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Tax Sale Atlas

Wapello County, IA tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Wapello 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 Wapello County, seat of Ottumwa: 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
GovEase
Registration
Registration is handled on the auction platform, not at the courthouse.
County office
641-683-0040
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 29, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Wapello 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)

GovEase
Run by
Wapello County Treasurer's Office (Treasurer Laurie L. Fountain)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Annual, third Monday in June.
Registration
Registration is handled on the auction platform, not at the courthouse.
Next expected
on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Wapello County parcel and tax status search (Iowa County Treasurers portal)
When it runs
Annual, third Monday in June. The Treasurer's tax sale page states: "Any unpaid taxes are offered at Public Tax Sale which is held annually on the third Monday in June online through GovEase website." The same page carried a 2026 closing notice: "The Tax office will close to the public at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12th to prepare for the Tax Sale. You can still pay online until Saturday, June 13th at 11:59 p.m.", consistent with a Monday, June 15, 2026 sale. Confirm the current year's date and start time with the Treasurer before registering.
Registration and deposit

Registration is handled on the auction platform, not at the courthouse. The Treasurer's tax sale page instructs bidders to "Register to participate in the Tax Sale Auction on the GovEase website." and links the live sale at https://liveauctions.govease.com/. Wapello County does not publish a bidder registration deadline, registration fee, or deposit amount on its own page, so confirm those terms with GovEase and the Treasurer's Office ahead of the June sale. Iowa bidders that are not individuals also need a federal tax identification number plus the agent-for-service or chapter 547 filing required by Iowa Code 446.16.

Sale format and venue
Wapello County runs its certificate sale online through GovEase. The official parcel list is a newspaper publication, not a downloadable file: the Treasurer states, "We publish all qualifying, outstanding unpaid parcels in the county's official publication one time during the last week in May or the first week of June each year." Between publication and sale day, current payment status is tracked through the Iowa County Treasurers parcel search and the GovEase platform, which the county says updates nightly, so a published parcel can drop out before bidding opens. On post-sale economics the county page states, "Upon purchase at a tax sale, the winning bidder pays the outstanding taxes only", that "Two percent (2%) interest per month for up to three (3) years accrues on the outstanding tax sale amount", and that "If a tax sale has not been redeemed within one (1) year and nine (9) months, the investor may file 90-day affidavit with the Treasurer's office to acquire a tax sale deed." Redemption payments go to the Treasurer and must be received by month end to stop further interest. Certified funds are required to redeem a certificate at the counter.
Register on GovEase
Source: Wapello County Treasurer - Tax Sale· Verified Jul 29, 2026

Wapello County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Wapello 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 Wapello County parcel and tax status search (Iowa County Treasurers portal) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Registration is handled on the auction platform, not at the courthouse. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Iowa holds no tax deed auction. Bidding runs on GovEase; 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 Wapello County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Wapello County parcel and tax status search (Iowa County Treasurers portal). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration is handled on the auction platform, not at the courthouse. The Treasurer's tax sale page instructs bidders to "Register to participate in the Tax Sale Auction on the GovEase website." and links the live sale at https://liveauctions.govease.com/. Wapello County does not publish a bidder registration deadline, registration fee, or deposit amount on its own page, so confirm those terms with GovEase and the Treasurer's Office ahead of the June sale. Iowa bidders that are not individuals also need a federal tax identification number plus the agent-for-service or chapter 547 filing required by Iowa Code 446.16.

  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)

Wapello County Treasurer's Office

641-683-0040

101 W 4th St, Ottumwa, IA 52501

Official website

County notes

  • Wapello County publishes its own tax sale page, so the sale date, platform, and registration path here are county-verified rather than statewide defaults.
  • The sale is fully online through GovEase. There is no in-person courthouse bidding option published by the county.
  • The county does not host a standalone delinquent parcel PDF. The statutory list runs once in the county's official newspaper in late May or early June, and the linked Iowa County Treasurers portal is a parcel and payment status search preset to Wapello County (county id 90).
  • Bidder registration fees, deposits, and deadlines are not published on the county page. Confirm them with GovEase and the Treasurer's Office before the June sale.
  • Office hours at the Wapello County Courthouse are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the tax office closes early on the Friday before the sale to prepare.

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 Wapello 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 Wapello County tax certificate sale?

Annual, third Monday in June. The Treasurer's tax sale page states: "Any unpaid taxes are offered at Public Tax Sale which is held annually on the third Monday in June online through GovEase website." The same page carried a 2026 closing notice: "The Tax office will close to the public at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12th to prepare for the Tax Sale. You can still pay online until Saturday, June 13th at 11:59 p.m.", consistent with a Monday, June 15, 2026 sale. Confirm the current year's date and start time with the Treasurer before registering. 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 Wapello County hold tax deed sales?

Wapello 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 Wapello County tax sale list?

Wapello County posts its tax sale list at iowatreasurers.org. 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 Wapello County Treasurer's OfficeOpen auction