Guernsey County, OH tax sales
Guernsey 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 Cambridge, 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 lien certificate auction date is published by the Guernsey County Treasurer.
- Format
- RealAuction
- County office
- (740) 432-9278
On this page
How Guernsey County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Guernsey County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No tax lien certificate auction date is published by the Guernsey County Treasurer.
- Sale list
- Treasurer's Delinquent List
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
- Guernsey County Sheriff's Office, Civil Division
- Frequency
- annual
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Register for a username and password on the county's RealForeclose site and complete the Ohio Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form, which transmits to the Sheriff's Office once the sale closes. All changes must be made before the sale date. To become a qualified participant you must fund a deposit covering every property you intend to bid on, by the posted deadline. The site states the Ohio deposit requirement is $2,000 if appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 if it is above $10,000 and up to $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000, unless a judge changes it by court order. For tax lien and delinquent tax foreclosure cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer instead and those tiers do not apply. Bidding accepts proxy bids and no bidder has to attend in person.
Sale format and venue
Guernsey County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Guernsey 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 Treasurer's delinquent tax sale list with parcel numbers and minimum bids 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 lien certificate auction date is published by the Guernsey County Treasurer. Bidding runs on RealAuction; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Guernsey County Sheriff's Office, Civil Division as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Guernsey County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Treasurer's delinquent tax sale list with parcel numbers and minimum bids. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Register for a username and password on the county's RealForeclose site and complete the Ohio Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form, which transmits to the Sheriff's Office once the sale closes. All changes must be made before the sale date. To become a qualified participant you must fund a deposit covering every property you intend to bid on, by the posted deadline. The site states the Ohio deposit requirement is $2,000 if appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 if it is above $10,000 and up to $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000, unless a judge changes it by court order. For tax lien and delinquent tax foreclosure cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer instead and those tiers do not apply. Bidding accepts proxy bids and no bidder has to attend in person.
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)
Guernsey County Administration Bldg., 627 Wheeling Avenue, Suite 201, Cambridge, Ohio 43725
Official websiteCounty notes
- County seat is Cambridge. The Treasurer sits in the Guernsey County Administration Building at 627 Wheeling Avenue, Suite 201, while the Clerk of Courts is at 801 Wheeling Avenue, D200, and the Sheriff is at 601 Southgate Parkway.
- Treasurer office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a drive up window and night drop box. Fax is (740) 432-9251 and email is [email protected].
- Clerk of Courts is reachable at (740) 432-9230 and offers public court records search at https://clerkofcourts.guernseycounty.org/eservices/, useful for pulling the underlying foreclosure case before bidding.
- Real estate tax due dates posted for 2026 were February 27 for the first half and July 31 for the second half. Manufactured home taxes were due March 31 and July 31.
- The Treasurer accepts debit and credit cards with a 2.45% fee and e-checks with a $2.00 fee.
- The RealForeclose site is shared infrastructure across roughly 88 Ohio county sheriff sites, so verify you are on the Guernsey subdomain before registering or depositing.
- The Treasurer's tax sale PDF filename carries its update date, so the link changes when the county republishes the list. Reach it from the "Delq Tax Sale Dates" link on the Treasurer home page if the dated URL stops resolving.
- No forfeited land sale under Ohio Rev. Code Chapter 5723 was confirmed for this county. The Auditor's site blocked automated retrieval, so the forfeited land path remains unverified here.
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 Guernsey County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Guernsey County tax certificate sale?
How often does Guernsey County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Guernsey 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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