Madison County, OH tax sales
Madison 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 London, under R.C. Chapter 5721.
New to tax sales? Read how Ohio tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- Foreclosure auctions are held online on scheduled Fridays at 10:00 AM Eastern.
- Format
- RealAuction
- County office
- (740) 852-1936
On this page
How Madison County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Madison County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No tax certificate sale date is published for Madison 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
- Madison County Sheriff's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Foreclosure auctions are held online on scheduled Fridays at 10:00 AM Eastern.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Register on the county auction site for a username and password 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 be a qualified participant you must post a deposit covering the total requirement for every property you intend to bid on. The site states the Ohio deposit schedule as $2,000 when appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 when value is above $10,000 through $200,000, and $10,000 when value exceeds $200,000, unless a judge orders otherwise. On tax lien and delinquent tax foreclosure cases the Treasurer sets the deposit instead. Wire deposits must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern two business days before the auction; ACH and wire are accepted, cash and international funds are not. Bidders do not have to attend in person and may leave proxy bids.
Sale format and venue
Madison County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Madison 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 Madison County Sheriff sale auction calendar 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
Foreclosure auctions are held online on scheduled Fridays at 10:00 AM 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 Madison County Sheriff's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Madison County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Madison County Sheriff sale auction calendar. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Register on the county auction site for a username and password 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 be a qualified participant you must post a deposit covering the total requirement for every property you intend to bid on. The site states the Ohio deposit schedule as $2,000 when appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 when value is above $10,000 through $200,000, and $10,000 when value exceeds $200,000, unless a judge orders otherwise. On tax lien and delinquent tax foreclosure cases the Treasurer sets the deposit instead. Wire deposits must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern two business days before the auction; ACH and wire are accepted, cash and international funds are not. Bidders do not have to attend in person and may leave proxy bids.
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
- Madison County Sheriff's Office, the office that conducts the foreclosure auctions: 23 W. High Street, London, OH 43140, phone 740-852-1212. Its site links directly to the county's online sheriff sale platform.
- Madison County Clerk of Courts: 1 N. Main Street, P.O. Box 557, London, OH 43140-0557, phone (740) 852-9776, fax (740) 845-1778, [email protected]. The Clerk holds the foreclosure case files and the auction site links out to a Clerk of Courts record search, but the Clerk does not conduct the sale.
- Treasurer detail: Stacey McKenzie, Madison County Treasurer, toll free (877) 454-3309, fax (740) 845-1775, [email protected], office hours 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday, closed federal holidays. The office is on the main floor of the courthouse at 1 North Main Street, London.
- Madison County real estate tax first half was due February 13, 2026 and the second half due date is listed as July 15, 2026. Unpaid taxes draw a 5 percent penalty within the first 10 days after the due date and 10 percent after 10 days, with interest added July 1 and December 1.
- The Madison County Auditor site at auditor.co.madison.oh.us is behind a bot challenge and could not be read, so any Auditor-run forfeited land sale under Ohio Rev. Code Chapter 5723 remains unverified for this county.
- The online auction site is a statewide Realauction deployment with a county switcher covering most Ohio counties; confirm you are on the Madison County subdomain before registering or depositing funds.
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 Madison County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Madison County tax certificate sale?
How often does Madison County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Madison 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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