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How to buy tax-sale property in Iowa (2026)

Tax lienFlat rateBid down ownershipTax lien · 21 months from the sale redemption · once a year, typically in June

You buy a tax lien, not the house. The owner has 21 months from the sale to pay you back. You earn 2% interest a month. You win by bidding down the share of the property you will own. You get at least 90 days' notice before the sale. Sales are held once a year, typically in June.

Interest / penalty: 2% flat per month · Bid method: Bid down ownership

How Iowa tax sales work

Iowa uses tax lien sales in the state registry. The official rule describes the sale as follows: “The delinquent tax lien transfers with the tax sale certificate, whether held by the county or purchased by an individual, through assignment or direct purchase at the tax sale.” What the winning bidder receives, and the steps after the sale, depend on the county's published terms.

SourceIowa Code § 446.16(3)

Sale type
Tax lien

SourceIowa Code § 446.16(3)

Redemption
21 months from the sale

SourceIowa Code § 447.9(1)

Interest / penalty
2% flat per month

SourceIowa Code § 447.1(1)

Bid method
Bid down ownership

SourceIowa Code § 446.16(1)

Interest, penalty, and redemption

The registry records 2% flat per month. The base redemption rule is 21 months from the sale. Exceptions, notice requirements, and enforcement steps can change the practical timeline, so read the current county notice and the cited statute.

SourceIowa Code § 447.1(1)Iowa Code § 447.9(1)

Auction format and timing

The registry records bid down ownership as the bid method and once a year, typically in June for the sale schedule. The statute or official rule linked below controls the auction date, location, notice, and bidding format. When the schedule is not documented statewide, verify the date with the county treasurer, tax collector, sheriff, or other selling authority.

SourceIowa Code § 446.16(1)Iowa Code § 446.7(1)

Registration, payment, and bidder steps

Registration, deposits, payment methods, and deadlines are often set by the selling county. The verified bidder record is shown below; any field labeled unknown must be confirmed with the county before registration.

How to bid here · Iowa

In person
  1. 1.Annually on the third Monday in June the county treasurer offers at public sale all parcels on which taxes are delinquent, for the total amount of taxes, interest, fees, and costs due (446.7)
  2. 2.The treasurer offers each parcel separately for the total amount due (446.15)
  3. 3.The treasurer may establish and collect a reasonable registration fee from each registered bidder; the fee does not apply to a county or municipality and the total collected cannot exceed the total costs of the tax sale (446.16)
  4. 4.Only persons as defined in section 4.1 may register or bid, and a non-individual must have a federal tax identification number plus an agent-for-service filing or a chapter 547 statement on file (446.16)
  5. 5.The person who offers to pay the total amount due for the smallest percentage of the parcel is the purchaser; equal bids are resolved by a random selection process (446.16)
  6. 6.The county treasurer prepares, signs, and delivers a certificate of purchase to the purchaser (446.29)
Registration
Required: UnknownUnknown

Not verified from a source yet.

Deposit
Required: UnknownUnknown

Not verified from a source yet.

Forms
Bidder ID card: UnknownW-9: Unknown

A person other than an individual must have a federal tax identification number and either a designation of agent for service of process on file with the secretary of state or a verified statement meeting the requirements of chapter 547 on file with the county recorder

Eligibility
Residency required: UnknownNo delinquent taxes: Unknown

Only those persons as defined in section 4.1 are authorized to register to bid or to bid at the tax sale or to own a tax sale certificate by purchase, assignment, or otherwise

Payment
Unknown

Not verified from a source yet.

Sources

Iowa holds an in-person annual tax lien sale on the third Monday in June (counties may designate another June date for good cause). Bidding is a bid-down: the purchaser is the one who will pay the total amount due for the smallest percentage interest. Iowa law permits but does not mandate a bidder registration fee, so registration requirements vary by county (Scott County, for example, requires online registration). Payment methods and timing are not specified in the cited sections.

Official state and county sources

SourceIowa Code § 446.16(3)Iowa Code § 447.9(1)Iowa Code § 447.1(1)Iowa Code § 446.16(1)Iowa Code § 446.7(1)

CountySale typeRedemptionPlatform
Adair Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Adams Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Allamakee Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Appanoose Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Audubon Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Benton Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Black Hawk Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Boone Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Bremer Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Buchanan Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Buena Vista Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Butler Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Calhoun Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Carroll Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Cass Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Cedar Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Cerro Gordo Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Cherokee Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Chickasaw Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Clarke Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Clay Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Clayton Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Clinton Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Crawford Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Dallas Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Davis Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Decatur Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Delaware Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Des Moines Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Dickinson Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Dubuque Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Emmet Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Fayette Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Floyd Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Franklin Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Fremont Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Greene Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Grundy Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Guthrie Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Hamilton Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Hancock Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Hardin Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Harrison Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Henry Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Howard Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Humboldt Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Ida Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Iowa Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Jackson Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Jasper Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Jefferson Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Johnson Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Jones Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Keokuk Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Kossuth Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Lee Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Linn Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Louisa Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Lucas Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Lyon Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Madison Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Mahaska Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Marion Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Marshall Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Mills Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Mitchell Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Monona Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Monroe Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Montgomery Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Muscatine Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
O'Brien Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Osceola Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Page Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Palo Alto Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Plymouth Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Pocahontas Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Polk Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Pottawattamie Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Poweshiek Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Ringgold Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Sac Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Scott Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Shelby Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Sioux Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Story Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Tama Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Taylor Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Union Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Van Buren Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Wapello Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Warren Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Washington Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Wayne Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Webster Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Winnebago Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Winneshiek Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Woodbury Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Worth Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented
Wright Countylien1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deednot documented

The registry lists 99 Iowa counties. No county-level platform is verified yet, so treat it as varies by county.

Related guides

FAQ

What do I actually buy at a Iowa tax sale?
The investor buys a lien on the property. The owner keeps title and can redeem by paying the lien plus interest or penalty.
How long does the owner have to redeem the property in Iowa?
21 months from the sale date
What interest or penalty do I earn on a Iowa tax sale?
2% flat per month.
How is the winning bidder chosen in Iowa?
Bidders compete by offering to take the smallest ownership share in the property.

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