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Tax Sale Atlas

Adair County, IA tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Adair County, IA tax sale, one of 2,553 counties in 30 states. Iowa sells tax lien certificates paying up to 24%. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Jul 29, 2026.

How tax lien sales work in Adair County, seat of Greenfield: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Iowa tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Iowa holds no tax deed auction.
Format
In person
Registration
Register by mail with the Treasurer.
County office
641-743-2312
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 29, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Adair County sells delinquent taxes

From lien to deed

Iowa holds no separate tax deed auction. The county treasurer makes out a deed for each parcel sold and unredeemed immediately after 90 days have expired from the date of completed service of the notice of expiration of the right of redemption, once the holder returns the certificate of purchase and pays the deed and recording fees.

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Adair County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Third Monday in June.
Registration
Register by mail with the Treasurer.
Next expected
on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Adair County 2026 Tax Sale Terms and bidder registration forms (PDF)
When it runs
Third Monday in June. The county's 2026 Tax Sale Terms state the sale "will be held in the Greenfield City Hall Meeting Room, 202 S 1st St, Greenfield, Iowa on Monday, June 15, 2026" and "will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and will continue as long as there are bidders present or until every parcel has been offered for sale." The sale then adjourns "until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026, and then at 8:00 a.m. on each successive day that the Treasurer's Office is open until all parcels are sold."
Registration and deposit

Register by mail with the Treasurer. The packet requires a signed Tax Sale Bidder Registration form, a W-9 filed for each sale year, and, where an agent will bid, an Authorization to Represent Bidder form signed by the same person. Non-individual bidders must supply proof of filing with the Secretary of State or County Recorder. Completed forms and the $25.00 non-refundable registration fee (a separate check for each registration) must reach Adair County Treasurer, 400 Public Square, Suite 2, Greenfield, IA 50849 by 4:30 p.m. on June 10, 2026. Bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date and may register only once; one individual may act as agent for up to six registered bidders. Registered bidders collect a bidder card at the Treasurer's Office between 8:00 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. on sale day, or at the sale location after 8:45 a.m. The bidder or agent must be present; written and mailed bids are not accepted.

Sale format and venue
Adair County runs a live, in person tax sale, not an online auction. The 2026 terms place the sale in the Greenfield City Hall Meeting Room and prohibit written or mailed bids, require the bidder or an authorized agent to attend, and bar audible electronic devices during bidding. Bidding is the Iowa bid down of undivided interest: each parcel opens at 100% undivided interest, bidders bid down in whole percentage points from 99% to 1%, the lowest bid wins, and ties are broken by random selection, with the selected bidder announcing "sold" or "pass" immediately. Payment is due at the end of the sale and covers delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate; two-party checks are refused and a returned check cancels the certificate and adds a $20.00 service fee. Certificates take about 15 days to issue. Redemption pays the sale amount plus 2% per month from the month of sale, subsequent taxes plus 2% per month from the month posted, and valid deed costs under Iowa Code 447.13. Subsequent taxes may be paid after November 14, 2026 for the first half and after May 14, 2027 for the second half, either at the office or online through the Tax Sale Investor registration at iowatreasurers.org for $0.75 per parcel. Assigning a certificate costs a $100.00 assignment transaction fee and is not valid until the Treasurer posts it. The delinquent parcel list is not published online: the official tax sale publication is available the week of June 4, 2026, the delinquent list runs in the Adair News, and the Treasurer's Office sells a computer printout of delinquent real estate parcels for $10.00 plus $2.50 postage. Two cautions for bidders. The Treasurer's FAQ page still carries older statewide wording that the sale "is held electronically on the third Monday in June," which conflicts with the county's own 2026 terms describing an in person sale, so confirm the format with the office before making travel plans. The shared iowatreasurers.org navigation also shows a generic "Register And Bid For Tax Sales" link pointing at the statewide Iowa Tax Auction site, but that link is boilerplate across Iowa counties and Adair's own terms describe an in person sale, so treat it as unrelated to this county unless the Treasurer says otherwise. In person at the Greenfield City Hall Meeting Room, 202 S 1st St, Greenfield. No online auction platform is confirmed for this county.
Source: Adair County Treasurer, 2026 Tax Sale Terms and bidder packet (PDF)· Verified Jul 29, 2026

