Tax Sales and Sheriff Sales in Ohio

How tax sales work in Ohio

Ohio uses both methods, depending on the county and the kind of delinquency.

What the buyer earns. Tax certificates: simple interest at the rate bid at auction (bidding opens at 18% per year, bid down in 1/4% increments to 0%), with a floor of 6% of the certificate purchase price for auctioned certificates; 18% on amounts the holder advances once foreclosure begins (ORC 5721.30, 5721.32, 5721.38). Tax foreclosure sales: 8% on the sale price if redeemed before confirmation (ORC 2329.33)..

Redemption. Tax certificate: owner may redeem any time until the foreclosure sale is confirmed (or the alternative redemption period expires); the holder may file to foreclose only after one year from the certificate sale date and before the end of the certificate period (3–6 years for auctioned blocks). Tax foreclosure sale: redemption until the court's confirmation of sale, no redemption after confirmation..

When and where the sales are held

Who runs them: County treasurer (tax certificate sales); county prosecuting attorney files tax foreclosure and the county sheriff sells (or county board of revision / land bank for abandoned land).

When: Certificate auctions are held on the date the treasurer advertises after notice under ORC 5721.31 (not all counties sell certificates); sheriff tax-foreclosure sales are scheduled throughout the year after judgment..

Where: Certificate auctions are held by the treasurer as advertised; foreclosure sales are held by the sheriff, increasingly on the statewide Official Public Sheriff Sale Website (ORC 2329.153), which county sheriff pages (e.g., Allen County) say is operated by Realauction at [county].sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov..

The list of parcels for each sale is published by the office that runs it, usually a few weeks ahead, in the county's legal newspaper and on the county or platform site. UX Search does not list tax sale parcels; these sales are run by the counties and the platforms they contract, and the links on this page go to the official sources.

Sheriff sales and foreclosure sales in Ohio

Mortgage foreclosure in Ohio is judicial: after a common pleas judgment the sheriff (or a licensed private selling officer) sells the property, with notice published once a week for at least three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county (ORC 2329.26). Residential sales may, and after a transition period must, be conducted on the statewide Official Public Sheriff Sale Website (ORC 2329.153). The debtor may redeem until the court confirms the sale by paying the judgment, costs and 8% interest on the sale price (ORC 2329.33); there is no redemption after confirmation.

A tax sale and a sheriff sale are different animals even when the same office runs both. A tax sale clears unpaid property taxes and in most states wipes out junior liens; a mortgage foreclosure sale pays the lender and may leave tax liens in place. Before bidding at either, pull the title, read the judgment or the tax certificate, and know which liens survive the sale in Ohio.

Official sources for Ohio

• ORC 5721.32 – Sale of tax certificates by public auction
• ORC 5721.38 – Redemption of tax certificates
• ORC 5721.18 – Foreclosure proceedings on delinquent land
• ORC 2329.153 – Official public sheriff sale website

Statute: Ohio Rev. Code 5721.30–5721.43 (tax certificates); 5721.18–5721.19 and 323.65–323.79 (tax foreclosure); 2329.01–2329.33 (judicial sales).

Questions people ask

Does Ohio sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Ohio uses both methods, depending on the county and the kind of delinquency. Ohio counties may sell tax lien certificates or foreclose and sell the property itself. The county treasurer may auction tax certificates, with bidding starting at 18% simple interest and bid down in quarter-point steps (or negotiate bulk sales); the owner redeems by paying the purchase price plus interest at the bid rate (minimum 6% of the purchase price for auctioned certificates), and the holder may foreclose after one year and before the certificate period ends. Separately, the county prosecutor forecloses delinquent parcels in the treasurer's name and the sheriff sells them, with the owner able to redeem until the court confirms the sale.

How long is the redemption period after a tax sale in Ohio?

Tax certificate: owner may redeem any time until the foreclosure sale is confirmed (or the alternative redemption period expires); the holder may file to foreclose only after one year from the certificate sale date and before the end of the certificate period (3–6 years for auctioned blocks). Tax foreclosure sale: redemption until the court's confirmation of sale, no redemption after confirmation.

What does the buyer earn if the owner redeems in Ohio?

Tax certificates: simple interest at the rate bid at auction (bidding opens at 18% per year, bid down in 1/4% increments to 0%), with a floor of 6% of the certificate purchase price for auctioned certificates; 18% on amounts the holder advances once foreclosure begins (ORC 5721.30, 5721.32, 5721.38). Tax foreclosure sales: 8% on the sale price if redeemed before confirmation (ORC 2329.33).

Who runs tax sales in Ohio?

County treasurer (tax certificate sales); county prosecuting attorney files tax foreclosure and the county sheriff sells (or county board of revision / land bank for abandoned land). Certificate auctions are held by the treasurer as advertised; foreclosure sales are held by the sheriff, increasingly on the statewide Official Public Sheriff Sale Website (ORC 2329.153), which county sheriff pages (e.g., Allen County) say is operated by Realauction at [county].sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov.

When are tax sales held in Ohio?

Certificate auctions are held on the date the treasurer advertises after notice under ORC 5721.31 (not all counties sell certificates); sheriff tax-foreclosure sales are scheduled throughout the year after judgment.

Are sheriff sales in Ohio judicial?

Mortgage foreclosure in Ohio is judicial: after a common pleas judgment the sheriff (or a licensed private selling officer) sells the property, with notice published once a week for at least three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county (ORC 2329.26). Residential sales may, and after a transition period must, be conducted on the statewide Official Public Sheriff Sale Website (ORC 2329.153). The debtor may redeem until the court confirms the sale by paying the judgment, costs and 8% interest on the sale price (ORC 2329.33); there is no redemption after confirmation.

Can anyone bid at a tax sale or sheriff sale in Ohio?

Generally yes, with registration through the office or platform that runs the sale, and often a deposit or proof of funds. Payment is usually due the same day or within a few days in certified funds, and the property is sold as is with whatever title questions come with it. Read the county's terms for the sale you are bidding in; they differ from one county to the next in the same state.

Written from the Ohio statutes and official county pages, last checked October 27, 2026. Rules change by session and by county; the official sources above control. UX Search is independent, lists no tax sale parcels and never takes a bid.