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Tax Sale Atlas

Mahaska County, IA tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Mahaska 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 state rules plus what the county publishes on Jul 29, 2026.

How tax lien sales work in Mahaska County, seat of Oskaloosa: 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
ZEUS
County office
(641) 673-5482
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 29, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Mahaska 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)

SRI / ZEUS
Run by
Mahaska County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Next expected
on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
When it runs
June. The property tax calendar carried on the Mahaska County Treasurer's portal states: "Third Monday in June annual tax sale of outstanding property taxes, manufactured homes, mobile homes, weed assessments, special assessments, rates or charges, and drainage taxes." No year-specific sale date was posted for Mahaska County at the time of research, so confirm the exact date with the Treasurer's office.
Registration and deposit

Bidders create a free account at iowataxauction.com, then apply separately to each county auction, since each county holds its own sale with its own rules and forms. An account is required just to view auction listings, and the county must approve a bidder before bidding opens. Auctions that require an IRS Form W-9 collect a tax identification number or Social Security number. The platform states there is no registration fee for the account itself, though an individual auction may set one, and the platform does not process payments: each county sets its own payment terms, with a wire transfer to the county's bank named as the typical method. Certificate holders who later pay subsequent delinquent taxes register separately through the Treasurer's portal, which also asks for an SSN or EIN. Confirm the current registration window and any deposit with the Treasurer at (641) 673-5482.

Sale format and venue
Mahaska County's own pages on mahaskacountyia.gov cover property tax payment, motor vehicle, and driver's license services and carry no tax sale notice, bidder list, or sale date. The county Treasurer's page on the Iowa State County Treasurers Association portal is where the sale is surfaced: it carries the bidder link labeled "Register And Bid For Tax Sales" pointing to www.iowataxauction.com, which is the SRI-operated Zeus Auction Program used for Iowa tax sales. No public delinquent or sale list URL was found; listings are visible only after creating a platform account and being approved for the county's auction. On redemption, the county page states that tax sale certificates "MAY redeem in person, on-line (credit card ONLY) or by mail," that "Tax Sale redemptions made between June 1 - July 31, must be paid with CERTIFIED FUNDS (cashier check, money order)," and that certified funds are also required once the office receives a completed tax sale service affidavit including the 90-day notice of expiration of right of redemption. Call (641) 673-5482 for a redemption payoff amount. Verify the sale date, the published list, and registration cutoffs directly with the Treasurer's office before planning a bid.
Register on SRI / ZEUS
Source: Mahaska County Treasurer county homepage, Iowa State County Treasurers Association portal· Verified Jul 29, 2026

Mahaska County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Mahaska 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

    A county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the office and platform details on this page before relying on a copied list.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    Iowa holds no tax deed auction. Bidding runs on ZEUS; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.

  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 Mahaska County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    The county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the county office contacts below and confirm the advertised parcels directly before you price a bid.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidders create a free account at iowataxauction.com, then apply separately to each county auction, since each county holds its own sale with its own rules and forms. An account is required just to view auction listings, and the county must approve a bidder before bidding opens. Auctions that require an IRS Form W-9 collect a tax identification number or Social Security number. The platform states there is no registration fee for the account itself, though an individual auction may set one, and the platform does not process payments: each county sets its own payment terms, with a wire transfer to the county's bank named as the typical method. Certificate holders who later pay subsequent delinquent taxes register separately through the Treasurer's portal, which also asks for an SSN or EIN. Confirm the current registration window and any deposit with the Treasurer at (641) 673-5482.

  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)

Mahaska County Treasurer

(641) 673-5482

106 South 1st Street, Oskaloosa, IA 52577

Official website

County notes

  • The Mahaska County Treasurer is Shauna Hol; office email is treasurer@mahaskacountyia.gov.
  • Property tax counter hours are listed as 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional office numbers: motor vehicle (641) 673-4618, driver's license (641) 673-9521, fax (641) 673-2586.
  • No county-specific tax sale page exists. The sale is surfaced through the county Treasurer's homepage on the Iowa State County Treasurers Association portal (idCounty=62), which links bidders to iowataxauction.com.
  • The June timing comes from the statewide property tax calendar served on the county Treasurer's portal, not from a Mahaska-specific sale notice, so it should be presented as the statutory pattern rather than a confirmed county date.
  • No public delinquent or sale list URL was found on any official Mahaska County source; the platform requires an account to view listings.
  • The county Treasurer's forms page links an Affidavit of Tax Sale Redemption hosted at iowataxandtags.org, which was not separately fetched and is not cited here.
  • Search coverage caveat: the session's web-search budget was exhausted, so this research was done by direct fetches of official county, state association, and platform URLs. A later pass could still surface a county sale notice published in the local newspaper of record.

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 Mahaska 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 Mahaska County tax certificate sale?

June. The property tax calendar carried on the Mahaska County Treasurer's portal states: "Third Monday in June annual tax sale of outstanding property taxes, manufactured homes, mobile homes, weed assessments, special assessments, rates or charges, and drainage taxes." No year-specific sale date was posted for Mahaska County at the time of research, so confirm the exact date with the Treasurer's office. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

How often does Mahaska County hold tax deed sales?

Mahaska 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.

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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Iowa tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Mahaska County TreasurerOpen auction