Webster County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Webster County, seat of Fort Dodge: 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 Webster County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Webster County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, in June. The county page states "The 2026 Webster County Tax Sale will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026" and that "The Sale will be held at the Webster County Courthouse and bidders shall place their bids online. Bidders need not be present at the courthouse." The treasurer's purchaser notice adds that the sale closes at 11:30 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. The treasurer's notice states no mailed or emailed registrations are accepted. For the 2026 sale, registration opened Monday, May 18, 2026 and ended Thursday, June 11, 2026, with all steps completed by 11:59 p.m. on June 11. Each bidder pays a non-refundable $56.00 registration fee by ACH debit and completes an online 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 statement of trade name on file with the Webster County Recorder. Platform registration and bidding support is (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
Webster County sells tax certificates online through Iowa Tax Auction, the Zeus Auction Program platform at www.iowataxauction.com, even though the sale is legally held on the first floor of the Webster County Courthouse at 701 Central Ave, Fort Dodge. Bidding is a bid down on undivided interest: each parcel opens at a 100 percent undivided interest and bid downs run in whole percentage points from 99 percent to 1 percent, with ties settled by a random selection process. The 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 8:00 a.m. Winning bidders receive an invoice at close, and an ACH debit for the total pulls automatically from the account designated for registration fees. The total covers delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Webster County retains the original certificate in the office and charges a $100.00 assignment transaction fee, which is not added to the redemption amount. Subsequent taxes must be paid online at iowatreasurers.org through the Login item on the Tax Sale menu, at a non-refundable $0.25 per parcel.
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 Webster County
- Bidding is online only through Iowa Tax Auction. The sale itself is held at the Webster County Courthouse, but the treasurer states bidders need not attend in person.
- The 2026 delinquent tax list was published the week of May 25 in The Messenger News, Fort Dodge. Parcels became viewable on the auction site by May 30, and the treasurer requires a completed registration before the parcel data can be accessed.
- The treasurer's tax sale page sits at a legacy URL ending in tax_sale_2018.php but carries the current year's notice, dates, and sale list. Check that page each spring rather than assuming the file name reflects the sale year.
- The county department page lists the treasurer's phone as 515-576-4611, while the tax sale purchaser notice letterhead lists a direct line of (515) 573-2731. Both are published by the county.
- Webster County splits parcels between regular tax sale and public bidder tax sale. The 90 day Notice of Right of Redemption may be issued after one year and nine months on regular tax sale parcels, and after nine months on public bidder parcels, which are advertised for two years and marked with an asterisk on the published list.
- Redemption interest runs at 2 percent per month against the amount for which the parcel sold, with each fraction of a month counted as a whole month. Subsequent tax payments earn the same 2 percent per month once reported to the treasurer.
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 Webster County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Webster County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Webster County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, in June. The county page states "The 2026 Webster County Tax Sale will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026" and that "The Sale will be held at the Webster County Courthouse and bidders shall place their bids online. Bidders need not be present at the courthouse." The treasurer's purchaser notice adds that the sale closes at 11:30 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 Webster 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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