Allen County, OH tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •County seat is Lima. The Treasurer and the Clerk of Courts both sit at 301 N. Main Street, Lima, and the Sheriff's Office is at 333 N. Main St., Lima, Ohio 45802.
• •Allen County Sheriff's Office main line is (419) 227-3535 and the Sheriff is Matthew B. Treglia ([email protected]). The Sheriff's Sales contact is Cynthia Reynolds at 419-993-1408, [email protected]. This is the office to call about a specific sale date, deposit or confirmation.
• •Allen County Treasurer's Office fax is (419) 222-7852 and email is [email protected]. The office collects real estate, manufactured home, sewer, personal property and estate taxes.
• •Allen County Clerk of Courts is Jennifer McBride, 301 N. Main St., Lima, OH 45801, phone (419) 223-8513, fax (419) 222-8427, mailing address P.O. Box 1243, Lima, OH 45802, open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Clerk links out to the Sheriff's sale page rather than publishing a separate sale list, and holds excess funds deposited after a sale; releasing them requires a court order signed by the assigned judge.
• •Real estate taxes are billed semi-annually with due dates in February and July. A payment postmarked after the due date carries a 5 percent penalty within 10 days and 10 percent after that, and interest is added on August 1 and December 1. The Treasurer's home page was showing second half real estate and mobile home taxes due August 12, 2026.
• •The Treasurer states that if taxes are not paid within one year from the date they are due, the property is subject to foreclosure for tax delinquency. Delinquent contracts and the TEPP and auto pay programs are offered to avoid that outcome.
• •Realauction operates the same Official Public Sheriff's Sale Website for most Ohio counties under the Ohio Department of Administrative Services contract, and the Allen County site carries a selector listing roughly 88 counties, so one bidder account and one training session carry across counties.
• •The Allen County Realauction site refuses some automated fetchers but loads normally in a browser at https://allen.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, where the Start Here, Register and Auction Calendar links sit on the login splash page along with the Purchaser Information Form and the delinquent tax affidavits.
• •No forfeited land or Auditor's sale listing page was reviewed for this county. The Sheriff's page notes that parcels unsold after two attempts may become eligible for an Auditor's Sale, so that route is referenced but its schedule was not verified from an Auditor source.

Ohio rules

Max interest rate

18% per year, bid down in 0.25% stepsOhio Revised Code 5721.30 - Tax certificate definitionsR.C. 5721.30Verified Aug 6, 2026

Minimum return

6% floor at redemptionOhio Revised Code 5721.30 - Tax certificate definitionsR.C. 5721.30Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.Ohio Revised Code 5721.38 - Right to redeemR.C. 5721.38Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.Ohio Revised Code 5721.19 - Finding; appraisal and saleR.C. 5721.19Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.Ohio Revised Code 5721.20 - Excess foreclosure proceedsR.C. 5721.20Verified Aug 6, 2026

Governing statute

R.C. Chapter 5721Ohio Revised Code 5721.30 - Tax certificate definitionsR.C. 5721.30Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.

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