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Tax Sale Atlas

Ottawa County, OH tax sales

Ottawa 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 Port Clinton, under R.C. Chapter 5721.

New to tax sales? Read how Ohio tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Sales run on Friday mornings.
Format
RealAuction
Registration
Registration on the auction site is mandatory before bidding.
County office
(419) 734-6750
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Ottawa County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Ottawa County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Sale list
County delinquent tax list by taxing district (Auditor)
When it runs
No tax certificate sale date, bidder deadline, or sale calendar is published on the Treasurer's site. Investors should call the Treasurer at (419) 734-6750 to confirm whether a certificate sale is scheduled.
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
The Treasurer's FAQ answers "Do you sell real property for taxes owed?" this way: "Real property cannot be sold for the dollar amount owed in back taxes. However, if the taxes owed are two years delinquent and a payment plan has not been followed to bring the taxes current, the property may be sold at Sheriff's sale by the Treasurer, for 2/3 of the appraised value, unless the taxpayer has filed for bankruptcy protection. Tax lien sales are conducted in Ottawa County." That last sentence is the only county statement on the lien path, and the site publishes no certificate list, no bidder registration process, no auction platform, and no sale date to go with it. Under Ohio Rev. Code 5721.32 and 5721.33 a county sells tax certificates only when its treasurer elects to, so confirm directly with the office at (419) 734-6750 before planning around a certificate purchase. No online certificate auction platform is confirmed for this county. The Treasurer also offers delinquent taxpayers a payment plan, which pulls parcels back out of the pipeline.
Source: Ottawa County Treasurer, Frequently Asked Questions· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Tax deed sale

RealAuction
Run by
Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, Civil Division
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Sales run on Friday mornings.
Registration
Registration on the auction site is mandatory before bidding.
Sale list
Properties and Sale Dates on the Ottawa County sheriff sale auction site
When it runs
Sales run on Friday mornings. The Sheriff's Office states: "Sale dates for the bank foreclosure sales will remain on Friday morning at 10am." The county auction calendar confirms the pattern, showing a foreclosure auction on Friday, August 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET.
Registration and deposit

Registration on the auction site is mandatory before bidding. The Sheriff's Office states: "You must register on the site prior to being able to bid on any property" and "You must submit your deposit to the auction site in order to bid." Deposits go in by bank wire transfer, completed 2 business days before the sale date, or by ACH, completed 5 business days before. No cash deposits are accepted, and losing bidders get the deposit refunded through the auction site. Judgment creditors are told remote bids are not accepted and that they must follow the conditions set in Realauction. Realauction runs roughly 90 minute online training sessions by advance registration; its customer service line is 877-361-7325.

Sale format and venue
This is the deed path in Ottawa County and the Sheriff conducts the auction, including sales the Treasurer brings for two-year delinquency. All sheriff foreclosure sales are online, which the office says is "in accordance with the Ohio Administrative Code." At first sale a property cannot sell for less than 2/3 of the appraised amount unless the newspaper advertisement in the Port Clinton News Herald says otherwise. If no buyer takes it at first sale, House Bill 390 sets a second sale date, advertised in the first publication, with no minimum bid; a second-sale purchaser is responsible for costs, allowances, and taxes the sale proceeds fail to cover. The Sheriff's Office says it has no information on liens and taxes and no keys, appraisals are exterior only, and buyers may not enter a property until the court confirms the sale, payment clears, and the deed is recorded. Full legal descriptions sit with the Ottawa County Recorder at 315 Madison St., Port Clinton. Civil Division contacts are Deputy Rhonda Reiter and Deputy Kendra Berlin at (419) 734-6824, fax (419) 734-6876, Sheriff's Office at 315 Madison Street, Room 110, Port Clinton, OH 43452. One caution: the Treasurer's site also links to private auction and listing companies such as ohiosheriffsales.com, ohioforeclosures.com, auction.com, and roup.com. Those are private sites, not the county's auction platform; county sheriff sale bidding happens on the Realauction site above.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sales· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Ottawa County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Ottawa 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 Properties and Sale Dates on the Ottawa County sheriff sale auction site for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Registration on the auction site is mandatory before bidding. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Sales run on Friday mornings. 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 Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, Civil Division as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Ottawa County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Properties and Sale Dates on the Ottawa County sheriff sale auction site. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration on the auction site is mandatory before bidding. The Sheriff's Office states: "You must register on the site prior to being able to bid on any property" and "You must submit your deposit to the auction site in order to bid." Deposits go in by bank wire transfer, completed 2 business days before the sale date, or by ACH, completed 5 business days before. No cash deposits are accepted, and losing bidders get the deposit refunded through the auction site. Judgment creditors are told remote bids are not accepted and that they must follow the conditions set in Realauction. Realauction runs roughly 90 minute online training sessions by advance registration; its customer service line is 877-361-7325.

  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)

Ottawa County Treasurer's Office

(419) 734-6750

315 Madison St., Room 201, Ottawa County Courthouse, Port Clinton, OH 43452

Official website

County notes

  • County seat is Port Clinton. The courthouse at 315 Madison Street holds the Treasurer (Room 201), Auditor (Room 202), and Sheriff (Room 110).
  • The Treasurer is Anthony L. Hatmaker; office hours are 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday, phone (419) 734-6750, fax (419) 734-6738.
  • The Auditor is Jennifer J. Widmer, 315 Madison Street, Room 202, phone (419) 734-6740, and the Auditor's site carries both the delinquent tax list and a link to the Sheriff Sales page.
  • The Auditor's delinquent list is filterable by tax year and broken out by township and municipality, which is the practical starting point for sourcing parcels before a sale is scheduled.
  • The Sheriff's auction site is part of Ohio's statewide sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov network operated by Realauction; the same platform serves more than 80 Ohio counties and carries a purchaser information form plus delinquent tax affidavits.
  • Deed-side logistics are county-verified. Certificate-side logistics are not: the Treasurer's FAQ asserts tax lien sales are conducted here but publishes no platform, list, registration process, or date, so the certificate path needs a phone confirmation before an investor relies on it.

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 Ottawa County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Ottawa 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 Ottawa County tax certificate sale?

No tax certificate sale date, bidder deadline, or sale calendar is published on the Treasurer's site. Investors should call the Treasurer at (419) 734-6750 to confirm whether a certificate sale is scheduled. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Ottawa County hold tax deed sales?

Ottawa County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Sales run on Friday mornings. 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 Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, Civil Division 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 Ottawa County tax sale list?

Ottawa County posts its tax sale list at ottawa.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 Ottawa County Treasurer's Office