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Tax Sale Atlas

Pottawattamie County, IA tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County, seat of Council Bluffs: 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
(712) 328-5627
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 29, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Pottawattamie 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
Pottawattamie County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
June, annually.
Next expected
on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Tax sale parcel list on Iowa Tax Auction
When it runs
June, annually. The Treasurer's Real Estate page states "The Annual Tax Sale takes place in June of each year," and the Treasurer's FAQ answers "When is the tax sale?" with "Tax sale is always the 3rd Monday in June."
Registration and deposit

Bidders register online through Iowa Tax Auction, the platform the Treasurer links from its Real Estate page under "Tax Sale Registration." The platform's process is to create an account, select the auction, apply for it, then bid once approved. The Treasurer's FAQ says registration information for the sale is posted on the county web page in May.

Sale format and venue
The Treasurer administers the annual tax sale through an open competitive bidding process under Iowa Code Chapter 446. Taxes still delinquent as of May 1 are assessed a publication fee and must be advertised for sale at the June tax sale, and notice of the annual tax sale is mailed no later than May 1 to the person in whose name the parcel is taxed. Delinquent parcels are advertised in June in the county newspaper of choice, listed in parcel number order with a sequence number used for bidding. The Treasurer says copies of the list are available on the auction website, and a printout of those parcels may also be purchased. The county states the investor is responsible for all research on parcels available for auction. Redemption interest under Iowa law is 2 percent per month, redemption payments must be made in guaranteed funds, and partial payments are not allowed once a parcel has gone to tax sale. The office asks that questions about tax sale redemption funds go to (712) 328-5627.
Register on SRI / ZEUS
Source: Pottawattamie County Treasurer, Real Estate and Annual Tax Sale· Verified Jul 29, 2026

Pottawattamie County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Pottawattamie 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 Tax sale parcel list on Iowa Tax Auction for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  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 Pottawattamie County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Tax sale parcel list on Iowa Tax Auction. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidders register online through Iowa Tax Auction, the platform the Treasurer links from its Real Estate page under "Tax Sale Registration." The platform's process is to create an account, select the auction, apply for it, then bid once approved. The Treasurer's FAQ says registration information for the sale is posted on the county web page in May.

  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)

Pottawattamie County Treasurer's Office

(712) 328-5627

Pottawattamie County Courthouse, First Floor, 227 S 6th St, Council Bluffs, IA 51501

Official website

County notes

  • Pottawattamie County runs a tax lien certificate sale through the County Treasurer, not a deed auction. The county page names Iowa Code Chapter 446 as the authority for the annual sale.
  • The county FAQ pins the date more precisely than the main sale page: the third Monday in June each year, while the Real Estate page says only June of each year.
  • Property taxes are billed in two halves. The first half is due September 1 and becomes delinquent October 1, the second half is due March 1 and becomes delinquent April 1. Delinquency interest runs 1.5 percent per month and rises to 2 percent per month after tax sale.
  • The Treasurer lists a second phone line, (712) 328-5631, and a fax at (712) 328-5823. Office hours are 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday.
  • County property tax search and payment portals are separate from the sale. The Treasurer links a tax search at municipalonlinepayments.com and online payments through iowatreasurers.org. Neither is the auction platform.
  • Research note for maintainers: the county web server returns HTTP 403 to automated clients, so these Treasurer pages were read through a text-extraction proxy of the same official URLs. The URLs in sources are the canonical official pages and load normally in a browser.

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 Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County tax certificate sale?

June, annually. The Treasurer's Real Estate page states "The Annual Tax Sale takes place in June of each year," and the Treasurer's FAQ answers "When is the tax sale?" with "Tax sale is always the 3rd Monday in June." 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 Pottawattamie County hold tax deed sales?

Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County tax sale list?

Pottawattamie County posts its tax sale list at iowataxauction.com. 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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Iowa tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Pottawattamie County Treasurer's OfficeOpen auction