Iowa Tax Delinquent Property Lists by County

Each county holds its annual tax sale on the third Monday of June. Adjourned sales may continue afterward for parcels that did not sell on the sale date.

2% per month — 24% per year — calculated from the month of sale. This is among the highest statutory rates in the country, and subsequently-paid taxes accrue at the same 2% per month.

Instead of bidding the price up, investors bid down the undivided percentage of the property they would accept if it ever goes to deed, to a floor of 1%. Ties at the lowest percentage are broken by a random drawing, so most returns come from redemption interest, not from taking whole parcels.

After one year and nine months you may serve a 90-day notice of expiration; the owner then has 90 days to redeem, after which a deed can issue. Miss the three-year deadline to serve that notice and your certificate is cancelled.