Adair County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Adair 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.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use Adair County 2026 Tax Sale Terms and bidder registration forms (PDF) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Register by mail with the Treasurer. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Iowa holds no tax deed auction. 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.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Adair County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Adair County 2026 Tax Sale Terms and bidder registration forms (PDF). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Register by mail with the Treasurer. The packet requires a signed Tax Sale Bidder Registration form, a W-9 filed for each sale year, and, where an agent will bid, an Authorization to Represent Bidder form signed by the same person. Non-individual bidders must supply proof of filing with the Secretary of State or County Recorder. Completed forms and the $25.00 non-refundable registration fee (a separate check for each registration) must reach Adair County Treasurer, 400 Public Square, Suite 2, Greenfield, IA 50849 by 4:30 p.m. on June 10, 2026. Bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date and may register only once; one individual may act as agent for up to six registered bidders. Registered bidders collect a bidder card at the Treasurer's Office between 8:00 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. on sale day, or at the sale location after 8:45 a.m. The bidder or agent must be present; written and mailed bids are not accepted.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Iowa due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.

  4. 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

Two routes reach parcels after the June sale. Parcels that remain unsold for want of bidders are carried to adjourned sales, which the treasurer sets at intervals of not more than two months until the next annual sale. Separately, certificates struck to the county at the public bidder sale may be assigned by the county for the total amount due on the date of assignment, or for a compromised amount, under a written agreement filed with the treasurer and a 10 dollar assignment transaction fee. Ask the county treasurer which county-held certificates are available for assignment.

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Iowa calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

Adair County Treasurer's Office

641-743-2312

Adair County Courthouse, 400 Public Square, Suite 2, Greenfield, IA 50849

Official website

County notes

  • Treasurer is Brenda L. Wallace; Deputy Treasurer is Marilee Kerber. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • The sale is conducted in person at Greenfield City Hall, 202 S 1st St, about one and a half blocks south of the courthouse square, not at the courthouse itself.
  • Registration closes five days before the sale, at 4:30 p.m. on June 10, 2026, so late arrivals cannot bid.
  • Adjourned sales run at 8:00 a.m. on each business day after June 22, 2026 until every parcel sells, and the single $25.00 registration fee covers the annual sale and all adjourned sales.
  • The Treasurer's FAQ page and the county's 2026 Tax Sale Terms disagree on whether the sale is electronic or in person; the dated 2026 terms document is the more current source and describes an in person sale.

Iowa rules

Max interest rate
24% per year, fixed by statute (not bid down)
Minimum return
No statutory minimum return; what you earn is set by the share of ownership taken at the sale
Redemption
A parcel may be redeemed at any time before the right of redemption expires. After one year and nine months from the date of sale, the certificate holder may serve a notice of expiration of the right of redemption on the person in possession, the person in whose name the parcel is taxed, and every mortgagee, contract vendor, recorded lessor, and other party of record. The right of redemption then ends 90 days after that service is complete, which means the affidavit of service has been filed with the county treasurer. Three shortened tracks exist: nine months from a public bidder sale under section 446.18, and three months from an abandoned-property or public nuisance sale under section 446.19A or 446.19B. After the treasurer delivers the deed, redemption is possible only through an equitable action in district court, and only by a person who could have redeemed during the 90-day window.
Surplus proceeds
No surplus arises. The deed conveys the parcel to the certificate holder rather than selling it to the highest bidder, so there are no excess proceeds to distribute. Where the winning bid was less than 100 percent, the deed conveys only that undivided percentage interest in the parcel.
Governing statute
Iowa Code Chapter 446

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.

See the full Iowarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Adair County, Iowa sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In Iowa investors buy the lien, not the property; the County Treasurer runs the sale.

When is the Adair County tax certificate sale?

Third Monday in June. The county's 2026 Tax Sale Terms state the sale "will be held in the Greenfield City Hall Meeting Room, 202 S 1st St, Greenfield, Iowa on Monday, June 15, 2026" and "will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and will continue as long as there are bidders present or until every parcel has been offered for sale." The sale then adjourns "until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026, and then at 8:00 a.m. on each successive day that the Treasurer's Office is open until all parcels are sold." The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Adair County hold tax deed sales?

Adair County holds its tax deed sale none. Iowa holds no tax deed auction. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Iowa's redemption rule: 1 year 9 months from the sale before the notice of expiration can be served, then 90 days after service is complete. Call the County Treasurer as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Where can I find the Adair County tax sale list?

Adair County posts its tax sale list at adaircounty.iowa.gov. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

Verified Jul 29, 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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Call Adair County Treasurer's Office