Montgomery County, OH tax sales
Montgomery 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 Dayton, under R.C. Chapter 5721.
New to tax sales? Read how Ohio tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- Two separate schedules.
- Format
- RealAuction
- County office
- 937-225-4010
On this page
How Montgomery County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Montgomery County Treasurer (Delinquency Department)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, held on a Friday in December.
- Registration
- No public bidder registration is published.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
No public bidder registration is published. Montgomery County sells under the negotiated procedure of Ohio Rev. Code 5721.33, and the Treasurer's notice states: "The tax lien certificates are not available for purchase individually." Certificates are conveyed in a negotiated block rather than parcel by parcel at open auction, so retail investors cannot bid on single liens. Investors seeking access should contact the Treasurer's Delinquency Department at 937-225-4010, option 2.
Sale format and venue
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (Sheriff's Real Estate Sales)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Two separate schedules.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
For the Friday online sales, register at the RealAuction site and post a per-property deposit before the auction. Tax lien foreclosure sales require $1,000 plus transfer and recording fees of $47.50 plus $0.50 for each additional parcel. Mortgage foreclosure deposits scale with appraised value: $2,000 at or under $10,000, $5,000 above $10,000 through $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000. Deposits must be bank wire or ACH; RealAuction accepts no cash. Wires must arrive by 5 p.m. ET two business days before the sale, and ACH must be initiated by 4 p.m. ET five business days before. For the in-person monthly Treasurer's Tax Sale, the winning bidder deposits $1,000 plus the same transfer and recording fees immediately after the sale, payable by cash, certified check, or a local personal check with photo ID signed in the office. Bidder training and platform support: RealAuction at (877) 361-7325.
Sale format and venue
Montgomery County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Montgomery 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 list of properties for sale 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
Two separate schedules. 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 Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (Sheriff's Real Estate Sales) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Montgomery County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Sheriff's list of properties for sale. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
For the Friday online sales, register at the RealAuction site and post a per-property deposit before the auction. Tax lien foreclosure sales require $1,000 plus transfer and recording fees of $47.50 plus $0.50 for each additional parcel. Mortgage foreclosure deposits scale with appraised value: $2,000 at or under $10,000, $5,000 above $10,000 through $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000. Deposits must be bank wire or ACH; RealAuction accepts no cash. Wires must arrive by 5 p.m. ET two business days before the sale, and ACH must be initiated by 4 p.m. ET five business days before. For the in-person monthly Treasurer's Tax Sale, the winning bidder deposits $1,000 plus the same transfer and recording fees immediately after the sale, payable by cash, certified check, or a local personal check with photo ID signed in the office. Bidder training and platform support: RealAuction at (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
- Montgomery County runs both Ohio paths, but only the deed path is open to individual bidders. The Treasurer's annual tax certificate sale is a negotiated block sale under Ohio Rev. Code 5721.33, and the county states certificates are not available for purchase individually.
- Retail investors who want Montgomery County tax-delinquent real estate buy at the Sheriff's sales: weekly online tax lien foreclosure auctions on RealAuction, or the monthly in-person Treasurer's Tax Sale.
- Three distinct sale types share the Sheriff's auction list: mortgage foreclosures, tax lien foreclosures brought by certificate holders, and Treasurer's tax sales. Confirm which type a parcel falls under before bidding, because deposit amounts and payment deadlines differ.
- The Treasurer's office directs delinquency and foreclosure sale questions to 937-225-4010, option 2, or [email protected]. The Sheriff's real estate sales desk is a separate contact at (937) 496-3065.
- County contacts and departments sit under the mcohio.org domain. The older mctreas.org address now redirects to https://www.mcohio.org/mctreas.
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 Montgomery County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Montgomery County tax certificate sale?
How often does Montgomery County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Montgomery 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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