Adams County, OH tax sales
Adams County, Ohio sells both tax lien certificates and tax deeds. The County Treasurer runs the certificate sale (18% maximum, bid down), and the County Sheriff holds the tax deed sale online via RealAuction on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed, from the county seat in West Union, under R.C. Chapter 5721.
New to tax sales? Read how Ohio tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- No tax lien certificate sale date is published.
- Format
- RealAuction
- Registration
- Bidding is online only.
- County office
- 937-544-2317
On this page
How Adams County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Adams County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No tax lien certificate sale date is published.
- Registration
- No certificate sale registration process is published by the Adams County Treasurer.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Adams County Sheriff's Office, Civil Division, on orders of sale issued through the Adams County Clerk of Courts
- Frequency
- annual
- Registration
- Bidding is online only.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online only. The FAQ states you must "register for a Username and Password and fill in all appropriate fields to transmit the Ohio Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form", which transmits to the Sheriff's office once the sale closes. To be a qualified participant you must fund a deposit covering every property you intend to bid on before the posted deadline. Standard deposits are $2,000 where appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 where value is above $10,000 up to $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000. On tax lien and delinquent tax foreclosure cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer instead. Judgment creditors register the same way and must file the court order naming them at least one business day before the sale.
Sale format and venue
Adams County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Adams 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.
Get the advertised list
Use Adams County sheriff sale auction calendar for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
No tax lien certificate sale date is published. Bidding runs on RealAuction; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Adams County Sheriff's Office, Civil Division, on orders of sale issued through the Adams County Clerk of Courts as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Adams County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Adams County sheriff sale auction calendar. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Bidding is online only. The FAQ states you must "register for a Username and Password and fill in all appropriate fields to transmit the Ohio Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form", which transmits to the Sheriff's office once the sale closes. To be a qualified participant you must fund a deposit covering every property you intend to bid on before the posted deadline. Standard deposits are $2,000 where appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 where value is above $10,000 up to $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000. On tax lien and delinquent tax foreclosure cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer instead. Judgment creditors register the same way and must file the court order naming them at least one business day before the sale.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Ohio due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.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
unsold liens and deeds
Ohio has no over-the-counter tax certificate channel. The equivalent inventory is the county auditor's forfeited land list, made up of parcels that drew no qualifying bid at two foreclosure sales. The auditor offers that list at public auction at least annually, and a tract that still receives no bid meeting the statutory minimum may then be sold for the best price obtainable.
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)
County notes
- Adams County runs only the deed side of Ohio's hybrid system. Delinquent parcels move through judicial foreclosure and are auctioned by the Sheriff, not sold as tax lien certificates to investors.
- The Sheriff's own website at adamscountyso.com carries only an inmate list. All sale information lives on the Realauction site at adams.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, which is the county's official online sheriff sale platform.
- Neither the Adams County Auditor's site nor the county government site publishes a delinquent tax list, a forfeited land sale page, or a tax certificate sale page.
- Sale dates are irregular. Adams County posted three foreclosure auctions in June 2026, one in July, one in August, and none in September through November 2026 as of this review, so check the auction calendar rather than assuming a monthly cadence.
- Adams County Treasurer is Lisa A. Newman, Sheriff is Kenny Dick, Clerk of Courts is Larry Heller, and Auditor is David Gifford. Treasurer, Auditor and Sheriff all sit at 110 West Main Street in West Union, and all three offices keep 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekday hours.
- The Auditor's office is at 110 West Main Street, Room 104, West Union, OH 45693, phone 937-544-2364 or 937-544-1016, and hosts property search through Beacon for pre-bid due diligence.
Ohio rules
- Redemption
- Ohio has no post-sale redemption window. On the certificate track the owner or any other person entitled to redeem may pay the county treasurer at any time before the certificate holder pays to start foreclosure, and after that up until the entry of confirmation of sale, the expiration of the 28-day alternative redemption period, or the decree that conveys title to the certificate holder. On the direct foreclosure track, delinquent land may be redeemed before proceedings begin, and afterwards up to the entry of confirmation of sale or the end of the alternative redemption period. The alternative redemption period is 28 days after an adjudication of foreclosure is journalized, and when it expires the right and equity of redemption terminate without any further order. Once title vests, a decree conveying the parcel to a certificate holder is a permanent bar to redemption.
- Deed deposit
- For residential property the deposit is fixed by statute: $2,000 if the appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 if it is above $10,000 and up to $200,000, and $10,000 if it is above $200,000. A judgment creditor buying at its own sale posts no deposit. For commercial property the deposit follows whatever requirements the sale sets. Deposit timing is set by the court or the officer conducting the sale and printed in the sale advertisement, and an online sale may take the deposit by card or other financial transaction device.
- Surplus proceeds
- Sale proceeds pay costs first, then the certificate holder or the taxing districts, and any residue goes to the clerk of the court within 45 days after confirmation. The clerk notifies the former owner. Residue left unclaimed 90 days after that final notice is paid into the county treasury and held for the owner, who may demand it within three years. After three years it is forfeited to the county's delinquent tax and assessment collection fund, or to the county land reutilization corporation fund where one exists.
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 Adams County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Adams County tax certificate sale?
How often does Adams County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Adams County tax sale list?
Verified Aug 7, 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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