Williams County, OH tax sales
Williams 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 Bryan, under R.C. Chapter 5721.
New to tax sales? Read how Ohio tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- Sheriff sales are held on Thursdays at 1:00 P.M. Eastern.
- Format
- In person
- County office
- 419-636-1850
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Williams County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Williams County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No tax certificate sale date is advertised.
- Registration
- No certificate bidder registration process is published by the county.
When it runs
No tax certificate sale date is advertised. The Williams County Treasurer's pages list no tax lien certificate sale schedule, so investors should confirm availability directly with the office before planning around one.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Ohio law lets a county treasurer sell tax certificates under RC 5721.32 and RC 5721.33, but Williams County publishes no certificate sale. The Treasurer's own pages describe a different enforcement path for delinquent parcels: delinquent notices mailed in September, publication of the delinquent taxpayer list in local newspapers, an optional Delinquent Contract Plan payment agreement, and court foreclosure if that agreement is broken. One caution for researchers: the Sheriff's sale notice includes boilerplate saying tax sales, tax lien certificate sales and probate sales remain in person at the courthouse, but no certificate sale calendar, bidder registration or certificate list is published anywhere on the county site. No certificate platform is confirmed for this county, so verify with the Treasurer before treating Williams County as a certificate market.
Source: Williams County Treasurer· Verified Aug 7, 2026
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Williams County Sheriff's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Sheriff sales are held on Thursdays at 1:00 P.M. Eastern.
- Sale list
- Current Sheriff Sales
When it runs
Sheriff sales are held on Thursdays at 1:00 P.M. Eastern. The county page states: "Tax sales are held on Thursdays at 1 Courthouse Sq, 2nd Floor, Bryan OH 43506." It also states: "Two dates are scheduled for tax sales so that if the property does not sell on the first date, it is offered again on the second date." The current list posted at the time of research showed four Treasurer tax foreclosure parcels set for Thursday 08/20/2026 at 1:00 P.M. at the Courthouse.
Registration and deposit
The county publishes no online registration step for tax sales because they are conducted in person on the second floor of the courthouse. Per the Sheriff's page, there are no appraisals for tax sales, bidding opens at an amount set to cover delinquent taxes, deed fee, advertisement costs and court costs, and payment in full is due on the day of the sale. Confirm current bidder requirements with the Sheriff's Office at 419-636-3151.
Sale format and venue
Williams County splits its sheriff sales in two, and the split is the detail investors miss. Since November 17, 2022 the Sheriff's Office sells mortgage foreclosure real estate through the Official Public Sheriff's Sale Website operated by Realauction under a contract with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, at https://williams.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov. The county page then carves tax parcels out of that system: "Tax Sales, Tax Lien Certificate Sales, and Probate Sales will continue to be sold on location until further notice at 1 Courthouse Sq., 2nd Floor, Bryan OH 43506." The published sale list corroborates this. Cases captioned Kellie Gray, Treasurer versus the owner are marked Courthouse, while the bank foreclosure cases carry no location because they run online. Do not expect delinquent tax parcels to appear on the Realauction calendar. Appraised values on the recent tax cases ranged from about $3,990 to about $17,324, which is typical of the small residential and vacant parcels this county moves through foreclosure. In person at the Williams County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, 2nd Floor, Bryan, OH 43506
Source: Williams County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sales· Verified Aug 7, 2026
Williams County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Williams 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 Current Sheriff Sales for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
Sheriff sales are held on Thursdays at 1:00 P.M. Eastern. 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.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Williams County Sheriff's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Williams County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Current Sheriff Sales. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
The county publishes no online registration step for tax sales because they are conducted in person on the second floor of the courthouse. Per the Sheriff's page, there are no appraisals for tax sales, bidding opens at an amount set to cover delinquent taxes, deed fee, advertisement costs and court costs, and payment in full is due on the day of the sale. Confirm current bidder requirements with the Sheriff's Office at 419-636-3151.
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)
County notes
- Treasurer is Kellie Gray. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., fax 419-636-8584.
- Real estate tax due dates for 2025 payable 2026 are February 15 for the first half and August 7 for the second half. Manufactured home tax is due March 1 and July 31.
- Delinquent notices are mailed in September and the county publishes a delinquent taxpayer list in local newspapers.
- The Treasurer offers a Delinquent Contract Plan letting an owner pay off delinquent taxes while keeping current bills paid. Missing a payment voids the agreement and foreclosure proceedings resume, which is the pipeline that feeds the Sheriff's tax sale docket.
- Williams County Sheriff is Thomas Kochert. The Sheriff's Office is at 1425 E High Street, East Annex, Bryan, OH 43506, phone 419-636-3151, fax 419-636-2935.
- Clerk of Courts is Nicholas R. Lanzer, One Courthouse Square, 3rd Floor, Bryan, OH 43506, phone 419-636-1551. Foreclosure case files sit here.
- Realauction bidder support for the online mortgage foreclosure auctions is (877) 361-7325 or [email protected]. Deposits there are $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000 as set by law, wire or ACH only, with wires due by 5 p.m. Eastern two business days before the sale and ACH initiated by 4 p.m. Eastern five business days before. These terms govern the online mortgage docket, not the in person tax sales.
- No county page mentions a forfeited land sale under RC Chapter 5723.
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 Williams County, Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?
Williams 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 Williams County tax certificate sale?
No tax certificate sale date is advertised. The Williams County Treasurer's pages list no tax lien certificate sale schedule, so investors should confirm availability directly with the office before planning around one. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.
How often does Williams County hold tax deed sales?
Williams County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Sheriff sales are held on Thursdays at 1:00 P.M. Eastern. 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 Williams County Sheriff's Office 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 Williams County tax sale list?
Williams County posts its tax sale list at williamscountyoh.gov. 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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