Howard County, Indiana

Tax Lien84,082 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Lien

Redemption periodstate default

1 year from sale

Investor returnstate default

10–15% plus 5–10% penalty depending on timing

Governing statutestate default

Indiana Code Title 6, Art. 1.1

Notes

Indiana tax-lien (certificate) county — not a tax-deed auction. Howard County Auditor/Treasurer sell certificates on delinquent real-property taxes via SRI Incorporated (register at sriservices.com / properties.sriservices.com). Recent cycles: in-person style at 220 N Main St, Kokomo (e.g. Oct 17, 2025 Bid4Assets listing reference; third-party calendars cite ~Oct 27, 2026 for next). Confirm live 2026 date/format with Treasurer Tax Sale / Teresa Carson Bankruptcy-Tax Sale line. Successful bidders receive a Tax Sale Certificate (lien), not a deed; owners generally have one year to redeem under IC 6-1.1-24/25 before tax-deed petition path. Commissioners’ certificate sale may follow for unsolds. Kokomo / auto manufacturing corridor.

Auction logistics

Format

Online/in-person hybrid per cycle (SRI stack — confirm current storefront)

Frequency

Annually in fall (historically late October; confirm 2026 packet with Treasurer)

Platform

SRI Incorporated — Howard County Tax/Certificate Sale ↗

Deposit rules

Register on SRI/Zeus-class platform; complete W-9 and statutory bidder affidavit (no delinquent taxes/judgments in the county). Pre-auction deposit practice varies by Indiana SRI counties — Howard materials have indicated no pre-auction deposit on some cycles; confirm current packet. Payment of winning certificate amounts due per SRI settlement rules. Lien Buyer Handout covers post-sale noticing duties.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Certificate is a lien only. Mortgages and other liens remain until a valid tax deed issues after redemption expires and statutory notices. Federal tax liens and bankruptcy can impair outcomes. Post-sale investor notice duties are strict under IC 6-1.1-25.

Quiet title

After tax deed issues, quiet title is commonly used to obtain insurable/marketable title for resale or financing in Indiana.

Deal maths for Indiana

Assessment ratio: 1× of market value
Typical quiet title: $1,500–$5,000 · 4 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

Indiana assesses at 100% of true tax value (assessed value has equalled 100% of true tax value since the 2001 assessment year), so the statutory ratio is 1.0.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Howard County Treasurer — Tax Sale ↗

765-456-2213

Clerk of court

Howard County Clerk / Circuit Court (tax deed petitions) ↗

Property appraiser

Howard County Assessor / Beacon-style property search ↗

GIS / parcel map

Howard County GIS / parcel resources ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Kokomo / downtown–Main Street edge

County-seat and auto-supplier employment with liquid workforce housing

South Kokomo / industrial park fringe

Manufacturing jobs supporting rental and starter SF demand

Greentown / eastern rural-suburban fringe

Relative entry pricing with school-driven local buyer pool