Jefferson County, CO
Online lien sale on Zeus Auction (SRI), Nov 12–13 — register Oct 19 to Nov 10
Jefferson County, Colorado holds its annual tax lien sale online through SRI, Inc.'s Zeus Auction on November 12 and 13, 2026. Registration with SRI opens October 19, and the last day to register is November 10. Bids are taken online only, from any internet connection, once a bidder is registered with SRI, and parcels are offered and bid in property identification number (PIN) order. The treasurer posted the list of 2025 delinquent taxes on September 21 and won't update it there, so check whether a parcel has since been paid on the county's property tax portal; the final parcels eligible for sale are the ones SRI loads into Zeus Auction.
The rate is not what you compete on. Colorado fixes it each year at nine points over the federal discount rate — 13% for liens sold from October 1, 2026 — and bidders compete with a premium that goes to the county and earns no interest. Owners can pay off a lien at any time before a treasurer's deed is issued, but Jefferson County only takes certified funds (cashier's check, money order, cash or wire), doesn't post payoff amounts on its payment portal, and requires payment to reach the office by its last business day of the month; the office is closed on Fridays. Liens that nobody buys are struck to the county, and the treasurer will send that list on request. If a lien stays unredeemed for three years, the holder can apply for a treasurer's deed, which in Colorado now leads to a public auction rather than a direct transfer to the certificate holder (C.R.S. art. 11.5).
Colorado rules at a glance
Colorado's rate is nine points above the federal discount rate, set each September 1 by the State Bank Commissioner (C.R.S. 39-12-103): 13% for liens sold from October 1, 2026. Bidders compete on a premium that goes to the county and earns no interest (C.R.S. 39-11-115). From August 1 of the third calendar year after the sale the holder can apply for a treasurer's deed, which now means a public auction (C.R.S. art. 11.5); the owner can redeem until seven days before it.
The statute, the bidding and what goes wrong for new buyers are on the Colorado page; every sale date we have sourced for Jefferson County is on the Jefferson County page.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in Jefferson County pays $3,082 a year in property tax — above the Colorado median of $2,602 (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 $3,085; homes owned outright, $3,074.
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 Jefferson County, 29.4% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Colorado: 30.6%, U.S.: 39.4%). About the same as the state as a whole.
4.7% of all housing units in Jefferson 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 1.5% of all units (Colorado: 1.7%, U.S.: 3.6%). Close to the state rate.
Half of the homes in Jefferson County were built in or before 1980 (Colorado: in or before 1988). The typical tax bill is 2.8% of the median household income of $110,656 (Colorado: 2.7%).
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: Auction questions go to SRI at 800-800-9588. For parcels, payoffs and the list of county-held liens, call the Jefferson County Treasurer's Office in Golden at 303-271-8330 (open Monday to Thursday) — and use the county's tax lien properties map before you register.
Official source: jeffco.us — checked October 4, 2026
More sales: 38 other county sales are on the calendar in November 2026 — see them by date; or the upcoming sales in Colorado.
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.