Delaware County, IN tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Delaware County, IN tax sale, one of 2,553 counties in 30 states. Indiana sells tax lien certificates paying up to 15%, redeemable for 1 year. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Jul 30, 2026.
How tax lien sales work in Delaware County, seat of Muncie: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Indiana tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Format
- In person
- Registration
- Pre-registration is required and must be completed online.
- County office
- (765) 747-7717
On this page
How Delaware County sells delinquent taxes
From lien to deed
Indiana holds no general public tax deed auction. Once the redemption period runs out, the certificate holder files a verified petition in the same court that entered the judgment of sale, and the court directs the county auditor to issue the deed. That petition must be filed no later than three months after the redemption period expires, or the purchaser's lien terminates. One narrow exception exists: real property a county, city, or town executive has certified as vacant or abandoned is auctioned separately, and there the county auditor deeds fee simple title straight to the highest bidder with no right of redemption.
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Delaware County Auditor's Office (Tax Sale Department)
- Frequency
- annual
- Registration
- Pre-registration is required and must be completed online.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Pre-registration is required and must be completed online. The Auditor states: "To register for a tax sale or deed sale in Delaware County, you must first create an account at www.zeusauction.com. After creating an account, you may register for the specific sale you wish to participate in. Registration for each sale typically opens approximately one month prior to the sale date. You will receive an email notification once your registration has been approved." The Auditor's Office has no access to registrations and directs registration questions to SRI Services at 1-800-800-9588. Bidders must be at least 18, and all taxes owed in Delaware County must be current to be eligible.
Sale format and venue
Delaware County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Delaware 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 Delaware County Auditor tax sale listing for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Delaware County Auditor's Office (Tax Sale Department) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Delaware County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Delaware County Auditor tax sale listing. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Pre-registration is required and must be completed online. The Auditor states: "To register for a tax sale or deed sale in Delaware County, you must first create an account at www.zeusauction.com. After creating an account, you may register for the specific sale you wish to participate in. Registration for each sale typically opens approximately one month prior to the sale date. You will receive an email notification once your registration has been approved." The Auditor's Office has no access to registrations and directs registration questions to SRI Services at 1-800-800-9588. Bidders must be at least 18, and all taxes owed in Delaware County must be current to be eligible.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Indiana 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 certificates
Parcels that draw no bid at the treasurer's tax sale pass to the county executive, which acquires a lien for the minimum sale price and receives a tax sale certificate. The county executive may then adopt a resolution and offer those certificates at a separate advertised public sale, often called the commissioners' certificate sale, priced below the minimum bid that failed at the tax sale. Notice runs once a week for three consecutive weeks with the final advertisement at least 30 days before the sale. This is a scheduled sale rather than a walk-in list, and redemption on a certificate bought this way is 120 days. Check the county auditor page for the next commissioners' certificate sale date.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Indiana calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
County notes
- The Auditor's Office handles redemptions and issues the tax deed. Redemption runs one calendar year from the sale date and must be paid in full to the Auditor on the day of redemption by cash (exact change only), cashier's check, or wire transfer.
- Delaware County allows up to $500.00 for attorney costs and up to $250.00 for title search costs on Indiana Form 137B, and the documentation plus proof of payment must reach the Auditor's Office before the property is redeemed or the buyer is not reimbursed.
- The Treasurer's Office collects the delinquent taxes and sits at 100 W Main St, 1st Floor, Muncie, IN 47305, phone (765) 747-7808, open Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 3:45 PM.
- A Commissioners' Deed Sale is a separate event held after a tax sale where the property went unredeemed. The starting bid is a uniform amount set by the county rather than the taxes owed, and the winner receives a quitclaim deed with immediate ownership.
- In the 2024 sale the minimum bid covered all taxes, penalties, and special assessments due, including the fall installment, plus a $115.00 tax sale cost. Payment had to be cash, cashier's check, certified check, official check, or EFT. Personal and business checks were not accepted.
Indiana rules
- Redemption
- The standard period is one year after the date of the treasurer's tax sale. Several tracks run 120 days instead: a certificate bought at the county executive's certificate sale, a lien the county executive holds that was never sold on, a sale to a purchasing agency qualified under IC 36-7-17 or IC 36-7-17.1, a certificate the county executive assigns to another political subdivision, and a parcel that was not offered at the tax sale at all. Property on the county auditor's vacant and abandoned list carries no right of redemption after its sale. A county treasurer may also extend redemption by agreement with the owner, in which case the extended period ends one year after the date of that agreement.
- Surplus proceeds
- The treasurer applies the payment first to the taxes, assessments, penalties, and costs in the minimum bid, then to other delinquent property taxes, then deposits the remainder in a tax sale surplus fund. The owner of record at the time the parcel was certified for sale, or the purchaser on a redemption, may file a verified claim against that fund. Unclaimed surplus transfers to the county general fund three years after it was received.
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 Delaware County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Delaware County tax certificate sale?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Delaware County tax sale list?
Verified Jul 30, 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.
More Indiana counties
Browse all 92 Indiana counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.