Lorain County, OH tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Lorain County is the deed path in practice. No tax certificate sale is advertised by the Lorain County Treasurer; delinquent parcels move through judicial foreclosure with the Treasurer as plaintiff and are then sold by the Sheriff.
• •Tax foreclosure sales are conducted in person by verbal auction at the Lorain County Administration Building, 226 Middle Ave, 4th floor, Elyria. Bidders need photo identification and a cashier's check on hand.
• •The Sheriff's online RealForeclose site (Realauction) handles the civil and mortgage foreclosure calendar. Do not assume a Treasurer tax case will appear there; the counts on the two lists did not match for the August 19, 2026 sale date.
• •Starting bids on tax cases are not posted until roughly one week before the sale, so the listing looks incomplete until then.
• •Many Lorain County sheriff sales are cancelled the day before the sale, per the Sheriff's own instruction to call or re-check the site before attending.
• •Treasurer staff directory lists a dedicated Delinquent Tax Collector at (440) 329-5497 for delinquency questions.
• •The Lorain County Auditor publishes a free searchable delinquent tax list at loraincountyauditor.gov/DelinquentList, filterable by tax year and tax district, which is the practical pre-sale research list for this county.
• •Note that the older county domain loraincounty.us no longer resolves and www.loraincounty.com is now a community events site, not the government portal. The current official sites are loraincountytreasurer.gov, loraincountysheriff.com, loraincountyauditor.gov and coc.loraincountyohio.gov.

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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