Wright County, IA tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Wright County, seat of Clarion: 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 Wright County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Wright County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual. The county tax department page states "Tax sale is the third Monday in June." For 2026 the treasurer's notice to purchasers reads: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Wright County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Wright County Courthouse beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bidders will place their bids online." Bidding closes at 11:00 a.m. the same morning. An adjourned tax sale is held on any business day after the annual sale when bidders are present and parcels remain available.
- Next expected
- on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration is online only through Iowa Tax Auction. The county notice states "Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." For the 2026 sale registration ran Monday, May 18, 2026 through Thursday, June 11, 2026, with every step finished by 11:59 p.m. on June 11. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete an online W-9. All bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. A bidder that is an entity rather than an individual needs 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 Wright County Recorder (515-532-3204). Registration and auction site help is available at (800) 800-9588 or [email protected].
The sale is hosted at the Wright County Courthouse but all bids are placed online through Iowa Tax Auction. Parcels are offered in published order starting at a 100 percent undivided interest, and bid downs move in whole percentage points from 99 percent to 1 percent. Wright County does not use batches. The certificate goes to the bidder naming the smallest percentage, with ties broken by a random selection process. Bids can be uploaded before the sale opens but are not applied until 9:00 a.m. Winners get an invoice at close, and an ACH debit for the full amount pulls automatically from the account used for the registration fee. The total covers delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Certificates arrive in about 7 to 15 days. Redemption carries 2 percent per month on the sale amount and on subsequent taxes, with each fraction of a month counted whole. The 90-day notice of right of redemption may be issued after one year and nine months on a regular tax sale parcel, or after nine months on a public bidder parcel (marked with an asterisk on the published list). Certificate assignment costs $100.00 per transaction and is not added to the redemption amount. Subsequent tax payments must be made online at www.iowatreasurers.org for a $0.25 per parcel fee. The treasurer's deed fee is $25.00 per parcel, and the certificate plus deed and recording fees must reach the treasurer within 90 calendar days after the redemption period expires or the certificate is canceled. The delinquent tax list is published the week of May 29, 2026 in the Wright County Independent (215 E Main Street, Belmond, IA 50424, 515-448-4745), and the same parcels open for review on the auction site beginning Friday, May 29, 2026, though registration is required to see the data.
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 Wright County
- Wright County publishes its tax sale terms and dates on the Iowa State County Treasurers Association portal page for the office rather than on the county government website. The county site's Tax Department page confirms only that the sale is the third Monday in June.
- The treasurer is Peggy Schluttenhofer. The office lists fax 515-532-6062 and email [email protected] on the 2026 notice to tax sale purchasers.
- The 2026 notice governs taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027 and their assignments, so expect a refreshed notice each spring. Confirm the current year's sale date, registration window, and fees with the treasurer before bidding.
- Iowa Code chapters 446, 447, and 448 govern tax sales, redemption, and tax deeds. Wright County directs prospective buyers to consult legal counsel about eligibility, since a certificate or treasurer's deed can be set aside 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 Wright County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Wright County follows Iowa's tax lien state system.
When is the Wright County tax certificate sale?
- Annual. The county tax department page states "Tax sale is the third Monday in June." For 2026 the treasurer's notice to purchasers reads: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Wright County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Wright County Courthouse beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bidders will place their bids online." Bidding closes at 11:00 a.m. the same morning. An adjourned tax sale is held on any business day after the annual sale when bidders are present and parcels remain available.. 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 Wright 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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