Skip to content
Tax Sale Atlas

Clinton County, OH tax sales

Clinton 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 Wilmington, under R.C. Chapter 5721.

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

Next sale
Tax sale scheduled for August 26, 2026.Wednesday · 2026
Format
RealAuction
County office
937-382-2224
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Clinton County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Clinton County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
No tax certificate sale date is published by the county.
Registration
No certificate bidder registration process is published by the Clinton County Treasurer.
Sale list
Auditor delinquent advertising notice
When it runs
No tax certificate sale date is published by the county. The Treasurer's office posts only real estate tax due dates, given as 1st Half February 14, 2026 and 2nd Half July 31, 2026.
Registration and deposit

No certificate bidder registration process is published by the Clinton County Treasurer. Investors should call the Treasurer's office at 937-382-2224 to confirm whether any certificate sale is planned.

Sale format and venue
No tax lien certificate sale is confirmed for Clinton County, so verify with the Treasurer's office before planning a certificate purchase. Neither the Treasurer's page nor the Auditor's site publishes a certificate sale schedule, an auction platform, or bidder registration terms. What the county does publish is the delinquent land list. The Auditor cites Ohio Rev. Code 5721.03: "The auditor shall cause the delinquent tax list and the delinquent vacant land tax list, if one is compiled, to be published twice within sixty days after the delivery of the delinquent land duplicate to the county treasurer." The second publication may run online, and the Auditor removes it after two weeks, so the list is only visible for a short window each year. The Auditor records that the 2024 delinquent advertising for real estate and manufactured homes "was posted 11/15/25 & was removed 12/01/25" and the 2023 list "was posted 11/1/24 & removed 11/18/24". Treat the Auditor page as the delinquency notice, not as a certificate sale list.
Source: Clinton County Ohio, Treasurer· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Tax deed sale

RealAuction
Run by
Clinton County Sheriff's Office
Frequency
annual
Next sale
Tax sale scheduled for August 26, 2026.
Sale list
Sheriff's sale listings and sale dates
When it runs
Sheriff sales are held on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., generally about once a month, with a second offering roughly two weeks after the first. The office states: "PLEASE NOTE: THE SHERIFF'S SALES DAYS WILL BE ON WEDNESDAYS STARTING WITH THE APRIL 5, 2023, SALE." Its posted 2026 sale dates include May 13 (second sale May 27), June 10 (second sale June 24), July 15 (second sale July 22) and August 26, each listed "AT 10AM".
Registration and deposit

Bidding is online only through the RealForeclose site, which is branded "RealForeclose, Clinton County Sheriff" and operated by Realauction.com LLC. Create an account through the site's Register flow before the sale. The Sheriff's Office states: "Please note, we cannot assist with you the registration and required info on this website. Please contact Realauction for assistance. All questions concerning the online auction are to be directed to Realauction." Third-party purchasers post a deposit set by appraised value: $2,000 if the appraisal is under $10,000, $5,000 between $10,000 and $200,000, and $10,000 at $200,000 and above. The balance is due upon confirmation from the court, and the office warns that "Failure to bring in the balance when called by the Sheriff's Office could result in your deposit being forfeited." A Purchaser Information Form is posted on the Sheriff's Property Sale Forms page.

Sale format and venue
Clinton County moved its sheriff sales online after September 1, 2022, and the Sheriff conducts both foreclosure paths. The office states: "There are two types of property offered for sale: Mortgage foreclosure & delinquent land taxes." Opening bids follow the Ohio two thirds rule with a carve out: "All bids for properties start at 2/3 appraisal value (exception, tax sales and any second sales offered due to previous 'no sales')." Notices run in print as well: "Ads are published in the Wilmington News Journal on Wednesdays for three consecutive weeks." The property table on the Sheriff's page is explicitly secondary, described as "provided just as a courtesy. Please refer to the Realauction website for sale information." Appraisals are exterior only, the Sheriff grants no access for viewing, and buyers cannot enter a purchased property until the deed is recorded in their name. Sale results and purchaser paperwork come from the Clinton County Common Pleas Court at 937-382-2316, not from the Sheriff. Questions about sales go to Kelly Shoemaker, Administrative Assistant, at 937-382-1611. The Sheriff's Office is at 1645 Davids Drive, Wilmington, Ohio 45177, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Property Sales· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Clinton County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Clinton 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 Sheriff's sale listings and sale dates 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

    Tax sale scheduled for August 26, 2026. 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 Clinton County Sheriff's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Clinton County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Sheriff's sale listings and sale dates. 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 through the RealForeclose site, which is branded "RealForeclose, Clinton County Sheriff" and operated by Realauction.com LLC. Create an account through the site's Register flow before the sale. The Sheriff's Office states: "Please note, we cannot assist with you the registration and required info on this website. Please contact Realauction for assistance. All questions concerning the online auction are to be directed to Realauction." Third-party purchasers post a deposit set by appraised value: $2,000 if the appraisal is under $10,000, $5,000 between $10,000 and $200,000, and $10,000 at $200,000 and above. The balance is due upon confirmation from the court, and the office warns that "Failure to bring in the balance when called by the Sheriff's Office could result in your deposit being forfeited." A Purchaser Information Form is posted on the Sheriff's Property Sale Forms page.

  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)

Clinton County Treasurer

937-382-2224

1850 David's Drive, Suite 203, Wilmington, OH 45177

Official website

County notes

  • Clinton County's active tax sale path is the Sheriff's online foreclosure auction. The Sheriff's Office sells both mortgage foreclosures and delinquent land tax cases through RealForeclose at https://clinton.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov/.
  • No county-run tax lien certificate sale is documented on the Clinton County Treasurer or Auditor websites. Confirm directly with the Treasurer's office at 937-382-2224 before assuming certificates are available here.
  • The Clinton County Auditor publishes the delinquent tax list under Ohio Rev. Code 5721.03 and removes the online posting two weeks after publication, so the list is available for only a short period each year. Recent postings ran mid November through early December.
  • The Sheriff's own property list is a courtesy copy. Realauction is the authoritative source for sale status, and the Clinton County Common Pleas Court at 937-382-3640 holds the official filings.
  • Key offices: Clinton County Sheriff's Office, 1645 Davids Drive, Wilmington, OH 45177, 937-382-1611. Clinton County Auditor, 1850 Davids Drive Suite 303, Wilmington, OH 45177, 937-382-2250. Clinton County Common Pleas Court, 46 S. South Street Suite 304, Wilmington, OH 45177, 937-382-3640.
  • The Auditor warns that clintoncountyauditor.org is the official site and that a similar domain with an extra letter s is not legitimate.

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 Clinton County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Clinton 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 Clinton County tax certificate sale?

No tax certificate sale date is published by the county. The Treasurer's office posts only real estate tax due dates, given as 1st Half February 14, 2026 and 2nd Half July 31, 2026. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Clinton County hold tax deed sales?

Clinton County holds its tax deed sale once a year. 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County tax sale list?

Clinton County posts its tax sale list at clintonsheriff.com. 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.

More Ohio counties

Browse all 88 Ohio counties

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

Ohio tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Clinton County Treasurer