Island County, WA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Island County, seat of Coupeville: 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
- Annual online sale in early December.
- Format
- Bid4Assets
- County office
- 360-679-7302
On this page
How Island County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Island County Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual online sale in early December.
- Sale list
- 2025 Minimum Bid List (PDF)
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Register free at Bid4Assets before the sale starts; the county page says "All bidders must be registered prior to the start of the sale" via the sign up link at www.bid4assets.com. For the 2025 sale, a single $1,000 deposit plus a $35 non-refundable processing fee was due to Bid4Assets by 1:00 PM PT on November 25, and bidders had to complete vesting information before receiving deposit instructions. Winning bids must be paid by wire within 24 hours; no credit cards or in-office payments. The Treasurer issues a tax deed within 60 days of payment confirmation.
Sale format and venue
Island County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Island 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 2025 Minimum Bid List (PDF) 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
Annual online sale in early December. Bidding runs on Bid4Assets; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Island County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Island County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from 2025 Minimum Bid List (PDF). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Register free at Bid4Assets before the sale starts; the county page says "All bidders must be registered prior to the start of the sale" via the sign up link at www.bid4assets.com. For the 2025 sale, a single $1,000 deposit plus a $35 non-refundable processing fee was due to Bid4Assets by 1:00 PM PT on November 25, and bidders had to complete vesting information before receiving deposit instructions. Winning bids must be paid by wire within 24 hours; no credit cards or in-office payments. The Treasurer issues a tax deed within 60 days of payment confirmation.
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
1 NE 7th Street, Suite 111, Coupeville, WA 98239 (mailing: P.O. Box 699, Coupeville, WA 98239)
Official websiteCounty notes
- Island County runs its tax foreclosure deed auction online through Bid4Assets; the county's Bidding Process page directs all bidders to register at www.bid4assets.com, and the Bid4Assets short URL bid4assets.com/island opens the Island County, WA Tax Foreclosed Properties Auction storefront.
- 2025 sale mechanics from the county page: deposit may be required at least one week before the auction, payment by wire within 24 hours of a winning bid, no credit cards or in-office payments, and a Treasurer's tax deed issued within 60 days of payment confirmation.
- Foreclosure action begins when real property taxes become three full years delinquent, per the Treasurer's Foreclosures page.
- The Real Property page posts the annual foreclosure documents: 2025 Minimum Bid List (DocumentCenter/View/12058), Certificate of Delinquency (DocumentCenter/View/10988), and Notice of Tax Judgment Sale (DocumentCenter/View/11887); collections contact is [email protected].
- The Treasurer also staffs a Camano Island annex at 121 N East Camano Drive, Camano Island, WA 98282; the main office is in the Administration Building in Coupeville.
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 Island County, Washington sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Island County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Island 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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.