782-1725, per the county terms.
- Subsequent tax payments can be made online through the Iowa State County Treasurers Association site at iowatreasurers.org, and must be recorded by 4:30 p.m. on the last business day of the month to accrue that month.
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 Union County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Union County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Union County tax certificate sale?
- Annually on the third Monday in June. The county's tax sale explainer states the sale "is administered by the County Treasurer in accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 446 on the third Monday in June." The 2026 terms state the Treasurer "will hold the annual tax sale on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Treasurer's office beginning at 9:00 a.m." The Treasurer's department page adds that "Delinquent taxes are published in June and subject to the annual June Tax Sale." An adjourned sale is held on 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 Union 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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