Van Buren County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Van Buren County, seat of Keosauqua: 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 Van Buren County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Van Buren County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Held annually in June. The county notice states: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Van Buren Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the County Supervisors' Board Room on the second floor of the Van Buren County Courthouse, 400 Dodge St., Keosauqua, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m." Bidding closes at 10:30 a.m. that same morning. The notice adds that "An adjourned tax sale will be held on 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. The notice states that "No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." For the 2026 sale, registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. and closed Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete an online W-9 by the registration deadline. All bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. Entity bidders need a federal tax identification number plus either a designation of agent for service of process on file with the Iowa Secretary of State (515-281-5204) or a verified statement of trade name on file with the Van Buren County Recorder (319-293-3240). Registration and auction site support is available at (877) 243-9997 or [email protected].
The Treasurer conducts the sale from the Courthouse board room, but the notice is explicit that "Bidders will place their bids online" through www.iowataxauction.com. Bidding follows the Iowa bid-down of ownership interest: each parcel is offered starting at a 100% undivided interest and bids step down in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%, with the certificate awarded to the bidder designating the smallest percentage. Ties at the lowest percentage are settled by a random selection process. Van Buren County does not use batches, and parcels are offered in published order. Bids may be uploaded before the sale but are not applied until it opens. Winning bidders are invoiced at the close of the sale and the total is drawn automatically by ACH debit from the account used for the registration fee, covering delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Certificates take about 7 to 15 days to arrive. Assigning a certificate carries a $100.00 assignment transaction fee that cannot be added to the redemption amount. Subsequent taxes must be paid through the online subsequent tax payment module at www.iowatreasurers.org at $0.25 per parcel; the notice warns that payments made any other way online will be treated as voluntary and omitted from redemption calculations. A dishonored payment must be replaced with guaranteed funds within three business days or the certificate is canceled, and a $30.00 service fee applies to returned payments.
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 Van Buren County
- The delinquent tax list is published in the Van Buren County Register (106 Van Buren St, Keosauqua, IA 52565, 319-293-3197). For the 2026 sale it was published the week of May 25.
- Parcels were scheduled to be viewable on the auction site by Friday, May 30, 2026, but the notice states you must complete registration before you can access the parcel data.
- Parcels flagged with an asterisk on the published list are public bidder tax sale parcels. Their 90-day notice of right of redemption may be issued nine months after the sale, versus one year and nine months for a regular tax sale parcel.
- If a certificate holder has not filed an affidavit of service under Iowa Code Section 447.12 within three years of the sale, the Treasurer cancels the certificate.
- The Treasurer's office is at 404 Dodge St. and the sale room is in the Courthouse at 400 Dodge St. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax is (319) 293-3828. Treasurer: Linda Whitten.
- A tax sale purchaser should not already hold an interest or lien in a parcel offered for sale; the notice warns that a certificate or Treasurer's Deed can be set aside by the courts if the purchaser was ineligible to bid.
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 Van Buren County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Van Buren County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Van Buren County tax certificate sale?
- Held annually in June. The county notice states: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Van Buren Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the County Supervisors' Board Room on the second floor of the Van Buren County Courthouse, 400 Dodge St., Keosauqua, Iowa, beginning at 9:00 a.m." Bidding closes at 10:30 a.m. that same morning. The notice adds that "An adjourned tax sale will be held on 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 Van Buren 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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