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Tax Sale Atlas

Putnam County, OH tax sales

Putnam 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 Ottawa, under R.C. Chapter 5721.

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

Next sale
Scheduled case by case as the court orders, then advertised.
Format
RealAuction
Registration
Two tracks, so check the advertisement for the specific parcel.
County office
(419) 523-6588
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Putnam County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Putnam County Treasurer's Office (no tax certificate sale is offered in this county)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
No tax certificate sale date is published.
Registration
No certificate sale registration process exists in Putnam County.
When it runs
No tax certificate sale date is published. The Treasurer's office advertises no certificate sale calendar; delinquent parcels go to judicial tax foreclosure instead.
Registration and deposit

No certificate sale registration process exists in Putnam County. Confirm current practice with the Putnam County Treasurer's Office at (419) 523-6588 before assuming certificates are available here.

Sale format and venue
Ohio Revised Code 5721.32 and 5721.33 let a county treasurer sell tax certificates, but that authority is optional and Putnam County does not use it. The Treasurer's page covers billing, semi-annual due dates, monthly and semi-annual prepayment plans, and credit card or e-check payment through Gov Pay, and its only delinquency guidance is: "WHAT TO DO IF YOUR ACCOUNT IS DELINQUENT: Payment plans are available. Please contact The Treasurer's Office at 419.523.6588 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m." There is no mention of a tax certificate sale, tax lien sale, or investor bidding anywhere on that page. What Putnam does instead is visible on the Sheriff's tax sale listing, where the plaintiff is "Tracy Warnecke, Treasurer of Putnam County": the Treasurer files a tax foreclosure in the Court of Common Pleas and the Sheriff sells the property. Investors seeking a Putnam County position should work the deed path described in the tax deed sale block, not a certificate purchase.
Source: Putnam County Treasurer, Tracy L. Warnecke· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Tax deed sale

RealAuction
Run by
Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sale Section (sales ordered by the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas on tax foreclosure complaints filed by the Putnam County Treasurer)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Scheduled case by case as the court orders, then advertised.
Registration
Two tracks, so check the advertisement for the specific parcel.
Sale list
Tax sales, current properties (Putnam County Sheriff)
When it runs
Scheduled case by case as the court orders, then advertised. The Sheriff's FAQ states: "Sales are held on Mondays at 10:00 a.m., unless otherwise noted, on the first floor of the east door of the Putnam County Courthouse, 245 E. Main St., Ottawa, Ohio." For the online track the Sheriff states: "Each Monday (providing there is an open sale), at 10:00 am, Eastern Time, the online auction will begin." For the tax track specifically the Sheriff states: "Tax Sales are normally held at the Putnam County Court House, 245 E. Main Street, Ottawa, Ohio on the first floor at the east door of the courthouse. Tax sales will be conducted as advertised in the Putnam County Sentinel." Ads run once per week for a minimum of three consecutive weeks before the sale date. The most recent tax sale posted by the county ran March 20, 2025 at 10 a.m. at the Putnam County Courthouse, with a second offering set for April 10, 2025 at 10 a.m. that was cancelled because the parcel sold at the first sale.
Registration and deposit

Two tracks, so check the advertisement for the specific parcel. Online: every bidder must register with Realauction at putnam.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov and complete the Purchaser Information Form. Properties open for proxy bidding at least seven days before the sale date. Deposits are set by appraised value: $2,000 if appraised under $10,000, $5,000 if $10,000 to $200,000, and $10,000 if greater than $200,000. Wire deposits must reach Realauction two business days before the sale, and ACH debit deposits by 4 p.m. Eastern seven days before the Monday auction. Plaintiffs and judgment creditors named in the court order are not required to meet the advertised deposit. Realauction runs webinar bidder training; its customer service line is 877.361.7325, open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern. In person at the courthouse: the Sheriff states "There is no prior registration" and "All Third Party bidding is done at the sale." You or a representative must appear to bid, the deposit is due at the Sheriff's Office Civil Division by 4:00 p.m. on the day of sale, and you complete the Purchaser Information Form when you make the deposit. Payment is by certified check or bank money order only, with no personal checks, company checks, letters of credit, credit cards, or debit cards. The county's posted 2025 tax sale carried harsher terms than a mortgage foreclosure, requiring the purchase price to be paid in full on the day of sale.

