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Tax Sale Atlas

Summit County, OH tax sales

Summit County, Ohio sells both tax lien certificates and tax deeds. The County Treasurer runs the certificate sale on County office (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 Akron, under R.C. Chapter 5721.

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

Next sale
One sale per year in late October.
Format
In person
County office
330-643-2600
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Summit County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Summit County Fiscal Office (Fiscal Officer Kristen M. Scalise, CPA, CFE), Delinquent Tax Department
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
One sale per year in late October.
Registration
Bidders must register before the sale.
Sale list
Tax Certificate Liens program page (Fiscal Office)
When it runs
One sale per year in late October. The Fiscal Office guide states: "Summit County holds one sale each year, usually at the end of each October." The county held its first certificate sale in late October 1998 and has "held subsequent sales annually in October."
Registration and deposit

Bidders must register before the sale. A completed Bidder Registration form plus a $500 registration fee is required, along with a 10% deposit of the intended bid and a letter of financial standing. Bidders must also submit an affidavit of compliance with the eligibility criteria on the day of sale, and any bidder who fails to submit one is ineligible to purchase. The winning bidder's registration fee is applied to the deposit and the balance of the certificate purchase price is due within five days after the sale.

Sale format and venue
Summit County runs a negotiated sale rather than a parcel-by-parcel public auction. The Fiscal Office sends its pending delinquent tax lien file to interested parties such as banks and National Tax Lien Association members, registered bidders submit bids electronically to the county, and the Fiscal Office reviews all bids and picks the winner. Summit bundles the entire certified delinquent list into one unit, so the successful bidder buys a single tax certificate covering the package. Certificates must be purchased at par: the county collects the full delinquent amount and states it has never sold a certificate at a discount or premium since 1998. Bidders submit an intended interest rate with the bid, capped at 18 percent per year simple interest under Ohio Rev. Code 5721.41. Certificates run six years from the day of sale, the holder may request foreclosure after one year and before six years, and the holder collects redemption payment plans directly. The certificate buys a lien only, with no ownership rights and no contact with the property owner. Parcels in bankruptcy or foreclosure, and parcels whose owners are current on a Delinquent Tax Payment Plan, are pulled from the sale. There is no public online list of the sale parcels, so contact the Delinquent Tax Department at 330-643-2600 to be added to the interested-party file. County-run negotiated tax certificate lien sale, no third-party auction platform
Source: Summit County Fiscal Office: Real Estate Tax Certificate Liens (PDF guide)· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Tax deed sale

RealAuction
Run by
Summit County Sheriff's Office, Court Services / Civil Division (judicial tax foreclosure sales ordered by the Summit County Court of Common Pleas)
Frequency
annual
Sale list
Sheriff foreclosure sale search: properties and sale dates, filterable by Tax Delinquent sale date
When it runs
The Sheriff's page states: "DELINQUENT TAX SALES are held on Tuesdays at 10:00am." (Mortgage foreclosure sales run separately on Fridays at 10:00am.) The county sale-date search lists Tax Delinquent sale dates roughly every two to three weeks year round, for example 8/4/2026, 8/18/2026, 9/1/2026 and 10/6/2026.
Registration and deposit

Register on the Sheriff's RealAuction site and obtain a bidder number, then post the deposit before bidding. The deposit for each delinquent tax sale case is $1,000 per property. Wire transfer deposits must reach RealAuction by 5:00pm two business days before the auction, ACH debit deposits by 4:00pm seven days before. Purchasers cannot buy through a tax foreclosure sale if they own Ohio property with delinquent taxes assessed against it, and must file an affidavit complying with Ohio Rev. Code 5721.19(J), available blank from the Sheriff's Office or online.

Sale format and venue
All Summit County real estate sold under foreclosure moved fully online on May 1, 2020, on the RealAuction site operated under a contract with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. Each property is appraised by three appraisers using the Fiscal Office assessed value, a drive-by and area comparables, with no interior inspection. Bidding opens at two-thirds of the appraised value and the property goes to the highest bidder. Properties are sold sight unseen and as is, all sales are final, and unresolved liens may become the buyer's responsibility. The balance of the purchase price is due 30 days from the filing date of the Confirmation of Sale, and failure to pay risks deposit forfeiture and contempt proceedings. Sales are advertised in the Akron Legal News once a week for three consecutive weeks, with the first ad at least 21 days before the sale date, delinquent tax sales appearing in the Thursday editions. The Sheriff's Office does not mail or provide property lists. Contact the Civil Division sheriff sales line at 330-643-2278, Summit County Sheriff's Office, 53 University Ave., Akron, Ohio 44308.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Summit County Sheriff's Office: Sheriff Sales Information· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Summit County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Summit 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 Sheriff foreclosure sale search: properties and sale dates, filterable by Tax Delinquent sale date for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    One sale per year in late October. 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 Summit County Sheriff's Office, Court Services / Civil Division (judicial tax foreclosure sales ordered by the Summit County Court of Common Pleas) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Summit County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Sheriff foreclosure sale search: properties and sale dates, filterable by Tax Delinquent sale date. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Register on the Sheriff's RealAuction site and obtain a bidder number, then post the deposit before bidding. The deposit for each delinquent tax sale case is $1,000 per property. Wire transfer deposits must reach RealAuction by 5:00pm two business days before the auction, ACH debit deposits by 4:00pm seven days before. Purchasers cannot buy through a tax foreclosure sale if they own Ohio property with delinquent taxes assessed against it, and must file an affidavit complying with Ohio Rev. Code 5721.19(J), available blank from the Sheriff's Office or online.

  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)

Summit County Fiscal Office, Delinquent Tax Department (Treasurer Division)

330-643-2600

1 Cascade Plaza, Akron, OH 44308 (Treasurer Division current location; the Fiscal Office main address is 175 South Main Street, Akron, OH 44308)

Official website

County notes

  • Summit County has a charter form of government and a combined Fiscal Office that holds the auditor, treasurer and recorder functions, so the tax certificate sale is conducted by the Fiscal Officer or a designee rather than by a separately elected county treasurer.
  • Both Ohio paths are live here. The Fiscal Office sells tax certificate liens once a year in late October as a negotiated bulk sale, and the Sheriff's Office separately auctions tax-foreclosed real estate online on Tuesdays throughout the year.
  • The Fiscal Office guide notes that a certificate holder who forecloses and sees the property go unsold at two sheriff sales receives ownership of the property. Prosecutor fees for a certificate holder's foreclosure request are listed at $3,000 plus other foreclosure costs.
  • Treasurer Division services were listed as temporarily relocated to 1 Cascade Plaza, Akron, OH 44308 at the time of research. Confirm the counter location before visiting.
  • Second half 2025 real estate taxes were due July 31, 2026, later than usual under recent Ohio law changes, which shifts the certification timeline feeding the October certificate sale.
  • No public parcel list is posted for the certificate sale. The Fiscal Office distributes the pending delinquent lien file directly to registered and interested parties.

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 Summit County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Summit 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 Summit County tax certificate sale?

One sale per year in late October. The Fiscal Office guide states: "Summit County holds one sale each year, usually at the end of each October." The county held its first certificate sale in late October 1998 and has "held subsequent sales annually in October." The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Summit County hold tax deed sales?

Summit County holds its tax deed sale once a year. 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 Summit County Sheriff's Office, Court Services / Civil Division (judicial tax foreclosure sales ordered by the Summit County Court of Common Pleas) 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 Summit County tax sale list?

Summit County posts its tax sale list at scsoproware.summitoh.net. 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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