Belmont County, Ohio

Hybrid64,692 residents

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

Sale typestate default

Hybrid

Redemption periodstate default

1 year from lien certificate sale (varies); forfeiture-to-deed track has no redemption once complete

Investor returnstate default

Lien: up to 18% per annum, county-set

Governing statutestate default

Ohio Revised Code Ch. 5721

Notes

Ohio hybrid county — Belmont County (St. Clairsville / Ohio Valley / I-70). Delinquent TAX foreclosure sales conducted IN-PERSON at Belmont County Sheriff’s Department, 68137 Hammond Road, St. Clairsville (unless otherwise noted). Treasurer tax-foreclosure sales page and ISSG public list: sale prices begin at delinquent tax amounts plus fees; 10% of winning bid due at sale; balance within 30 days. Contact Treasurer 740-699-2145 for fees and dates. Properties also mapped via County Engineer BelcoSales GIS (gis.belcogis.com/BelcoSales/). Mortgage-style sheriff sales may use RealAuction with statutory deposit tiers — delinquent tax, tax-lien certificate, and partition sales remain on-site until further notice per Sheriff sales page. Do not confuse with Belmont County in other states.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (tax foreclosure at Sheriff's Department); RealAuction for many mortgage/judicial sales

Frequency

Staggered first/second offering dates set per case — confirm Treasurer and BelcoSales GIS list

Platform

Belmont County Treasurer / Sheriff — Tax Foreclosure Sales (St. Clairsville) ↗

Deposit rules

Tax foreclosure: 10% of winning bid due at sale; pay in full within 30 days. Confirm acceptable funds with Sheriff/Treasurer. RealAuction mortgage sales use $2,000/$5,000/$10,000 wire/ACH deposit tiers when online. Obtain associated fees from Treasurer 740-699-2145.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Tax foreclosure/sheriff path after proper case generally cuts off junior private liens; federal liens can survive. Identify tax vs. mortgage sale type. Full title search mandatory on Ohio Valley inventory.

Quiet title

Confirmation helps; quiet title still common given older industrial housing stock and notice history.

Deal maths for Ohio

Assessment ratio: 0.35× of market value
Typical quiet title: $1,800–$5,000 · 5 mo
Recording and transfer: $150

R.C. 5715.01: taxable value is the percentage of true value the tax commissioner sets by rule, capped at 35%. The rule has been at the 35% ceiling for decades and applies uniformly statewide, with no classification by property type and no county overrides.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Belmont County Treasurer's Office — Tax Foreclosure Sales ↗

740-699-2145

Clerk of court

Belmont County Clerk of Courts ↗

Property appraiser

Belmont County Auditor — property search ↗

GIS / parcel map

Belmont County GIS / BelcoSales tax sale map ↗

Areas trending up

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

St. Clairsville / I-70 retail corridor

Primary commercial hub with more liquid SF than river towns

Martins Ferry / Bellaire river edge

Workforce housing near Wheeling metro employment — flood and condition DD required

Barnesville / western fringe

More attainable inventory with local school and service demand