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Tax Sale Atlas

Lucas County, OH tax sales

Lucas 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 Toledo, 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 sale date is published.
Format
RealAuction
County office
419-213-4305
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Lucas County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Lucas County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
No tax lien certificate sale date is published. The Lucas County Treasurer's site carries no certificate sale schedule as of August 2026.
Registration
No certificate bidder registration is published by the Lucas County Treasurer.
Registration and deposit

No certificate bidder registration is published by the Lucas County Treasurer.

Sale format and venue
Ohio Rev. Code 5721.32 and 5721.33 permit a county treasurer to sell tax certificates by public auction or negotiated sale, but neither section requires it. Every page on the Lucas County Treasurer's site was checked and none advertises a tax certificate sale, a certificate bidder registration, or a certificate sale list. The Treasurer's published delinquency route is judicial tax foreclosure instead, including a Foreclosure Request Program that lets a qualified purchaser ask the Treasurer to foreclose on a specific delinquent parcel for a refundable $5,000 per parcel cost deposit. No platform is confirmed for a Lucas County certificate sale. Investors seeking Lucas County tax liens should confirm current practice with the Treasurer's delinquency line at 419-213-4055 before assuming certificates are offered.
Source: Lucas County Treasurer's Office (official site)· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Tax deed sale

RealAuction
Run by
Lucas County Sheriff's Office (tax foreclosure sales ordered by the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas)
Frequency
annual
Sale list
Sheriff sale auction calendar and monthly sale list
When it runs
Monthly, on a Thursday, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The Treasurer's page states tax foreclosure auctions are "held monthly, on a date scheduled by the Sheriff's Office (almost always the second Thursday)" and that "A second sale is held two weeks after the first for properties that did not sell at the first tax foreclosure auction of the month." The Sheriff's page states all sheriff's sales "Begin at 10:00 a.m."
Registration and deposit

Bidders create an account and register online at lucas.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, then submit the deposit electronically through the platform. Deposits follow Lucas County Common Pleas Local Rule 5.02(D)(1): on non-appraised parcels, 10 percent of the starting bid with a $1,000 minimum and $5,000 maximum, where the starting bid equals delinquent taxes and costs; on appraised parcels, 5 percent of appraised value within the same $1,000 to $5,000 band. Under Ohio Rev. Code 5721.19(J), every tax foreclosure bidder must also submit a completed and notarized Delinquent Tax Affidavit to the Sheriff's Office no later than 10:00 a.m. on the Wednesday before the Thursday auction, at least 24 hours before the sale; separate forms exist for individuals and organizations, and a bidder who misses the deadline is not eligible to purchase. Competitive bids move in increments of at least $25. The debtor may redeem until the court confirms the sale, and the winning bidder must pay the remaining balance within 30 days of notification after confirmation.

