Putnam County, IN tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Putnam 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 Putnam County, seat of Greencastle: 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.
- Next sale
- Tax sale scheduled for September 10, 2026.Thursday · 2026
- Format
- In person
- County office
- (765) 653-4510
On this page
How Putnam 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
- Putnam County Treasurer's Office (certifies the delinquent list and collects winning-bid payment) with the Putnam County Auditor's Office (signs the tax sale certificate and later issues the tax deed). The Auditor's page states "Putnam County property tax sales will be managed by SRI Services."
- Frequency
- annual
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Two paths. The Auditor's FAQ says "A bidder can register online through the SRI website approximately 30 days prior to the date of the sale or in person the day of the sale beginning at 8:30AM." The county's published notice adds that bidders "may register online at https://sriservices.com/", that "This registration is good for all counties that SRI services" and only needs doing once, to "bring the completed form with you to each sale", and to "arrive the morning of the tax sale at least 30 minutes before the beginning time." The Treasurer's page states "Bidders must register prior to the start of the sale." Winning bidders pay at the County Treasurer's Office; the Auditor's FAQ says "Forms of payment include check, cash, or credit/debit card and payments will need to be made by 2PM the day of the tax sale."
Sale format and venue
Putnam County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Putnam 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 SRI Services certified property list and bidder registration 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
Tax sale scheduled for September 10, 2026. 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 Putnam County Treasurer's Office (certifies the delinquent list and collects winning-bid payment) with the Putnam County Auditor's Office (signs the tax sale certificate and later issues the tax deed). The Auditor's page states "Putnam County property tax sales will be managed by SRI Services." as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Putnam County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from SRI Services certified property list and bidder registration. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Two paths. The Auditor's FAQ says "A bidder can register online through the SRI website approximately 30 days prior to the date of the sale or in person the day of the sale beginning at 8:30AM." The county's published notice adds that bidders "may register online at https://sriservices.com/", that "This registration is good for all counties that SRI services" and only needs doing once, to "bring the completed form with you to each sale", and to "arrive the morning of the tax sale at least 30 minutes before the beginning time." The Treasurer's page states "Bidders must register prior to the start of the sale." Winning bidders pay at the County Treasurer's Office; the Auditor's FAQ says "Forms of payment include check, cash, or credit/debit card and payments will need to be made by 2PM the day of the tax sale."
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)
Putnam County Treasurer's Office
Putnam County Courthouse, 2nd floor, 1 West Washington, Greencastle, IN 46135
Official websiteCounty notes
- The Treasurer's page states the county "must certify a list of those properties eligible for the tax sale to the County Auditor no later than fifty-one (51) days after the due date for the Spring installment of taxes," after which the Auditor mails a certified-letter tax sale notice to the owner.
- Redemption windows in the 2025 published notice: "The period of redemption shall expire on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 for certificates sold in the tax sale. For certificates struck to the county, the period of redemption may expire Tuesday, January 20, 2026."
- Parcels that do not sell roll to a Commissioners' Certificate Sale. The Treasurer's page states that there "the redemption period is 120 days and minimum bids may be reduced." No commissioners' certificate sale date is posted on the county site.
- The county may also assign unsold certificates of sale to other political subdivisions such as cities and towns, which then carry out the remaining steps.
- The published notice cites I.C. 6-1.1-24-1 et seq. and IC 6-1.1-25-4.5 for post-sale attorney fees and notice costs added to the redemption amount.
- Where surplus applies: "If the tract or item of real property is sold for an amount more than the minimum bid and the property is not redeemed, the owner of record of the property who is divested of ownership at the time the tax deed is issued may have a right to the tax sale surplus."
- Key contacts on the county site: Treasurer Karrie Minor, 765-653-4510 (karrie.minor@co.putnam.in.us); the Auditor's tax sale line is 765-653-5513, option 1.
- Address sourcing: the county directory lists the Treasurer's Office as "Courthouse, 2nd floor" with phone (765) 653-4510; the courthouse street address (1 West Washington, Greencastle, Indiana 46135) is given on the Auditor's tax sale page as the sale venue.
- As of July 30, 2026 the newest advertisement posted on the Auditor's page is the 2025 notice. The Auditor's FAQ says "The SRI website will publish a certified list of the properties approximately 60 days prior to the date of the sale and the local newspaper will begin advertising those properties in August," so check the SRI site for the current year's list.
- The 2025 notice flags that under IC 6-1.1-24-3(e) property descriptions may be omitted for parcels appearing on the certified list in consecutive years, and that "A complete property list may be obtained at www.sriservices.com or in an alternative form upon request." It also states the Auditor and Treasurer "reserve the right to withhold from the sale any parcel which has been listed in error."
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 Putnam County, Indiana sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Putnam County tax certificate sale?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Putnam 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.
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