Licking County, OH tax sales
Licking 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 Newark, under R.C. Chapter 5721.
New to tax sales? Read how Ohio tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- Scheduled Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.
- Format
- RealAuction
- Registration
- Every bidder must register with Realauction and complete the Purchaser Information Form.
- County office
- 740-670-5010
On this page
How Licking County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Licking County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No tax certificate sale date is published by the county.
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
- Licking County Sheriff's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Scheduled Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.
- Registration
- Every bidder must register with Realauction and complete the Purchaser Information Form.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Every bidder must register with Realauction and complete the Purchaser Information Form. Deposits must be on file with Realauction before bidding: $2,000 if the appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 for appraised values from $10,000.01 to $200,000, and $10,000 for appraised values above $200,000. Wire transfer deposits must be received by 5:00 p.m. two business days before the Thursday auction, and ACH debit deposits must be initiated by 4:00 p.m. five business days before. The balance of the purchase price is due within 30 days after confirmation of sale by certified bank check or title company check payable to the Licking County Sheriff's Office. Realauction runs webinar training for registrants at 1-877-361-7325.
Sale format and venue
Licking County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Licking 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 Sheriff's sales listing with sale date, case number, address, appraised value and sale type for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
Scheduled Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. 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 Licking County Sheriff's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Licking County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Sheriff's sales listing with sale date, case number, address, appraised value and sale type. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Every bidder must register with Realauction and complete the Purchaser Information Form. Deposits must be on file with Realauction before bidding: $2,000 if the appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 for appraised values from $10,000.01 to $200,000, and $10,000 for appraised values above $200,000. Wire transfer deposits must be received by 5:00 p.m. two business days before the Thursday auction, and ACH debit deposits must be initiated by 4:00 p.m. five business days before. The balance of the purchase price is due within 30 days after confirmation of sale by certified bank check or title company check payable to the Licking County Sheriff's Office. Realauction runs webinar training for registrants at 1-877-361-7325.
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
- Licking County's tax sale activity runs through the deed path. The Sheriff's Office sells tax foreclosure parcels online at licking.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, the Official Public Sheriff's Sale Website operated by Realauction.
- The Sheriff's own foreclosure listing at apps.lickingcounty.gov/sheriff/foreclosures/ tags each case as Tax Sale or Mortgage, so investors can separate delinquent tax cases from mortgage foreclosures before bidding.
- No tax lien certificate sale is advertised on Licking County's Treasurer pages, and a site restricted search of lickingcounty.gov for the phrase tax certificate returned no results. Confirm current practice with the Treasurer at 740-670-5010.
- The Treasurer's OnTrac tax and property portal at ontrac.lickingcounty.gov is behind a bot challenge and could not be read during this review, which is why the certificate side is recorded as unconfirmed rather than absent.
- The Sheriff's Office is at 155 E Main St., Newark, OH 43055, general line 740-670-5555, with a dedicated sheriff's sales information line at 740-670-5544 and the Civil Division at 740-670-5541.
- Sheriff's sales are advertised in the Newark Advocate once a week for three consecutive weeks before the day of sale, on the same day of the week.
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 Licking County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Licking County tax certificate sale?
How often does Licking County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Licking 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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