Fulton County, OH tax sales
Fulton 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 Wauseon, under R.C. Chapter 5721.
New to tax sales? Read how Ohio tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- No tax certificate sale is scheduled.
- Format
- In person
- County office
- (419) 337-9252
On this page
How Fulton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Fulton County Treasurer's Office, the office Ohio Rev. Code 5721.32 and 5721.33 authorize to sell tax certificates. No certificate sale is offered in this county.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No tax certificate sale is scheduled.
When it runs
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
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Fulton County Sheriff's Office, selling parcels foreclosed for delinquent taxes under orders of the Fulton County Court of Common Pleas after the Treasurer certifies the delinquency to the Prosecutor
- Frequency
- annual
- Sale list
- Fulton County Sheriff Sales Listing
When it runs
Registration and deposit
For the in person delinquent tax sales the listing states, "WINNING BID DEPOSIT WILL BE $5,000 DUE THE DAY OF SALE. BALANCE OF PURCHASE PRICE DUE WITHIN 20 DAYS." No advance online registration is described for those sales; bidders attend at the Sheriff's Office, 129 Courthouse Plaza, Wauseon, OH 43567. For the county's separate online sheriff sale docket the county states, "All persons who want to bid on a property offered by the Fulton County Sheriff's office must register with Realauction," with a deposit set by appraised value: $2,000 if the appraised value is less than $10,000, $5,000 from $10,000 to less than $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000. Wire transfers must arrive by 5pm two business days before the auction sale date, and ACH deposits must be initiated by 4pm five business days before. Realauction runs bidder training webinars of roughly 90 minutes.
Sale format and venue
Fulton County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Fulton 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.
Get the advertised list
Use Fulton County Sheriff Sales Listing for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
No tax certificate sale is scheduled. 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.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Fulton County Sheriff's Office, selling parcels foreclosed for delinquent taxes under orders of the Fulton County Court of Common Pleas after the Treasurer certifies the delinquency to the Prosecutor as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Fulton County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Fulton County Sheriff Sales Listing. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
For the in person delinquent tax sales the listing states, "WINNING BID DEPOSIT WILL BE $5,000 DUE THE DAY OF SALE. BALANCE OF PURCHASE PRICE DUE WITHIN 20 DAYS." No advance online registration is described for those sales; bidders attend at the Sheriff's Office, 129 Courthouse Plaza, Wauseon, OH 43567. For the county's separate online sheriff sale docket the county states, "All persons who want to bid on a property offered by the Fulton County Sheriff's office must register with Realauction," with a deposit set by appraised value: $2,000 if the appraised value is less than $10,000, $5,000 from $10,000 to less than $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000. Wire transfers must arrive by 5pm two business days before the auction sale date, and ACH deposits must be initiated by 4pm five business days before. Realauction runs bidder training webinars of roughly 90 minutes.
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.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
unsold liens and deeds
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)
County notes
- County seat is Wauseon. The Treasurer sits at 152 S. Fulton St. Suite 155, the Clerk of Courts at 210 S Fulton St #102, and the Sheriff at 129 Courthouse Plaza, all in Wauseon. Source key: treasurer, clerk, sheriff.
- Fulton County Sheriff's Office: 129 Courthouse Plaza, Wauseon, OH 43567, phone (419) 335-4010. This is the office that conducts the delinquent tax sales in person. Source key: sheriff.
- Fulton County Clerk of Courts: 210 S Fulton St #102, Wauseon, OH 43567, phone (419) 337-9230, hours 8:30am to 4:30pm. The office is responsible for "issuing and maintaining the records of the Common Pleas Court, the Sixth District Court of Appeals, and the Title Division," which is where tax foreclosure case files live. Source key: clerk.
- Treasurer's office hours are listed as "8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday" and the office email is [email protected]. Source key: treasurer, treasurer-faq.
- Delinquent timeline: "Delinquent tax bills are mailed in August and are due in September." After that deadline the County Auditor prepares a delinquent tax list for publication in the local newspaper. Source key: treasurer-taxes.
- The Treasurer states that "The names of delinquent taxpayers are published by the Auditor in the newspaper, as required by law," so there is no county-hosted standing delinquent parcel list to record. Source key: treasurer.
- The Treasurer's FAQ gives no fixed foreclosure clock. Asked how long an owner has before foreclosure, the office answers, "A specific date is not available. However, we are willing to work with those having trouble paying their taxes." Source key: treasurer-faq.
- The county posts a second copy of the sale notice at https://www.fultoncountyoh.com/656/Sheriff-Sales-Listing, carrying the same in person delinquent tax sale language and the same August 2026 dates. Source key: sheriff-sale-list-alt.
- Sale results are posted on the same listing page. One property at 311 S Defiance St, Archbold, case 25CV71, sold to the plaintiff on July 2, 2026 for $136,040. Source key: sheriff-sale-list.
- The county home page links a MuniciPay portal at https://payments.municipay.com/oh_fulton/search for real estate tax payments. That is a payment portal for current owners, not an auction platform. Source key: county-home.
- The Auditor's Real Estate page covers Board of Revision, CAUV, Homestead Exemption, manufactured homes, real estate tax, and property transfers, and lists no forfeited land sale or Auditor's sale. Source key: auditor-real-estate.
- The Realauction address the county names, https://fulton.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov/, returned an HTTP 403 to an automated fetch, which is a firewall response rather than a dead link. It was not independently confirmed, so it is quoted only from the county page and is not recorded as the tax sale platform. Source key: sheriff-sale-info.
Ohio rules
- 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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Does Fulton County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Fulton County tax certificate sale?
How often does Fulton County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Fulton County tax sale list?
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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