Cowlitz County, WA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Cowlitz County, seat of Kelso: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Washington tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- Tax sale scheduled for December 7, 2026.Monday · 2026
- Format
- County site
- County office
- (360) 577-3060
On this page
How Cowlitz County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Cowlitz County Treasurer's Office (Foreclosure Department)
- Frequency
- annual
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Bidding for the 2026 sale is online through Public Surplus, so create a buyer account at publicsurplus.com before sale day. The county's foreclosure pages do not publish deposit, bidder-qualification, or payment-deadline rules, so confirm registration and payment terms with the Treasurer's Foreclosure Department at (360) 577-3060 before bidding.
Sale format and venue
Cowlitz County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Cowlitz 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 2026 Foreclosure Property Information (parcel list with per-parcel map and title report links) 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
Tax sale scheduled for December 7, 2026. Bidding runs on County site; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Cowlitz County Treasurer's Office (Foreclosure Department) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Cowlitz County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from 2026 Foreclosure Property Information (parcel list with per-parcel map and title report links). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Bidding for the 2026 sale is online through Public Surplus, so create a buyer account at publicsurplus.com before sale day. The county's foreclosure pages do not publish deposit, bidder-qualification, or payment-deadline rules, so confirm registration and payment terms with the Treasurer's Foreclosure Department at (360) 577-3060 before bidding.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Washington 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 properties
Washington counties keep no standing over-the-counter list. Parcels that draw no sufficient bid are struck to the county in trust for the taxing districts as tax-title property. The county resells that inventory under chapter 36.35 RCW, usually at a later sale at a minimum price fixed by the county legislative authority after three weeks of published notice, and in limited cases by direct sale without bids, including within twelve months after a failed auction. Whether any tax-title inventory exists, and how this county sells it, must be confirmed on the county's tax-title or surplus property page.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter purchases work.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax sale office
County notes
- The Treasurer's Office is open 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and closed Fridays and legal holidays.
- Each parcel on the county's foreclosure property list links to a map and a title report, an unusually strong due-diligence aid for a county this size.
- The foreclosure list shrinks between the June court filing and the December sale as owners redeem (13 properties filed in June 2026, 10 remaining by late July), so re-check the list close to sale day.
- Recent sales are small and sell out: 11 of 11 parcels sold in December 2025 and 4 of 4 in December 2024.
Washington rules
- Redemption
- Any property on which a certificate of delinquency has been issued may be redeemed at any time before the close of business the day before the day of the sale. Washington has no general post-sale redemption period: once the treasurer sells the parcel, the sale is final for a competent adult owner. The one exception protects minors and persons adjudicated legally incompetent, whose property may be redeemed at any time within three years after the date of sale, on payment of the amount for which the property was sold plus interest at the statutory delinquent-tax rate from the date of sale, plus the reasonable value of improvements made in good faith on the property, less the value of their use. No fee may be charged for any redemption.
- Deed deposit
- For an auction conducted by electronic media, prospective bidders must deposit funds with the treasurer to participate, deposits of non-winning bidders are refunded within ten business days, and payment is by electronic funds transfer. Deposit amounts for in-person sales are set county by county, so confirm the figure on the county treasurer page or the auction platform terms.
- Surplus proceeds
- If the winning bid exceeds the minimum bid due on the whole property, the excess is refunded to the record owner. The record owner is the person who held title on the date the certificate of delinquency was issued. Surplus unclaimed within three years of the sale date is deposited in the county current expense fund, after which the claim is extinguished.
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 Cowlitz County, Washington sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Cowlitz County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Cowlitz County tax sale list?
Verified Aug 16, 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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