Sale format and venue
Sales are fully online. The Sheriff's Office states that effective March 12, 2026 both mortgage foreclosure and tax foreclosure sheriff's sales run online through the Official Public Sheriff's Sale Website operated by RealAuction under a contract with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, and that "Sheriff's sales are no longer conducted in person." Mortgage foreclosure auctions run Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. on the same platform, so filter the calendar by case number: CI denotes a mortgage foreclosure and TF denotes a tax foreclosure. Tax foreclosure parcels are sold for delinquent taxes and costs. A parcel marked with a dagger is abandoned land and is offered only at the first sale date; a parcel marked with an asterisk is nonproductive land and may be sold or transferred to an electing subdivision if no bid meets the statutory requirements. Those determinations are made by the Treasurer's Office. Properties sell as is, the Sheriff does not guarantee clear title or provide interior access, and there is no tax proration. Questions on tax foreclosure sales go to the Sheriff's Office at 419-213-4786. Separately, the Lucas County Auditor's Office runs an annual in person Forfeited Land Sale under Ohio Rev. Code Chapter 5723, held in the Commissioners' Hearing Room on the first floor of One Government Center in Toledo. The Auditor's page most recently advertised that sale for Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 9:00 A.M., with free online pre-registration closing at 11:59 P.M. one week before and no day-of registration, minimum bids of $300 for land and $1,000 for improved parcels, cash only payment or 50 percent deposit at the close of each parcel, and an $85 per parcel deed and recording fee under R.C. 5723.12(A). Call the Auditor at 419-213-4406 for the current forfeited land sale date.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Lucas County Sheriff's Office - Sheriff's Sales and Foreclosures· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Lucas County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Lucas 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.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use Sheriff sale auction calendar and monthly sale list for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    No tax lien certificate sale date is published. Bidding runs on RealAuction; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Lucas County Sheriff's Office (tax foreclosure sales ordered by the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Lucas County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Sheriff sale auction calendar and monthly sale list. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidders create an account and register online at lucas.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, then submit the deposit electronically through the platform. Deposits follow Lucas County Common Pleas Local Rule 5.02(D)(1): on non-appraised parcels, 10 percent of the starting bid with a $1,000 minimum and $5,000 maximum, where the starting bid equals delinquent taxes and costs; on appraised parcels, 5 percent of appraised value within the same $1,000 to $5,000 band. Under Ohio Rev. Code 5721.19(J), every tax foreclosure bidder must also submit a completed and notarized Delinquent Tax Affidavit to the Sheriff's Office no later than 10:00 a.m. on the Wednesday before the Thursday auction, at least 24 hours before the sale; separate forms exist for individuals and organizations, and a bidder who misses the deadline is not eligible to purchase. Competitive bids move in increments of at least $25. The debtor may redeem until the court confirms the sale, and the winning bidder must pay the remaining balance within 30 days of notification after confirmation.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

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)

Lucas County Treasurer's Office

419-213-4305

One Government Center, Suite 500, Toledo, OH 43604

Official website

County notes

  • Lucas County (county seat Toledo) runs the deed path only. No tax lien certificate sale is advertised anywhere on the Treasurer's site as of August 2026.
  • Two distinct deed-side sales exist. The Sheriff's monthly online tax foreclosure auction under R.C. 5721.19 and 323.25 is the regular route. The Auditor's annual in person Forfeited Land Sale under R.C. Chapter 5723 clears parcels that failed to sell at foreclosure.
  • The Sheriff's platform hosts both mortgage and tax foreclosure sales. Case numbers beginning CI are mortgage foreclosures and are not tax sales; TF case numbers are the tax foreclosures.
  • The Delinquent Tax Affidavit under R.C. 5721.19(J) is a hard gate. The Sheriff will not transfer title to a purchaser who owes delinquent taxes on any Ohio property, and a bidder who misses the 10:00 a.m. Wednesday filing deadline may have the sale vacated and the deposit forfeited.
  • The Treasurer runs a Foreclosure Request Program letting a qualified purchaser request judicial tax foreclosure on a specific parcel for a refundable $5,000 per parcel cost deposit. It does not guarantee a foreclosure or that the parcel reaches auction.
  • Treasurer contact lines: main 419-213-4305, delinquencies 419-213-4055. Sheriff tax foreclosure sale questions: 419-213-4786. Auditor forfeited land sale: 419-213-4406.

Ohio rules

Max interest rate
18% per year, bid down in 0.25% steps
Minimum return
6% floor at redemption
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.
Governing statute
R.C. Chapter 5721

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.

See the full Ohiorules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Lucas County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Lucas County follows Ohio's hybrid system. The County Treasurer sells tax lien certificates, and the County Sheriff handles the tax deed sale on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed.

When is the Lucas County tax certificate sale?

No tax lien certificate sale date is published. The Lucas County Treasurer's site carries no certificate sale schedule as of August 2026. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Lucas County hold tax deed sales?

Lucas County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Ohio's redemption rule: 1 year after the certificate sale before the holder can request foreclosure; redemption then stays open until confirmation of sale. Call the Lucas County Sheriff's Office (tax foreclosure sales ordered by the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas) as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Where can I find the Lucas County tax sale list?

Lucas County posts its tax sale list at lucas.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

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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Call Lucas County Treasurer's Office