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Tax Sale Atlas

Butler County, OH tax sales

Butler 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 Hamilton, under R.C. Chapter 5721.

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

Next sale
Online auctions run on Thursdays at 9:30 AM ET.
Format
RealAuction
Registration
Bidding is online only.
County office
(513) 887-3181
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Butler County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Butler County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
No tax certificate sale date is advertised by the county.
Registration
No county tax certificate registration process is published.
Sale list
Butler County Auditor Delinquent Tax List (CSV)
When it runs
No tax certificate sale date is advertised by the county. The Treasurer's published delinquency track moves directly to foreclosure: "If taxes are not paid within sixty days from the date they are certified delinquent, the property is subject to foreclosure."
Registration and deposit

No county tax certificate registration process is published. Contact the Treasurer's office at (513) 887-3181 before planning a certificate purchase in this county.

Sale format and venue
Ohio Rev. Code 5721.32 and 5721.33 allow a county treasurer to sell tax certificates, but Butler County publishes no tax certificate sale program and no platform is confirmed for this county, so verify with the office before assuming a lien path exists here. The Treasurer's delinquent tax page, tax foreclosure page, FAQs, real estate tax section, and full site index describe only penalties, interest, payment contracts, and judicial foreclosure, with no certificate offering to investors. The Auditor independently describes the enforcement chain as tax foreclosure, then two unsuccessful Sheriff's Sales, then forfeiture to the State of Ohio, with no certificate step. Investors seeking Butler County exposure should look at the Sheriff's tax foreclosure auctions instead. The Delinquent Tax List published by the Auditor, dated 08-03-2026 at the time of review, is a research list of delinquent parcels and not a list of certificates offered for sale.
Source: Butler County Treasurer, Tax Foreclosure process· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Tax deed sale

RealAuction
Run by
Butler County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sales Unit, selling under court order after a tax foreclosure filed by the Butler County Prosecutor's Office on the Treasurer's certification
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Online auctions run on Thursdays at 9:30 AM ET.
Registration
Bidding is online only.
Sale list
Butler County Sheriff online auction calendar
When it runs
Online auctions run on Thursdays at 9:30 AM ET. The published auction calendar showed foreclosure sales on June 4 and June 18, July 9, 16, 23 and 30, and August 13, 20 and 27 of 2026, each listed at "09:30 AM ET". The Sheriff states that "state law requires that the property be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation within the county of a period of three (3) weeks prior to the scheduled auction sale date", and that "All sales conducted by the Sheriff's Office are advertised in the Hamilton and/ or Middletown Journal on Sundays". If no bid occurs on the first date, "the property is brought up again for auction two weeks later, unless otherwise directed by court order."
Registration and deposit

Bidding is online only. Register for a username and password on the Butler County RealForeclose site and complete the Ohio Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form, which transmits to the Sheriff's Office once the sale closes. All changes must be made before the sale date. To be a qualified participant you must fund a deposit covering the total deposit requirement for every property you intend to bid on, by the posted deadlines, through the site's escrow module. On non-tax residential cases the deposit is $2,000 when appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 above $10,000 through $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000. On tax foreclosure cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer and equals the taxes and costs; no appraisal is performed, so the value shown on the site reflects taxes owed rather than market value. Tax case bidders must comply with Ohio Rev. Code 5721.19 and cannot purchase if they own Ohio property carrying delinquent taxes. The balance is due by certified or cashier's check within 30 days of the confirmation of sale, which can take 30 days or more. Realauction customer service is (877) 361-7325.

Sale format and venue
The Sheriff's Office states that "All Sheriff's Mortgage Foreclosure Sales and Tax Sales are being held on the Butler County RealAuction website", so there is no courthouse-step auction to attend. Mortgage foreclosures and tax foreclosures share the same calendar and platform, so filter by case type. The Sheriff's Office says it is not involved in showing properties, so inspection is exterior only. Reach the Sheriff Sales unit at (513) 785-1284 or the Civil Division at (513) 785-1283, at 705 Hanover Street, Hamilton, OH 45011. A secondary deed route exists for parcels that fail twice at Sheriff's Sale: the Auditor's office states those parcels are "forfeited to the State of Ohio" and that "The Auditor's Office conducts an annual sale of these properties, typically held in August." That forfeited land sale is held in person, with the Auditor recommending arrival at least 30 minutes early to register onsite if you have not pre-registered, and the Auditor reported that the 2026 forfeited land sale was canceled because no parcels were available.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Butler County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sales· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Butler County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Butler 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 Butler County Sheriff online auction calendar for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Bidding is online only. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Online auctions run on Thursdays at 9:30 AM ET. Bidding runs on RealAuction; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Butler County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sales Unit, selling under court order after a tax foreclosure filed by the Butler County Prosecutor's Office on the Treasurer's certification as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Butler County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Butler County Sheriff online auction calendar. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidding is online only. Register for a username and password on the Butler County RealForeclose site and complete the Ohio Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form, which transmits to the Sheriff's Office once the sale closes. All changes must be made before the sale date. To be a qualified participant you must fund a deposit covering the total deposit requirement for every property you intend to bid on, by the posted deadlines, through the site's escrow module. On non-tax residential cases the deposit is $2,000 when appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 above $10,000 through $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000. On tax foreclosure cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer and equals the taxes and costs; no appraisal is performed, so the value shown on the site reflects taxes owed rather than market value. Tax case bidders must comply with Ohio Rev. Code 5721.19 and cannot purchase if they own Ohio property carrying delinquent taxes. The balance is due by certified or cashier's check within 30 days of the confirmation of sale, which can take 30 days or more. Realauction customer service is (877) 361-7325.

  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)

Butler County Treasurer's Office

(513) 887-3181

315 High St, 10th Floor, Hamilton, OH 45011

Official website

County notes

  • County seat is Hamilton. The Treasurer, Prosecutor, and Auditor sit on High Street in Hamilton; the Sheriff's Office is at 705 Hanover Street, Hamilton.
  • butlercountytreasurer.org now redirects to treasurer.bcohio.gov, and all county offices use the bcohio.gov domain.
  • Enforcement chain per official pages: taxes certified delinquent, 60 days to pay, Prosecutor sends a 14 day demand letter, foreclosure complaint filed, 28 days to respond, judgment entry, order of sale after roughly another 28 to 30 days, then Sheriff's Sale advertised three consecutive weeks.
  • The Treasurer publishes an Excess Proceeds and Unclaimed Funds page, relevant to overbid recovery after a Sheriff's Sale.
  • The RealForeclose site returns 403 to plain automated fetches but served HTTP 200 to a standard browser user agent and identified itself as RealForeclose, Butler County Sheriff.
  • September and October 2026 showed no scheduled auctions on the calendar at the time of review, which is normal since dates populate as orders of sale issue.
  • No third-party courtesy-notice listing site was found advertising Butler County sales, so the RealForeclose subdomain is the single authoritative auction venue.

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 Butler County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Butler 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 Butler County tax certificate sale?

No tax certificate sale date is advertised by the county. The Treasurer's published delinquency track moves directly to foreclosure: "If taxes are not paid within sixty days from the date they are certified delinquent, the property is subject to foreclosure." Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Butler County hold tax deed sales?

Butler County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Online auctions run on Thursdays at 9:30 AM ET. 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 Butler County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sales Unit, selling under court order after a tax foreclosure filed by the Butler County Prosecutor's Office on the Treasurer's certification 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 Butler County tax sale list?

Butler County posts its tax sale list at butler.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov. 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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Call Butler County Treasurer's Office