Geauga County, OH tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Geauga County runs no tax lien certificate sale. Delinquent parcels move through a Treasurer foreclosure filed by the Prosecutor's Real Estate and Tax Section under Ohio Revised Code Chapters 323 and 5721, and then to a Sheriff's land sale.
• •The county calls its tax sales Treasurer's sales, but the Sheriff's Office conducts them. They run at 10:00 a.m. in person at the Geauga County Common Pleas Courthouse, 100 Short Court Street, Chardon, on the courthouse front steps, moving inside in bad weather. Terms are cash or certified check with 10 percent down.
• •The Sheriff's online site at geauga.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, run by Realauction, carries the office's online land sales. The Sheriff's Sales page directs bidders to confirm whether a listed parcel is a mortgage foreclosure or a tax sale before bidding, since both appear on the same list.
• •Parcels that fail to sell are forfeited to the state and sold by the Geauga County Auditor under R.C. Chapter 5723. The Auditor's Office says forfeited land sales are typically held in the fall. The most recent announced sale was October 2, 2025, with registration at 8:30 a.m. and bidding at 9:30 a.m. at the courthouse, pre-registration recommended.
• •At the Auditor's forfeited land sale the starting bid is the market value plus court costs or the delinquency plus court costs, whichever is lower. Full payment is due at the sale by cash, money order or certified check, plus deed preparation, transfer and recording fees, and all bidders must be current on Ohio real estate taxes.
• •Sheriff's Civil Division direct line is (440) 279-2009, select 5. The Sheriff's Office is at 12450 Merritt Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024. The Auditor is at 231 Main Street, Suite 1-A, Chardon, Ohio 44024-1293, (440) 279-1600.

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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