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Tax Sale Atlas

Brown County, OH tax sales

Brown 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 on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed, from the county seat in Georgetown, under R.C. Chapter 5721.

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

Next sale
Sales run on individually advertised dates rather than a fixed monthly calendar.
Format
In person
County office
937-378-6705
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Brown County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Brown County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
No tax certificate sale date is published.
When it runs
No tax certificate sale date is published. The Treasurer's site, last updated August 6, 2026, shows no certificate sale schedule and no certificate bidder registration.
Registration and deposit

Bidders file a registration form with the county treasurer before the auction starts and pay a $500 cash registration fee, refunded at the end of bidding unless the bidder wins, in which case it may be applied to the deposit. The treasurer may also require a letter from a financial institution confirming available funds. The winning bidder pays at least 10 percent of the certificate purchase price in cash by the close of business on the sale day and the balance plus the treasurer's fee within five business days.

Sale format and venue
Ohio Rev. Code 5721.30 through 5721.43 lets a county treasurer sell tax lien certificates, but Brown County's Treasurer advertises none. The office's published delinquent tax material is a contracted Delinquent Tax Payment Option that, in the county's words, means taxpayers 'can now avoid foreclosure actions', alongside a tax installment payment plan and automatic ACH debit. No certificate sale, bidder registration, or auction platform is confirmed for this county, so investors should verify with the Treasurer at 937-378-6705 before planning a certificate purchase. Delinquent parcels here move toward a Sheriff's delinquent land tax sale instead of a certificate auction.
Source: Brown County Treasurer, Additional Programs· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Tax deed sale

In person
Run by
Brown County Sheriff's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Sales run on individually advertised dates rather than a fixed monthly calendar.
Sale list
Real Estate Sales Listing
When it runs
Sales run on individually advertised dates rather than a fixed monthly calendar. The Sheriff's office states: 'All Sheriff Sales will be held at 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on the date of the sale. This includes Sheriff Sales on RealAuction as well as in person Delinquent Tax Sales.' Sales are advertised in the Brown County Press newspaper for three weeks, and no sales are held on federal holidays.
Registration and deposit

Delinquent tax sales are attended in person at the Brown County Municipal Court, so no online bidder account is required for them. The Sheriff's office separately directs third party bidders in its online mortgage foreclosure sales to create a bidder account on the county's RealAuction site, noting that ACH deposits into bidder accounts may take up to five business days to become available. Buyers at a judicial sale must complete the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form required by R.C. 2329.26, 2329.27 and 2329.271. Questions on sale procedure go to the Sheriff's Office at 937-378-4435 extension 103 or 112, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Sale format and venue
The Sheriff's office states: 'Delinquent Tax Sales are conducted at 1:00 PM at the Brown County Municipal Court, 770 Mt Orab Pike, Georgetown, OH 45121.' That sale is held in person, not online. Since April 13, 2023 the same office has run its mortgage foreclosure sales online through RealAuction at brown.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov under a contract with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, so investors should not assume the delinquent tax sale runs on that platform. Terms differ by sale type. Properties sold for delinquent land tax require the complete tax amount paid at the time of sale with the remaining balance due within thirty days, while residential mortgage foreclosure deposits are $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000 depending on appraised value and commercial or residential judicial sales take 10 percent down. Delinquent tax sale payment may be cash, personal check, money order, cashier's check or certified check, and paying by personal check requires a driver's license or state identification card. Properties may be withdrawn from a sale by court order up to the time of sale, the property is not available for inspection beforehand, and the purchaser takes it as is. In person at the Brown County Municipal Court, 770 Mt Orab Pike, Georgetown
Source: Brown County Sheriff's Office, Real Estate Sale Information· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Brown County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Brown 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 Real Estate Sales Listing for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    Sales run on individually advertised dates rather than a fixed monthly calendar. 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 Brown County Sheriff's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Brown County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Real Estate Sales Listing. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Delinquent tax sales are attended in person at the Brown County Municipal Court, so no online bidder account is required for them. The Sheriff's office separately directs third party bidders in its online mortgage foreclosure sales to create a bidder account on the county's RealAuction site, noting that ACH deposits into bidder accounts may take up to five business days to become available. Buyers at a judicial sale must complete the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form required by R.C. 2329.26, 2329.27 and 2329.271. Questions on sale procedure go to the Sheriff's Office at 937-378-4435 extension 103 or 112, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

  3. 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.

  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

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)

Brown County Treasurer

937-378-6705

800 Mt. Orab Pike, Suite 171, Georgetown, OH 45121

Official website

County notes

  • Brown County's delinquent property enforcement runs through the Sheriff's delinquent land tax sale. No county tax lien certificate sale was found on the Treasurer's site, which was current as of August 6, 2026.
  • The Sheriff's office splits its sales by type. Mortgage foreclosures run online on RealAuction, and delinquent tax sales run in person at the Brown County Municipal Court. Both start at 1:00 PM Eastern.
  • The Real Estate Sales Listing page carries the county's sale terms and disclaimers but showed no active property listings when checked. Newspaper advertising in the Brown County Press, run for three weeks before a sale, is the county's authoritative notice.
  • Some documents linked from the Sheriff's sale pages are out of date. The unclaimed funds list is dated 2019 and signed by a former sheriff, while the county lists Chris Hodges as the current sheriff, so check the date on any PDF before relying on it.
  • The Clerk of Courts offers Common Pleas case record search at 101 S. Main St., Georgetown, phone 937-378-3100, but publishes no sale calendar or sale list.
  • Buyers should note the Sheriff's office does not hold keys to any property sold, and possession follows confirmation of sale, payment of the balance, and recording of the Sheriff's deed.

Ohio rules

Max interest rate
18% per year, bid down in 0.25% steps
Minimum return
6% floor at redemption
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.
Governing statute
R.C. Chapter 5721

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 Ohiorules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Brown County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Brown County follows Ohio's hybrid system. The County Treasurer sells tax lien certificates, and the County Sheriff handles the tax deed sale on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed.

When is the Brown County tax certificate sale?

No tax certificate sale date is published. The Treasurer's site, last updated August 6, 2026, shows no certificate sale schedule and no certificate bidder registration. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Brown County hold tax deed sales?

Brown County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Sales run on individually advertised dates rather than a fixed monthly calendar. 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. Ohio's redemption rule: 1 year after the certificate sale before the holder can request foreclosure; redemption then stays open until confirmation of sale. Call the Brown County Sheriff's Office 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 Brown County tax sale list?

Brown County posts its tax sale list at browncountyohiosheriff.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 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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Ohio tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Brown County Treasurer