Howard County, IN
Tax sale in Commissioners' Meeting Room 338, Oct 27 at 10 a.m. — may move online to Zeus Auction
Howard County, Indiana's 2026 real property tax sale begins at 10:00 a.m. local time on October 27, in Commissioners' Meeting Room 338, and continues until every tract has been offered. The notice keeps the option to switch to an online format at local officials' discretion; if that happens the sale runs as an electronic sale at www.zeusauction.com from the same date and time, and any change of location is posted at www.sriservices.com before the sale. The county auditor and treasurer apply for a court judgment against the listed parcels on or after October 9; any defense has to be filed with the Howard County Circuit Court before then, and the court holds a hearing at least seven days before the sale. Because of a change in Indiana law, the list ran in newspapers only once; later notices are on the county's website, and the full list is available at sriservices.com.
No parcel sells for less than the delinquent taxes and special assessments, the current year's taxes due whether or not they're delinquent, all penalties, $25 for postage and publication plus other costs of the sale, and any unpaid costs from a prior tax sale. The notice spells out what a redemption pays: 110% of the minimum bid if the owner redeems within six months, 115% after that, plus the amount bid over the minimum with 5% a year on it, plus any taxes the buyer paid after the sale with 5% interest. It can also include the buyer's attorney's fees and notice costs (IC 6-1.1-25-4.5) and title search costs (IC 6-1.1-25-2(e)). The redemption period for certificates sold at this sale expires on Wednesday, October 27, 2027; for certificates struck to the county it may expire as early as February 24, 2027. If a parcel sells above the minimum and isn't redeemed, the owner divested when the tax deed issues may have a right to the surplus. The county doesn't warrant street addresses or descriptions, and minimum bids can change before the sale.
Indiana rules at a glance
Indiana sells tax sale certificates to the highest bidder above a minimum bid made up of the taxes, penalties and costs (IC 6-1.1-24-5). The owner has one year to redeem and pays 110% of the minimum bid within six months or 115% after that, plus 5% a year on any amount bid above the minimum (IC 6-1.1-25-2). Certificates on parcels nobody bought can be resold by the county at a later certificate sale, with a 120-day redemption period and a 10% return on the certificate price (IC 6-1.1-24-6.1, IC 6-1.1-25-4). Vacant or abandoned parcels certified for sale carry no redemption at all.
The statute, the bidding and what goes wrong for new buyers are on the Indiana page; every sale date we have sourced for Howard County is on the Howard County page.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in Howard County pays $1,189 a year in property tax — below the Indiana median of $1,614 (U.S.: $3,119). That is roughly what a typical home here owes after one missed year — about the face value of a one-year certificate, before interest, fees and any premium. Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $1,220; homes owned outright, $1,127.
On a home with a mortgage, the lender has its own reason to pay a delinquent tax bill: the tax lien outranks the mortgage, and a tax deed can wipe out the loan. On a home owned outright, nobody but the owner — or the heirs — has that reason. In Howard County, 36.3% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Indiana: 36.4%, U.S.: 39.4%). About the same as the state as a whole.
10.7% of all housing units in Howard County are vacant. The figure that matters for a lien buyer is the Census “other vacant” category — not for rent, not for sale, not a holiday home, but a catch-all that includes foreclosures, homes held up by legal proceedings or family reasons, homes needing repairs, and abandoned ones. Here it is 6.2% of all units (Indiana: 4.3%, U.S.: 3.6%). That is above the state rate, so expect more empty properties on the delinquent list: the ones least likely to redeem, and the most likely to need work if the deed ends up yours. Drive by before you bid.
Half of the homes in Howard County were built in or before 1969 (Indiana: in or before 1976). The typical tax bill is 1.9% of the median household income of $64,027 (Indiana: 2.2%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25081, B25002, B25004, B25035, B19013) — see the figures on data.census.gov. Survey estimates with margins of error; anything too uncertain to state is left out.
Before you bid: Register through SRI (sriservices.com) and watch there for any switch to an online sale. Research every tract yourself — the auditor and treasurer can withhold any parcel listed in error, right up to and during the sale.
Official source: in.gov — checked October 4, 2026
More sales: 41 other county sales are on the calendar in October 2026 — see them by date; or the upcoming sales in Indiana.
This page reflects publicly posted county auction notices as of publication and is general information, not financial or legal advice. Sale details can change — always confirm current terms with the county directly.