Sale format and venue
Read the platform field with care. Since August 2021 the Sheriff conducts "the sale of all real estate subject to foreclosure (with praecipes filed after July 1, 2021)" on the Official Public Sheriff's Sale Website operated by Realauction under a contract with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, and that site loads as "RealForeclose, Putnam County Sheriff." The same Sheriff page then carves out the tax track twice: "Tax Sales are normally held at the Putnam County Court House" and "NOTE: Tax sales may be sold on location at the Putnam County Ohio Courthouse at 245 E. Main Street, first floor, Ottawa, Ohio 45875." The one tax sale the county has posted was in fact a live courthouse auction. Treat delinquent tax foreclosures as potentially in person and confirm the venue in the newspaper advertisement or with the Sheriff before you plan a bid. Other terms: the balance of the bid is due on confirmation of sale, and any balance unpaid within 30 days of confirmation puts the purchaser in contempt of court and forfeits the deposit. Confirmation typically takes about 30 days, and the property still belongs to the original owner until the Common Pleas judge signs the confirmation. The buyer has roughly 30 days from the sale to obtain a title examination at their own expense and may move to set the sale aside if title is unmarketable. Sales are "AS IS" and "CAVEAT EMPTOR"; the Sheriff's Office has no keys, offers no interior inspection, holds no lien or tax information, and does not guarantee clear title. Federal liens may survive the sale, and delinquent water and sewer bills may fall to the purchaser. Taxes due and payable as of the sale date come out of the proceeds; taxes after the sale date are the new owner's. Entering a property without owner permission is criminal trespass under Ohio Revised Code 2911.21. The Sheriff's Office does not mail property lists; sales run in the legal classifieds of the Putnam County Sentinel. Named contacts for sale questions are Deputy Greg Westrick and Brandi Anspach at the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, 1035 Heritage Trl, Ottawa, OH 45875, (419) 523-3208.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Sale Information (terms of sale, real estate foreclosure and tax sales, online sheriff's sale notice)· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Putnam County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Putnam 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 Tax sales, current properties (Putnam County Sheriff) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Two tracks, so check the advertisement for the specific parcel. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Scheduled case by case as the court orders, then advertised. 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 Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sale Section (sales ordered by the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas on tax foreclosure complaints filed by the Putnam County Treasurer) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Putnam County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Tax sales, current properties (Putnam County Sheriff). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Two tracks, so check the advertisement for the specific parcel. Online: every bidder must register with Realauction at putnam.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov and complete the Purchaser Information Form. Properties open for proxy bidding at least seven days before the sale date. Deposits are set by appraised value: $2,000 if appraised under $10,000, $5,000 if $10,000 to $200,000, and $10,000 if greater than $200,000. Wire deposits must reach Realauction two business days before the sale, and ACH debit deposits by 4 p.m. Eastern seven days before the Monday auction. Plaintiffs and judgment creditors named in the court order are not required to meet the advertised deposit. Realauction runs webinar bidder training; its customer service line is 877.361.7325, open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern. In person at the courthouse: the Sheriff states "There is no prior registration" and "All Third Party bidding is done at the sale." You or a representative must appear to bid, the deposit is due at the Sheriff's Office Civil Division by 4:00 p.m. on the day of sale, and you complete the Purchaser Information Form when you make the deposit. Payment is by certified check or bank money order only, with no personal checks, company checks, letters of credit, credit cards, or debit cards. The county's posted 2025 tax sale carried harsher terms than a mortgage foreclosure, requiring the purchase price to be paid in full on the day of sale.

  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)

Putnam County Treasurer's Office

(419) 523-6588

245 E. Main St, Suite 203, Ottawa, OH 45875

Official website

County notes

  • County seat is Ottawa. The Treasurer, Clerk of Courts, Common Pleas Court and the courthouse auction room all sit at 245 E. Main Street, Ottawa, OH 45875. The Sheriff's Office is separate, at 1035 Heritage Trl, Ottawa, OH 45875.
  • Putnam County Treasurer is Tracy L. Warnecke, phone (419) 523-6588, fax (419) 523-3415, office hours Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. She appears as the named plaintiff on the county's tax foreclosure sale listing.
  • Putnam County publishes no tax lien certificate sale. The only investor entry point the county documents is the Sheriff's sale of tax-foreclosed real estate ordered by the Court of Common Pleas.
  • 2025 real estate tax due dates published by the Treasurer are February 13, 2026 and July 31, 2026. Manufactured home tax due dates for 2026 are March 1, 2026 and July 31, 2026.
  • Foreclosure case records sit with the Putnam County Clerk of Courts, Susan Maag, 245 E. Main St, Suite 301, Ottawa, OH 45875, phone (419) 523-3110. Common Pleas dockets are searchable through the county's public access system.
  • The Putnam County Prosecutor is Gary L. Lammers, 336 E. Main St., Suite B, Ottawa, OH 45875, (419) 523-3600. He is listed as attorney for the plaintiff on the county's posted tax foreclosure sale.
  • Property valuation and legal description questions go to the Putnam County Auditor at (419) 523-6686; that office's website sits behind a bot challenge and could not be read for this entry. Legal descriptions are also available at the Putnam County Recorder's Office, 245 E. Main St., 2nd floor, Ottawa, OH 45875.
  • Realauction operates the same Official Public Sheriff's Sale Website for most Ohio counties under a state contract, so a bidder account and training carry across counties. The Putnam site lists roughly 88 sibling county sites in its jump menu.
  • If a parcel draws no bidders or an insufficient bid, the Sheriff sets a second sale date. On the county's posted 2025 tax sale that second date was three weeks after the first.

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 Putnam County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Putnam 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 Putnam County tax certificate sale?

No tax certificate sale date is published. The Treasurer's office advertises no certificate sale calendar; delinquent parcels go to judicial tax foreclosure instead. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Putnam County hold tax deed sales?

Putnam County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Scheduled case by case as the court orders, then advertised. 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 Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sale Section (sales ordered by the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas on tax foreclosure complaints filed by the Putnam County Treasurer) 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 Putnam County tax sale list?

Putnam County posts its tax sale list at sheriffoff.com. 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 Putnam County Treasurer's Office