In the Lake County, Indiana tax sale, a house becomes eligible when property taxes from the prior year’s spring installment, or earlier, are still unpaid and the overdue amount is more than $25 (IC 6-1.1-24-1). The sale doesn’t take your house that day. The winning bidder buys a lien, and you generally have one year to redeem by paying what’s owed plus set charges. You can also pay before the sale, sign a payment arrangement, or sell the house and pay the taxes from the proceeds.
Take a breath. You likely have more time and more options than the letter makes it feel. This guide walks through each stage. It’s general information, not legal advice. For your exact amounts and dates, call the county offices listed below, and consider talking with an Indiana attorney.
How property taxes go delinquent
Indiana property taxes are normally paid in two equal installments, due May 10 and November 10 (IC 6-1.1-22-9). The law allows some exceptions, so go by the dates printed on your bill.
When a payment is late, penalties are added (IC 6-1.1-37-10):
| When | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Paid within 30 days of the due date, with no earlier unpaid taxes or penalties on the parcel | 5% of the late amount |
| Otherwise | 10% of the late amount |
| Each installment due date in the years after the first delinquency | Another 10% of the taxes still unpaid |
Those later penalties are figured on the unpaid taxes themselves, not on earlier penalties. Still, they add up fast, which is why it pays to act early.
When a house goes on the tax sale list
Each year, the county Treasurer certifies a list of delinquent properties to the Auditor no later than 51 days after the first tax due date (IC 6-1.1-24-1). A hypothetical example: if your spring 2025 installment was never paid, your house could appear on the list certified in 2026.
According to the Lake County Treasurer, once the list is compiled:
- an additional tax sale charge is added
- a certified letter goes to each owner
- owners’ names and addresses are published in two local newspapers
- the sale must be held no later than 171 days after the list is certified
The notices you’ll get
State law requires the Auditor to mail you notice by certified mail and first-class mail at least 21 days before the county asks a court for a judgment allowing the sale (IC 6-1.1-24-4). The notice goes to the address in the Auditor’s records. If you’ve moved, it’s on you to give the Auditor your correct address, because notice mailed to the old one still counts.
The published notice explains how the minimum bid is figured, what it will cost to redeem, and the date the county will apply for judgment. If you believe the taxes are wrong, it explains how to file a defense with the court before that date (IC 6-1.1-24-2).
How the Lake County tax sale works
In Lake County, the Treasurer’s tax sale is held entirely online, with SRI as the county’s tax sale administrator. The 2026 sale ran September 4 through 8, 2026 (Lake County tax sale page).
- The minimum bid is everything owed on the parcel through the current year as of the sale date.
- What’s sold is a lien, not the house. After the lien is paid for, the Auditor issues a tax sale certificate.
- Any amount bid above the minimum goes into a tax sale surplus fund (IC 6-1.1-24-7). More on that below.
The commissioners’ sale
If no one bids the minimum, the county takes a lien instead (IC 6-1.1-24-6). In Lake County, those certificates go to the Board of Commissioners, which can offer them at a later Commissioners’ Tax Sale for less than the original minimum bid (IC 6-1.1-24-6.1). The 2026 commissioners’ sale ran May 4 through 7.
| Compared | Treasurer’s tax sale | Commissioners’ sale |
|---|---|---|
| What’s sold | Lien certificate on delinquent parcels | Certificates the county took when no one bid the minimum |
| Lowest price | Full minimum bid | Can be less than the original minimum bid |
| Time to redeem | Generally 1 year after the sale | 120 days after the certificate is sold |
If the county holds a lien and doesn’t sell the certificate, the redemption period is 120 days after the county acquired it. In that situation, the Treasurer can agree to a payment arrangement and extend the redemption period, up to one year from the agreement (IC 6-1.1-25-4).
Redemption: getting your house back after the sale
Anyone can redeem by paying the county Treasurer the redemption amount before the period runs out (IC 6-1.1-25-1). For a regular tax sale, that amount includes (IC 6-1.1-25-2):
- 110% of the minimum bid if you redeem within six months of the sale, or 115% after six months
- 5% per year on any amount the buyer bid above the minimum
- Taxes the buyer paid after the sale, plus 5% per year
- Certain certified costs, like the buyer’s notice and title search costs
- Any taxes and charges that came due and went unpaid after the sale
A hypothetical example: if the minimum bid was $4,000, the first piece would be $4,400 within six months or $4,600 after that, before the other items. Redemption amounts for commissioners’ certificates are figured differently.
