Scioto County, OH tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Scioto County splits its two sheriff sale calendars by venue. Mortgage and bank foreclosures run online through RealAuction at scioto.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m., while delinquent tax sales stay in person at the Scioto County Court House rotunda on Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. Confirm which list a parcel is on before making travel or deposit plans.
• •The Sheriff's site publishes two separate lists that look similar. The tax sale list shows a starting minimum bid plus court costs and outcomes such as a second sale date, a transfer to the Auditor, or a deed to the City of Portsmouth. The RealAuction list shows an appraisal amount, plaintiff foreclosure counsel, and results such as a return to the plaintiff, and it is headed with a note to register on RealAuction for those sales.
• •Scioto County Treasurer: Joey Sandlin, 602 7th Street, Room 102, Portsmouth, OH 45662, (740) 355-8272, [email protected]. The Treasurer's site at sciotocountytax.com covers tax payment and due dates only. It carried a notice extending the second-half real estate and manufactured home tax due date to August 20, 2026 because of the state rollout of House Bill 186.
• •Scioto County Auditor: David L. Green, 602 7th Street, Room 103, Portsmouth, OH 45662, (740) 355-8264, open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Auditor's property site includes a Delinquent Owner Search, which is the practical way to research delinquency before a sale. Parcels that fail to sell at two tax sales are transferred to the Auditor.
• •Sheriff David Thoroughman leads the office. The general dispatch line is (740) 354-7566 and the office is at 1025 16th Street, Portsmouth, OH 45662, which is a different address from the courthouse where the tax sale is held.
• •Third-party auction aggregators republish Ohio sheriff sale data. For Scioto County tax sales the only venue is the courthouse rotunda in person. A listing on an outside site that disclaims conducting the sale is a courtesy notice, not the auction itself.
• •Foreclosure case status can be checked on the Scioto County Common Pleas Court site, and a property may be withdrawn by court order up to the day of sale.

Ohio rules

Max interest rate

18% per year, bid down in 0.25% stepsOhio Revised Code 5721.30 - Tax certificate definitionsR.C. 5721.30Verified Aug 6, 2026

Minimum return

6% floor at redemptionOhio Revised Code 5721.30 - Tax certificate definitionsR.C. 5721.30Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.Ohio Revised Code 5721.38 - Right to redeemR.C. 5721.38Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.Ohio Revised Code 5721.19 - Finding; appraisal and saleR.C. 5721.19Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.Ohio Revised Code 5721.20 - Excess foreclosure proceedsR.C. 5721.20Verified Aug 6, 2026

Governing statute

R.C. Chapter 5721Ohio Revised Code 5721.30 - Tax certificate definitionsR.C. 5721.30Verified Aug 6, 2026

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.

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