Van Wert County, OH tax sales
Van Wert 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 on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed, from the county seat in Van Wert, 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 start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on scheduled dates.
- Format
- County site
- Registration
- Delinquent tax sales are held in person with no online pre-registration.
- County office
- 419-238-5177
On this page
How Van Wert County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Van Wert County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No tax certificate sale date is published by the county.
- Registration
- No certificate bidder registration process is published.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Van Wert County Sheriff's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Sales start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on scheduled dates.
- Registration
- Delinquent tax sales are held in person with no online pre-registration.
- Sale list
- Sheriff Sales list
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Delinquent tax sales are held in person with no online pre-registration. The Sheriff's terms state the down payment "shall be made with a personal check or cash AT THE TIME OF SALE. If down payment is not given at time of sale, the property will be resold on the spot." A Purchaser Information Form must be completed at the sale and can also be downloaded from the Sheriff Sales page. Third party deposits are $2,000 where appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 from $10,000 up to $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000, but on tax lien and delinquent tax cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer and no appraisal is performed. Mortgage foreclosure sales, which run online, instead require a Realauction username and password, the Ohio Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form, wire deposits received by 5 p.m. ET two business days before the sale and ACH deposits initiated by 4 p.m. ET five business days before, with no cash deposits accepted.
Sale format and venue
Van Wert County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Van Wert 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 Sales list for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
Sales start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on scheduled dates. The county names Official public sheriff sale web site, at the county's subdomain of sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov as its auction platform but has not published a direct bidding link. Confirm the date and window with the county.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Van Wert County Sheriff's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Van Wert County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Sheriff Sales list. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Delinquent tax sales are held in person with no online pre-registration. The Sheriff's terms state the down payment "shall be made with a personal check or cash AT THE TIME OF SALE. If down payment is not given at time of sale, the property will be resold on the spot." A Purchaser Information Form must be completed at the sale and can also be downloaded from the Sheriff Sales page. Third party deposits are $2,000 where appraised value is $10,000 or less, $5,000 from $10,000 up to $200,000, and $10,000 above $200,000, but on tax lien and delinquent tax cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer and no appraisal is performed. Mortgage foreclosure sales, which run online, instead require a Realauction username and password, the Ohio Real Estate Judicial Sale Purchaser Information Form, wire deposits received by 5 p.m. ET two business days before the sale and ACH deposits initiated by 4 p.m. ET five business days before, with no cash deposits accepted.
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)
Van Wert County Treasurer's Office
Van Wert County Courthouse, 121 E. Main Street, Suite 200, Van Wert, OH 45891
Official websiteCounty notes
- Van Wert County splits its sheriff sale venues by case type. Lender foreclosures sell online through the Realauction site at https://vanwert.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, while tax sales, tax lien certificate sales and probate sales remain in person in the basement of the Van Wert County Courthouse at 121 E. Main St.
- The Treasurer, Jeff McIntosh, can be reached at 419-238-5177, fax 419-238-3956, or [email protected]. Office hours are Monday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM and Tuesday through Friday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Ohio deposit tiers apply to third party bidders at $2,000, $5,000 and $10,000 by appraised value, but the Realauction FAQ notes that on tax lien and delinquent tax foreclosure cases the deposit is set by the Treasurer and the appraised value shown reflects taxes owed rather than market value.
- Under Ohio Rev. Code 2329.211, a judgment creditor who purchases residential property at a judicial sale or execution is not required to make a deposit.
- Sale notices are published in the Times Bulletin newspaper and mirrored on the Sheriff's Sheriff Sales page, which also carries case numbers, plaintiff and defendant names, property addresses, appraisals and plaintiff attorney contacts.
- Legal descriptions for properties on the sale list are held at the Van Wert County Clerk of Courts office on the 3rd floor of the courthouse.
- The old county domain vanwertcounty.org now redirects to vanwertcountyohio.gov, so older links to the county site should be updated.
- Realauction customer service for the Van Wert site is (877) 361-7325 or [email protected], and the vendor runs registration webinars for new bidders.
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 Van Wert County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Van Wert County tax certificate sale?
How often does Van Wert County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Van Wert 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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