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Tax Sale Atlas

Wright County, IA tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Wright 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 Wright County, seat of Clarion: 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
Registration
Registration is online only through Iowa Tax Auction.
County office
515-532-2691
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 29, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Wright 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
Wright County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Registration
Registration is online only through Iowa Tax Auction.
Next expected
on the third Monday in June, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Wright County tax sale parcel list on Iowa Tax Auction (visible after registration)
When it runs
Annual. The county tax department page states "Tax sale is the third Monday in June." For 2026 the treasurer's notice to purchasers reads: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Wright County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Wright County Courthouse beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bidders will place their bids online." Bidding closes at 11:00 a.m. the same morning. An adjourned tax sale is held on any business day after the annual sale when bidders are present and parcels remain available.
Registration and deposit

Registration is online only through Iowa Tax Auction. The county notice states "Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." For the 2026 sale registration ran Monday, May 18, 2026 through Thursday, June 11, 2026, with every step finished by 11:59 p.m. on June 11. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete an online W-9. All bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. A bidder that is an entity rather than an individual needs a federal tax identification number plus either a designation of agent for service of process on file with the Iowa Secretary of State (515-281-5204) or a verified statement of trade name on file with the Wright County Recorder (515-532-3204). Registration and auction site help is available at (800) 800-9588 or support@iowataxauction.com.

Sale format and venue
The sale is hosted at the Wright County Courthouse but all bids are placed online through Iowa Tax Auction. Parcels are offered in published order starting at a 100 percent undivided interest, and bid downs move in whole percentage points from 99 percent to 1 percent. Wright County does not use batches. The certificate goes to the bidder naming the smallest percentage, with ties broken by a random selection process. Bids can be uploaded before the sale opens but are not applied until 9:00 a.m. Winners get an invoice at close, and an ACH debit for the full amount pulls automatically from the account used for the registration fee. The total covers delinquent taxes, special assessments, interest, special assessment collection fees, publishing costs, and a $20.00 certificate fee per certificate. Certificates arrive in about 7 to 15 days. Redemption carries 2 percent per month on the sale amount and on subsequent taxes, with each fraction of a month counted whole. The 90-day notice of right of redemption may be issued after one year and nine months on a regular tax sale parcel, or after nine months on a public bidder parcel (marked with an asterisk on the published list). Certificate assignment costs $100.00 per transaction and is not added to the redemption amount. Subsequent tax payments must be made online at www.iowatreasurers.org for a $0.25 per parcel fee. The treasurer's deed fee is $25.00 per parcel, and the certificate plus deed and recording fees must reach the treasurer within 90 calendar days after the redemption period expires or the certificate is canceled. The delinquent tax list is published the week of May 29, 2026 in the Wright County Independent (215 E Main Street, Belmond, IA 50424, 515-448-4745), and the same parcels open for review on the auction site beginning Friday, May 29, 2026, though registration is required to see the data.
Register on SRI / ZEUS
Source: Wright County Treasurer, 2026 Wright County Notice to Tax Sale Purchasers (PDF)· Verified Jul 29, 2026

Wright County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Wright 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 Wright County tax sale parcel list on Iowa Tax Auction (visible after registration) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Registration is online only through Iowa Tax Auction. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  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 Wright County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Wright County tax sale parcel list on Iowa Tax Auction (visible after registration). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration is online only through Iowa Tax Auction. The county notice states "Register online at www.iowataxauction.com. No mailed or emailed registrations will be accepted." For the 2026 sale registration ran Monday, May 18, 2026 through Thursday, June 11, 2026, with every step finished by 11:59 p.m. on June 11. Bidders pay a non-refundable $40.00 registration fee by ACH debit and complete an online W-9. All bidders must be 18 or older as of the sale date. A bidder that is an entity rather than an individual needs a federal tax identification number plus either a designation of agent for service of process on file with the Iowa Secretary of State (515-281-5204) or a verified statement of trade name on file with the Wright County Recorder (515-532-3204). Registration and auction site help is available at (800) 800-9588 or support@iowataxauction.com.

  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)

Wright County Treasurer

515-532-2691

115 N Main St, PO Box 226, Clarion, IA 50525-0226

Official website

County notes

  • Wright County publishes its tax sale terms and dates on the Iowa State County Treasurers Association portal page for the office rather than on the county government website. The county site's Tax Department page confirms only that the sale is the third Monday in June.
  • The treasurer is Peggy Schluttenhofer. The office lists fax 515-532-6062 and email pschlutt@wrightco.iowa.gov on the 2026 notice to tax sale purchasers.
  • The 2026 notice governs taxes sold between June 15, 2026 and June 20, 2027 and their assignments, so expect a refreshed notice each spring. Confirm the current year's sale date, registration window, and fees with the treasurer before bidding.
  • Iowa Code chapters 446, 447, and 448 govern tax sales, redemption, and tax deeds. Wright County directs prospective buyers to consult legal counsel about eligibility, since a certificate or treasurer's deed can be set aside if the purchaser was ineligible to bid.

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 Wright 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 Wright County tax certificate sale?

Annual. The county tax department page states "Tax sale is the third Monday in June." For 2026 the treasurer's notice to purchasers reads: "The 2026 annual Tax Sale will be held by the Wright County Treasurer on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Wright County Courthouse beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bidders will place their bids online." Bidding closes at 11:00 a.m. the same morning. An adjourned tax sale is held on any business day after the annual sale when bidders are present and parcels remain available. 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 Wright County hold tax deed sales?

Wright 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 Wright County tax sale list?

Wright 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
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