Property owners have until Wednesday to settle delinquent taxes before Allen County moves forward with its annual tax sale, giving prospective buyers an opportunity to purchase tax-foreclosed properties through a court-ordered auction.
The sale will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday in District Court at the Allen County Courthouse.
The sale marks the final step in a lengthy process involving properties with unpaid taxes. When property taxes remain delinquent for an extended period, the county can petition the court for permission to sell the property. Money generated from the sale is used to pay outstanding taxes and costs associated with the process. Once a property is sold, ownership transfers to the purchaser.
As of this week, 67 properties are scheduled to be offered during the sale, a slight decrease from last month’s estimate.
“We have had five paid since then,” Allen County Treasurer Darolyn Maley said.
The current list is considerably smaller than the number of properties initially identified for the tax foreclosure process.
Maley said the county began with approximately 279 properties before many owners paid delinquent taxes or otherwise resolved their accounts.
The upcoming auction will be the county’s first tax sale since 2023.
Most of the properties remaining on the list are not active businesses or productive farmland.
Instead, the sale consists largely of neglected residential properties and vacant lots that have accumulated unpaid taxes over time.
Property owners still have a short window to prevent their properties from being sold.
“The redemption period is from the time they get the letter until the day before the sale,” Maley said. “Once it sells, they can’t redeem it anymore.”
Residents interested in participating in the auction are encouraged to contact the Treasurer’s Office at 620-365-1409 before the sale.
Maley said prospective buyers must be current on their own Allen County property taxes in order to be eligible to bid.
The Treasurer’s Office can provide information about bidding requirements and the properties scheduled for sale before Thursday’s auction.
