Fayette County, OH tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •County seat is Washington Court House. The Sheriff's Office is at 1500 Robinson Road SE, Washington Court House, OH 43160, phone 740-335-6170, fax 740-333-3597.
• •Fayette County Treasurer Penny Patton, 133 S. Main Street Suite 304, Washington Court House, OH 43160, phone (740) 335-4961, [email protected], open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Treasurer collects taxes and publishes the delinquent list but posts no certificate sale.
• •Fayette County Clerk of Courts Sandra I. Wilson, 110 E. Court Street, 3rd Floor Court House, Washington Court House, OH 43160, phone 740-335-6371, fax 740-333-3522, [email protected]. The Clerk holds the Common Pleas foreclosure case file behind each Sheriff sale and offers a records search at https://courts.fayette-co-oh.com/, but publishes no separate sale list.
• •Fayette County Auditor Brenda Mossbarger, 133 S. Main St., Suite 303, Washington Court House, OH 43160, phone (740) 335-6461. The Auditor posts a Certified Tax Year 2024 Delinquent List as a spreadsheet and shows tax due dates of February 24, 2026 for the first half and July 21, 2026 for the second half.
• •The main county portal at fayette-co-oh.com has no Treasurer department page of its own. Its Treasurer's Office link redirects to fayettecountytreasurer.org and its Sheriff link goes to faycoso.com, so sale information is not on the main portal.
• •The Realauction platform blocks some automated tools but loads normally in a regular browser. The auction calendar and the preview list of items for sale are readable without an account; case detail requires a registered login.
• •Realauction's Fayette site links out to Clerk of Courts, Auditor, Recorder and Treasurer search tools plus the Purchaser Information Form, which is the sensible first stop for pre-bid research.
• •The Sheriff's notice contains a typo in the sentence about the bidding window, reading that properties open for bid at least seven days immediately "proper to" the date of sale. Read that as seven days prior to the sale date, which matches the deposit deadlines stated in the same notice.

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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