Iowa
IA
The investor buys a lien on the property. The owner keeps title and can redeem by paying the lien plus interest or penalty.
Sale type
Tax lien
Redemption
21 mo
Interest / penalty
Flat rate · 2%
Sale timing
Annual
Rules in plain English
Sale type
Tax lien
The investor buys a lien on the property. The owner keeps title and can redeem by paying the lien plus interest or penalty.
Iowa Code § 446.16(3)
“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.”official source ↗
Redemption period
21 mo
21 months from the sale date
Iowa Code § 447.9(1)
“After one year and nine months from the date of sale, or after nine months from the date of a sale made under section 446.18”official source ↗
Interest / penalty
Flat rate · 2%
2% flat per month.
Iowa Code § 447.1(1)
“interest of two percent per month, counting each fraction of a month as an entire month, from the month of sale”official source ↗
Bid method
Bid down the ownership share
Bidders compete by offering to take the smallest ownership share in the property.
Iowa Code § 446.16(1)
“The person who offers to pay the total amount due, which is a lien on any parcel, for the smallest percentage of the parcel is the purchaser”official source ↗
Sale schedule
Annual
Sales are held about once a year.
Iowa Code § 446.7(1)
“Annually, on the third Monday in June the county treasurer shall offer at public sale all parcels on which taxes are delinquent.”official source ↗
Redemption detail
- Base period
- 21 months
- Starts from
- the sale date
- Notice days
- 90
- Exceptions
- Not documented
Bidder process
- 01Annually 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)
- 02The treasurer offers each parcel separately for the total amount due (446.15)
- 03The 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)
- 04Only 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)
- 05The 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)
- 06The county treasurer prepares, signs, and delivers a certificate of purchase to the purchaser (446.29)
- Registration
- Not documented
- Registration mode
- Not documented
- Registration deadline
- Not documented
- Registration fee
- Not documented
- Deposit required
- Not documented
- Deposit amount
- Not documented
- Deposit percent
- Not documented
- Deposit refundable
- Not documented
- Sale format
- in_person
- Payment deadline
- Not documented
- Payment methods
- unknown
- Residency required
- Not documented
- 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
- 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
Iowa Code 446.7
“Annually, on the third Monday in June the county treasurer shall offer at public sale all parcels on which taxes are delinquent.”official source ↗
Iowa Code 446.7
“The sale shall be made for the total amount of taxes, interest, fees, and costs due.”official source ↗
Iowa Code 446.15
“The county treasurer shall offer for sale, on the day of the sale, each parcel separately for the total amount due against each parcel advertised for sale.”official source ↗
Iowa Code 446.16
“The treasurer may establish and collect a reasonable registration fee from each registered bidder at the tax sale.”official source ↗
Iowa Code 446.16
“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.”official source ↗
Iowa Code 446.16
“The person who offers to pay the total amount due, which is a lien on any parcel, for the smallest percentage of the parcel is the purchaser, and when the purchaser designates the percentage of any parcel for which the purchaser will pay the total amount due, the percentage thus designated shall give the person an undivided interest upon the issuance of a treasurer's deed, as provided in chapter 448.”official source ↗
Iowa Code 446.29
“The county treasurer shall prepare, sign, and deliver to the purchaser of any parcel or part of a parcel sold a certificate of purchase, describing the parcel or part of the parcel as shown in the county system identifying the parcel or part of the parcel sold, the total amount due for each parcel as described, and that payment has been made.”official source ↗
Notes
Tax sale certificate is a lien; annual sale s.446.7. | Prose: lien | 2% per month | 1 year 9 months from sale, then 90-day notice before tax deed | bid-down of percentage ownership interest (minimum 1%) | June (third Monday)