Fairfield County, OH tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •The county seat is Lancaster. The Treasurer's Office sits at 210 East Main Street, Room 105, Lancaster, OH 43130 and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm.
• •The Fairfield County Sheriff's Office main office and jail are at 345 Lincoln Avenue, Lancaster, OH 43130, main line 740-652-7900. The Civil Bureau line dedicated to sheriff sales is 740-652-7325.
• •The current Fairfield County Treasurer is James N. Bahnsen. The Prosecuting Attorney, who files the tax foreclosure actions, is Kyle Witt at 239 West Main Street, Suite 101, Lancaster, OH 43130, 740-652-7560.
• •Delinquency penalties in Fairfield County follow ORC 323.17: 10 percent of current taxes due, reduced to 5 percent within the first ten days after the due date. Interest is added August 1 on any prior delinquency and December 1 on any unpaid taxes.
• •The Treasurer publishes an excess funds list covering surplus proceeds from completed tax foreclosures, reachable from the Treasurer's home page under Tax Sale Excess Funds.
• •The Realauction site also links a Purchaser Information Form and a Tax Foreclosure Affidavit that winning bidders must complete.

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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