Washington County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Washington County, seat of Washington: 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 Washington County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Washington County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, on the third Monday in June. The county states: "Washington County's annual tax sale will be held at 9:00 am on Monday, June 15, 2026, at the Washington County Courthouse." The terms document adds that the sale closes at 10:00 am and that "Adjourned tax sales may be held any business day following the annual tax sale if there are bidders present and parcels remain available for sale."
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration and bidding are online only at Iowa Tax Auction. The county states: "Registration and bidding for the annual tax sale must be done online at www.iowataxauction.com. Live bids will not be accepted for the annual tax sale." For 2026 the window ran Monday, May 18 through Thursday, June 11, with all steps complete by 11:59 pm on June 11, and no mailed or emailed registrations accepted. Prior year registrations do not carry over. A non-refundable $36.00 registration fee is paid by ACH debit at the time of registration and covers the annual sale plus its adjournments. Registration is complete only when all online forms, including an IRS Form W-9 in the bidder's official unabbreviated IRS name, are finished. Bidders must be 18 or older on the sale date and hold a Social Security or federal tax identification number. A bidder that is not an individual must also certify it has filed a designation of agent for service of process with the Iowa Secretary of State or a chapter 547 verified statement with the Washington County Recorder. Platform registration help is at 800-800-9588 or [email protected]. Bidders not registered online may register for adjourned sales directly through the Treasurer's office at any time before an adjourned sale starts.
Bidding uses Iowa's bid-down-ownership format. Each parcel opens at a 100 percent undivided interest and bid downs run in whole percentages from 99 percent to 1 percent. Washington County does not use batches, so every parcel is offered in published order and the sale closes at 10:00 am. The certificate goes to the bidder accepting the smallest undivided percentage, and ties are settled by random selection. Bids may be uploaded on the platform before the open but are not applied until 9:00 am on sale day. Winners are invoiced at close and an ACH debit pulls the total from the same account used for the registration fee, covering delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, service fees, and a $20 certificate fee for each certificate purchased. A dishonored payment gives the buyer three business days to repay with guaranteed funds before the certificates are cancelled, plus a $30.00 fee for each returned item. Certificates arrive roughly 7 to 10 days after the sale and are not held by the Treasurer. The delinquent list was published once in The Southeast Iowa Union and The News on June 4, 2026, with parcel data viewable on the auction site by June 5, 2026 for bidders who completed registration. Certificates are assignable for a $100.00 assignment fee, and county-held certificates can be requested from the Treasurer's Property Tax Department; an assignee of a county-held certificate has three years from the assignment date, not the sale date, to qualify for a tax deed. Abandoned residential parcels covered by a verified statement filed by May 15 are offered separately at a public nuisance tax sale, which requires a rehabilitation agreement with the county or city. Dates shift each year, so confirm the current sale date and registration window with the Treasurer before planning a bid.
Register on Online auctionFrom 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)
Washington County Courthouse, 222 W Main Street, 1st Floor, Washington, IA 52353. Mailing address: PO Box 889, Washington, IA 52353.
Official websiteNotes for Washington County
- Washington County runs its annual tax sale online only through Iowa Tax Auction. The sale is administered from the Washington County Courthouse and wireless internet is offered onsite, but the county states that live bids are not accepted.
- The bidding window is short. It opens at 9:00 am and closes at 10:00 am on sale day, with no batches, so all parcels are live at once in published order.
- Registration closes several days before the sale. For 2026 it ended at 11:59 pm on June 11 for a June 15 sale, and the county does not accept late, mailed, or emailed registrations.
- The Treasurer is Jeffrey A. Garrett. Property tax questions, adjourned sale details, and county-held certificate assignments go through the Property Tax Department at 319-653-7721.
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 Washington County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Washington County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Washington County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, on the third Monday in June. The county states: "Washington County's annual tax sale will be held at 9:00 am on Monday, June 15, 2026, at the Washington County Courthouse." The terms document adds that the sale closes at 10:00 am and that "Adjourned tax sales may be held any business day following the annual tax sale if there are bidders present and parcels remain 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 Washington 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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