Worth County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Worth County, seat of Northwood: 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 Worth County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Worth County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual tax sale on the third Monday in June, opening at 10:00 a.m. The 2025 notice reads: "the undersigned County Treasurer of Worth County, Iowa will on Monday June 16, 2025, in the Worth County Treasurers office, 822 Central Ave. Northwood, IA, beginning at 10:00 am proceed to offer at public sale." The Treasurer's terms add that bidding "closes at 11:30 a.m." 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 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 the Iowa Tax Auction site. The Treasurer's terms state: "Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." Bidders pay a non-refundable $45.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete an online W-9 before the registration deadline, which closes days before the sale. Bidders must be 18 or older. 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 Worth County Recorder. Parcel data on the auction site opens only after registration is complete. Platform support is listed at (877) 243-9997 or [email protected].
Bidding is online only. The Treasurer holds the sale at the Worth County Courthouse Annex, and the investor memo says bidders "do not need to be present at the courthouse" because "all bids must be placed online. Live bids will not be accepted." A computer and wireless internet are offered at the annex on a first come, first served basis for anyone who wants to attend in person. Bidding is the Iowa bid-down of ownership interest: parcels open at a 100% undivided interest and "Bid downs will range in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%," with ties broken by random selection. Worth County does not use batches. Winning bidders are invoiced at close and charged by ACH debit from the account used for the registration fee, covering delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Redemption carries interest of 2% per month on the amount for which the parcel was sold, and each fraction of a month counts as a whole month. Certificate assignment costs $100.00 per transaction and a Treasurer's tax sale deed costs $25.00 per parcel. Subsequent taxes must be paid online through the Iowa treasurers portal. The most recent sale notice posted on the county's treasurer page is the 2025 one, so confirm the current year's date, registration window, and fees with the office before bidding.
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)
Notes for Worth County
- The county seat is Northwood. The Treasurer's office sits in the courthouse annex at 822 Central Ave, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Jacob Hanson signs the tax sale notice as Worth County Treasurer.
- The delinquent tax list is published in the Northwood Anchor, and the Treasurer's terms say parcels are also viewable on the auction site roughly two weeks before the sale once registration is complete.
- Regular tax sale certificates support a 90 day notice of right of redemption after one year and nine months from the sale date. Public bidder parcels, advertised for two years and flagged with an asterisk on the published list, allow that notice after nine months.
- Certificates are canceled if the holder has not filed an affidavit of service under Iowa Code Section 447.12 within three years of the sale.
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 Worth County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Worth County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Worth County tax certificate sale?
- Annual tax sale on the third Monday in June, opening at 10:00 a.m. The 2025 notice reads: "the undersigned County Treasurer of Worth County, Iowa will on Monday June 16, 2025, in the Worth County Treasurers office, 822 Central Ave. Northwood, IA, beginning at 10:00 am proceed to offer at public sale." The Treasurer's terms add that bidding "closes at 11:30 a.m." 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 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 Worth 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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