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Tax Sale Atlas

Saunders County, NE tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Saunders County, seat of Wahoo: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Nebraska tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Nebraska holds no tax deed auction.
Format
In person
Registration
Registration is by form filed with the Treasurer's office.
County office
402-443-8128
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 24, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Saunders County sells delinquent taxes

From lien to deed

Nebraska holds no county tax deed auction. A certificate holder reaches title down one of two roads, and which road is available depends on how much equity is in the parcel. Three years after the date of the tax sale, and after serving the Neb. Rev. Stat. 77-1831 notice at least three months in advance, the holder may apply to the county treasurer for a tax deed. That road is open only where 110 percent of the parcel's assessed value at the time of the application, less the amount that would be needed to redeem it, is twenty five thousand dollars or less. Where the equity is larger the holder must instead foreclose the certificate in the district court of the county where the land lies, in the same manner as a real estate mortgage foreclosure. Either step has to be taken within nine months after the expiration of three years from the date of sale, or nine months after two years where the holder is a land bank and the parcel qualifies as vacant and abandoned. Missing the window voids the certificate.

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Saunders County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Registration
Registration is by form filed with the Treasurer's office.
Next expected
on the first Monday in March, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Saunders County delinquent real property advertising list
When it runs
The Treasurer states "The county Tax Sale is held the first Monday in March each year at 9:00 A.M. at the County Courthouse." The county listed its most recent sale as March 2, 2026, which matches that pattern. Registration closes earlier, because the registration form and fee are due "no later than the Thursday before the first Monday in March."
Registration and deposit

Registration is by form filed with the Treasurer's office. A $25.00 registration fee must accompany a county Tax Lien Sale registration form, and the Treasurer requires both "no later than the Thursday before the first Monday in March." One bidder cannot bid for more than one company. Request the form from the Treasurer at 402-443-8128 or 433 N Chestnut, Suite 201, Wahoo, NE 68066; mail goes to PO Box 337, Wahoo, NE 68066. The tax sale page also supplies a W-9 form for bidders. Certificates are paid for by cashier's check or money order, and a personal check is accepted only if the investor has a letter of credit from their bank. The office does not allow purchases by fax or telephone.

Sale format and venue
Saunders County allocates certificates by a drawn rotation rather than by bidding, so investors compete for parcels but not on the interest rate and there is no premium to bid. The Treasurer states "The number drawn shall represent the order in which each investor may bid. Each round shall consist of one choice per bidder; he may purchase or pass. Should they pass the parcel will be offered to the next bidder each time until that parcel is purchased, continuing on with each parcel until all parcels are sold." Investors buy each lien for the delinquent tax, interest and advertising cost plus any other delinquent tax assessed to that parcel, and interest runs at 14 percent. A $20.00 fee is charged for each certificate sold, with another $20.00 for any re-assignment. The Treasurer will hold purchased certificates in the office for safekeeping and send payment when redeemed if the buyer asks. Once the public sale closes and every parcel has been offered, the remaining delinquent taxes are available under a Private Tax Sale, which is the county's over the counter route. Private, public and county certificates may all be assigned. Redemption runs three years, and the Treasurer's page tells holders to pay subsequent taxes each year as they become delinquent; if the owner has not redeemed by the end of three years the holder then has six months to foreclose. The office states it will not provide guidance or legal advice on tax sale certificates and points holders to Nebraska statutes 77-1801 through 77-1941 and to their own attorney. Nebraska Taxes Online carries the advertising list and the tax payment search for this county but does not conduct the sale, which is held in person at the courthouse. In person at the Saunders County Courthouse in Wahoo
Source: Public Tax Sale Information, Saunders County Treasurer· Verified Aug 24, 2026

Saunders County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Saunders County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use Saunders County delinquent real property advertising list for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Registration is by form filed with the Treasurer's office. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Nebraska holds no tax deed auction. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use County Treasurer for the administrative deed, or the sheriff under a district court decree as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Saunders County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Saunders County delinquent real property advertising list. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration is by form filed with the Treasurer's office. A $25.00 registration fee must accompany a county Tax Lien Sale registration form, and the Treasurer requires both "no later than the Thursday before the first Monday in March." One bidder cannot bid for more than one company. Request the form from the Treasurer at 402-443-8128 or 433 N Chestnut, Suite 201, Wahoo, NE 68066; mail goes to PO Box 337, Wahoo, NE 68066. The tax sale page also supplies a W-9 form for bidders. Certificates are paid for by cashier's check or money order, and a personal check is accepted only if the investor has a letter of credit from their bank. The office does not allow purchases by fax or telephone.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Nebraska due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.

  4. Set a walk-away number

    Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.

Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases

Two routes reach parcels outside the March sale, and both run through the county treasurer. Any parcel that stayed unsold at the public sale for want of bidders must then be sold at private sale at the treasurer's office to any person who pays the taxes, penalty, and costs; the certificate issued that way is marked sold for taxes at private sale. Separately, where the county board bought a parcel in the county's name because it drew no bidder, the treasurer holds that certificate and may assign it at any time to anyone willing to pay the face amount plus 14 percent interest from the date of the certificate, with the county clerk endorsing the assignment and the twenty five dollar issuance fee due from the buyer. If the parcel lies inside a municipality that has created a land bank, the treasurer must give the land bank the first opportunity to acquire the county's certificate. Ask the county treasurer which parcels are open to private sale and which county held certificates are available for assignment.

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

Saunders County Treasurer

402-443-8128

433 N Chestnut, Suite 201, Wahoo, NE 68066 (mailing address PO Box 337, Wahoo, NE 68066)

Official website

County notes

  • The Treasurer of record is Amber Scanlon. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  • Bidding order is set by a draw, so registering on time matters more than arriving early. A bidder who passes on a parcel loses it to the next bidder in the rotation, and the rotation continues parcel by parcel until every parcel is sold.
  • The delinquent list is advertised in the local newspaper for three consecutive weeks in February before the sale and posted online through Nebraska Taxes Online. The county does not name the newspaper on its tax sale page, so confirm the publication with the Treasurer's office.
  • Advertised tax amounts do not include interest. The Treasurer figures interest to the date the certificate is taken out, so the amount due at the sale is higher than the advertised figure.
  • Buyers paying by check are asked to supply a blank check, which the office completes for the purchase total and copies back to the buyer.
  • Real estate and personal property taxes go delinquent on May 1 and September 1 each year and accrue interest at 14 percent from the delinquency date.
  • Under the county's stated rule the next annual sale falls on Monday, March 1, 2027, which puts the registration deadline on Thursday, February 25, 2027. Confirm both with the Treasurer before sending a fee.

Nebraska rules

Max interest rate
14% per year, fixed by statute (nothing is bid)
Minimum return
No statutory floor; every certificate earns the same statutory rate
Redemption
Nebraska does not run a redemption clock that simply expires. The right to redeem stays open until the certificate holder files the application for a tax deed with the county treasurer, and the treasurer may not accept a redemption after the close of business on the day that application arrives. Because the holder cannot apply until three years after the sale, and must first serve a notice at least three months before applying that says in sixteen point type UNLESS YOU ACT YOU WILL LOSE THIS PROPERTY, the ordinary parcel carries a redemption window of about three years and three months and the owner gets a written warning inside it. Several conditions of the parcel or of its owner change that window, and they are recorded as tracks below. On the foreclosure road the window is different again: redemption stays open until the district court confirms the sheriff's sale.
Surplus proceeds
Nebraska returns the owner's equity on both roads. On the administrative road, within thirty days after the deed is recorded the grantee must pay the surplus to the previous owner. The surplus is the resale price if the grantee has already sold the parcel, or the assessed value shown in the county assessor's records at the time of the deed application if the grantee has not, less the amount that would have been needed to redeem the parcel, less the amount needed to pay all encumbrances on it, and less an administrative fee of five hundred dollars, or reasonable attorney fees in the case of a judicial foreclosure, which the grantee may keep to offset the cost of getting the deed. On the foreclosure road, any surplus remaining after all costs and taxes on a parcel are satisfied is applied the way surplus is applied in a mortgage foreclosure, and proceeds from one parcel may not be applied to the taxes on another except as the decree directs.
Governing statute
Neb. Rev. Stat. Chapter 77, Article 18 (77-1801 et seq.)

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.

See the full Nebraskarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Saunders County, Nebraska sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In Nebraska investors buy the lien, not the property; the County Treasurer runs the sale.

When is the Saunders County tax certificate sale?

The Treasurer states "The county Tax Sale is held the first Monday in March each year at 9:00 A.M. at the County Courthouse." The county listed its most recent sale as March 2, 2026, which matches that pattern. Registration closes earlier, because the registration form and fee are due "no later than the Thursday before the first Monday in March." The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Saunders County hold tax deed sales?

Saunders County holds its tax deed sale none. Nebraska holds no tax deed auction. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Nebraska's redemption rule: 3 years from the tax sale before the holder may apply for a treasurer's tax deed, and the owner may redeem right up to the day that application is filed. Call the County Treasurer for the administrative deed, or the sheriff under a district court decree as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Where can I find the Saunders County tax sale list?

Saunders County posts its tax sale list at nto.us. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

Verified Aug 24, 2026 against official county and state sources.

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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

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Call Saunders County Treasurer