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Tax Sale Atlas

Washington County, OH tax sales

Washington 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 Marietta, under R.C. Chapter 5721.

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

Next sale
No tax lien certificate auction is scheduled or advertised for this county.
Format
In person
Registration
No advance registration.
County office
(740) 373-6623, Ext. 2201 (main line option 3 then 2)
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Washington County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Washington County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
No tax lien certificate auction is scheduled or advertised for this county.
Registration
No certificate bidder registration process is offered.
When it runs
No tax lien certificate auction is scheduled or advertised for this county. The Treasurer's Office publishes no certificate sale calendar, so no recurring month applies.
Registration and deposit

No certificate bidder registration process is offered. Investors should contact the Treasurer's Office at (740) 373-6623 before assuming a certificate purchase is possible here.

Sale format and venue
Ohio Rev. Code 5721.32 (public auction) and 5721.33 (negotiated sale) let a county sell tax lien certificates, but the authority is permissive rather than mandatory and is used mainly by large urban counties. The Washington County Treasurer's Office site carries no certificate sale page, no certificate list, and no certificate bidder registration anywhere in its menu, which runs Pay My Taxes, Email Billing, Important Dates, Military Personnel, Real Estate and Mobile Home Taxes, Tax Increase Explanation, Unclaimed Funds, Delinquent Tax Sale Information, and Old County Records. No certificate sale platform is confirmed for this county, so verify current practice with the office directly before planning a lien purchase.
Source: Washington County Treasurer's Office· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Tax deed sale

In person
Run by
Washington County Sheriff's Office (delinquent tax foreclosure sale held at the courthouse; the Washington County Treasurer's Office publishes the sale lists and the Prosecutor's Office answers bidder questions)
Frequency
annual
Registration
No advance registration.
Sale list
Delinquent Tax Sale Information (title searched and no title search working lists)
When it runs
The county runs two delinquent tax sale tracks on a recurring Tuesday schedule rather than a fixed annual month. The title searched FAQ states "Sales always take place at 1:00 p.m. on a Tuesday on the first floor of the courthouse." The no title search FAQ states sales occur "at 9:00 a.m. on a Tuesday on the first floor of the courthouse." Both FAQs state that if property remains unsold, a second sale is held exactly two weeks after the first at the same time and place. Specific dates are announced on the Treasurer's Delinquent Tax Sale Information page. At the time of this check both 2026 working lists read "THERE ARE NO SALES SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME," so no dates are currently posted.
Registration and deposit

No advance registration. Both county FAQs state "anyone can attend and bid at the sale, no registration required," and you may authorize another person to bid on your behalf while remaining responsible for their actions. The winning bidder must pay the minimum bid on the day of the sale by cashier's check made payable to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, with no alternative payment accepted, and any balance is due within 30 days. The minimum bid is the total needed to cover the delinquent real estate taxes plus the court costs accrued by the foreclosure suit; where the tax owed exceeds the auditor's assessed value, market value sets the minimum bid instead. Minimum bid figures are published in the local newspaper tax sale advertisement, on the Treasurer's website, or by calling (740) 373-6623 Ext. 2202.

Sale format and venue
This is an IN PERSON courthouse auction, not an online sale. The Sheriff's Office moved its general foreclosure docket to the state Official Public Sheriffs' Sale Website, but its auction page carves the tax sales out explicitly: "Properties sold for delinquent taxes and Probate sales will continue to be sold on location at the Washington County Courthouse, 205 Putnam Street, Marietta, Ohio 45750, until further notice." Bidders who register on the online sheriff sale platform will not find the tax parcels there. Two separate tracks run: a title searched sale at 1:00 p.m., where the FAQ states property is bought "free of all liens from lienholders included in the complaint, with the exception of federal liens," and a no title search sale at 9:00 a.m. that is strictly buyer beware, with the county disclaiming any guarantee of property description, acreage, road access, condition, street address, liens, encroachments, title, or pending special assessments. Neither track carries a county warranty of condition or clear title. To be alerted when parcels are added, the Treasurer offers a parcel request form linked from the Delinquent Tax Sale Information page. In person at the Washington County Courthouse, first floor, 205 Putnam Street, Marietta, OH 45750
Source: Washington County Delinquent Tax Sale Frequently Asked Questions: With Title Search· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Washington County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Washington 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 Delinquent Tax Sale Information (title searched and no title search working lists) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    No advance registration. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    No tax lien certificate auction is scheduled or advertised for this county. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Washington County Sheriff's Office (delinquent tax foreclosure sale held at the courthouse; the Washington County Treasurer's Office publishes the sale lists and the Prosecutor's Office answers bidder questions) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Washington County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent Tax Sale Information (title searched and no title search working lists). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    No advance registration. Both county FAQs state "anyone can attend and bid at the sale, no registration required," and you may authorize another person to bid on your behalf while remaining responsible for their actions. The winning bidder must pay the minimum bid on the day of the sale by cashier's check made payable to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, with no alternative payment accepted, and any balance is due within 30 days. The minimum bid is the total needed to cover the delinquent real estate taxes plus the court costs accrued by the foreclosure suit; where the tax owed exceeds the auditor's assessed value, market value sets the minimum bid instead. Minimum bid figures are published in the local newspaper tax sale advertisement, on the Treasurer's website, or by calling (740) 373-6623 Ext. 2202.

  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)

Washington County Treasurer's Office

(740) 373-6623, Ext. 2201 (main line option 3 then 2)

205 Putnam Street, Marietta, OH 45750

Official website

County notes

  • Washington County runs the deed side of Ohio's hybrid system only. No tax lien certificate sale under Ohio Rev. Code 5721.32 or 5721.33 is published by the Treasurer's Office.
  • The delinquent tax sale is conducted in person on the first floor of the Washington County Courthouse at 205 Putnam Street, Marietta. There is no online bidding platform for these parcels.
  • The Sheriff's Office states it conducts the sale of all real estate subject to foreclosure on the Official Public Sheriffs' Sale Website, operated by Realauction under contract with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, but its auction page excludes delinquent tax and probate properties from that online platform. Treat any online listing of Washington County tax parcels with caution and confirm with the Treasurer's Office.
  • Two sale tracks exist with different start times on the same weekday: title searched at 1:00 p.m. and no title search at 9:00 a.m., both on a Tuesday. The no title search track carries broad county disclaimers and no title examination.
  • Bidder questions are handled by the Prosecutor's Office at (740) 373-6623 Ext. 2202, email [email protected], even though the Treasurer's Office hosts the sale lists.
  • County Treasurer is Tammy Bates. Treasurer's Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding legal holidays.
  • Washington County Sheriff's Office is at 309 Fourth Street, Marietta, OH 45750, phone (740) 376-7070. The courthouse where tax sales are held is a separate address at 205 Putnam Street.
  • At the time of this research both 2026 working sale lists stated that no sales were scheduled, so investors should use the Treasurer's parcel request form to be notified when a sale is set.

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 Washington County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Washington 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 Washington County tax certificate sale?

No tax lien certificate auction is scheduled or advertised for this county. The Treasurer's Office publishes no certificate sale calendar, so no recurring month applies. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Washington County hold tax deed sales?

Washington 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 Washington County Sheriff's Office (delinquent tax foreclosure sale held at the courthouse; the Washington County Treasurer's Office publishes the sale lists and the Prosecutor's Office answers bidder questions) 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 Washington County tax sale list?

Washington County posts its tax sale list at washingtongov.org. 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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