Don’t try to calculate it yourself. The county says redemption amounts must be calculated by its office. Call the Lake County Auditor’s tax sale department at (219) 755-3155 for your number.
If the house isn’t redeemed
The tax sale buyer, or in some counties the Auditor, must send the owner notice by certified mail within six months after the sale, saying when they’ll ask a court for a tax deed (IC 6-1.1-25-4.5). After the redemption period ends, the buyer can petition the court. A tax deed transfers ownership free and clear of most earlier liens (IC 6-1.1-25-4).
If you get a notice about a tax deed petition, call an Indiana attorney right away.
Tax sale surplus
If the house sold for more than the minimum bid and isn’t redeemed, the former owner may have a right to the surplus. Here’s how it works (IC 6-1.1-24-7):
- You file a verified claim, which the Auditor and Treasurer review.
- Surplus not claimed within three years goes to the county general fund.
- In Lake County, taxes that pile up through the year you lose title are paid from the surplus first.
- If an executor, guardian or someone with a power of attorney files the claim, a court has to direct the payment.
Be careful with anyone who offers to “recover” surplus for a fee. Indiana says those agreements are valid only if the fee is 10% or less and the written, signed agreement states the surplus amount and your share after the fee (IC 6-1.1-24-7.5).
Vacant or abandoned houses move faster
If a court or hearing authority has found a house vacant or abandoned, and taxes from the prior year’s fall installment or earlier are unpaid, it can be sold from a separate list. After that sale, the owner has no right to redeem (IC 6-1.1-24-1.5). If you own an empty house with back taxes, act sooner rather than later. Our page on selling a vacant house can help.
How to check where you stand
- Look up your bill and balance on the Treasurer’s Tax Search and Payment site.
- Call the Lake County Treasurer at (219) 755-3760. The office has locations at 2293 N. Main Street in Crown Point, 232 Russell Street in Hammond and 400 Broadway in Gary (Lake County Treasurer).
- Call the Auditor’s tax sale department at (219) 755-3155 for redemption amounts and sale details.
Ask three questions: Is my house on the list? What exactly do I owe, and by what date? And what are my options?
Your options, from earliest to latest
Pay before the list is certified
Paying before the list goes to the Auditor avoids the added tax sale charge. After that, the house stays on the list unless you pay all delinquent taxes, penalties and sale costs in full, or sign the arrangement described next (IC 6-1.1-24-1.2).
Ask about a payment arrangement
Indiana law lets the Treasurer and a taxpayer agree on a payment arrangement. If it’s in writing, signed by you, and requires full payment by the last business day before July 1 of the following year, the Auditor removes the house from the sale list. Miss a payment and the arrangement is void, though a new one may be possible. Ask the Lake County Treasurer whether you qualify.
Sell the house and pay the taxes at closing
You can sell before the sale or during the redemption period. The title company pays the delinquent taxes or redemption amount from the sale proceeds, and you keep the rest. If you sell during the redemption period, the redemption amount is paid as part of closing so the new owner doesn’t risk losing the house.
If your house is in good shape and you have time, listing with an agent may bring more money. If time is short or the house needs work, a cash sale can close around the deadlines. Our page on falling behind on property taxes compares the choices, and you can request a written offer to see a real number.
Get free or low-cost help
A HUD-approved housing counselor can help you sort through your budget and options. An Indiana attorney can review notices and deadlines. If the house came to you from a parent, our guide to selling an inherited house in Gary covers the probate side, and our Gary and Lake County pages cover local selling details.
Quick answers
Will I have to move out right after the tax sale?
No. At a regular Lake County tax sale, the winning bidder buys a lien certificate, not your house. You still own it during the redemption period, which is generally one year. Ownership changes only if nobody redeems and the buyer completes the notice and court steps for a tax deed. Houses on a vacant or abandoned list follow different rules.
Do partial payments take my house off the tax sale list?
No. The Treasurer can accept partial payments after the list is certified, but under Indiana law they don't remove the house from the sale. Only full payment of what's due, or a written payment arrangement signed with the Treasurer, does that.
I inherited a house that's on the tax sale list. Who gets the notices?
Notices go to the owner of record at the address in the Auditor's records. If the owner has died, they may be going to an empty house. Contact the Lake County Auditor to update the mailing address, ask for the current amount due, and talk with a probate attorney about who has authority to act for the estate.
