Chelan County, Washington

Tax Deed81,228 residents

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

Sale typestate default

Tax Deed

Redemption periodstate default

None once the county treasurer's deed issues (3-year delinquency threshold before that)

Investor returnstate default

N/A — outright deed transfer

Governing statutestate default

Revised Code of Washington Ch. 84.64

Notes

Washington tax-foreclosure (treasurer’s deed) county. Chelan County Treasurer runs annual December online foreclosure auction after ~3 years delinquency (RCW 84.64). 2025 cycle: Public Surplus online; $500 bid deposit by wire due Friday Nov. 28, 2025 4 p.m.; sale Dec. 1–3, 2025. Expect similar December cadence for 2026 — confirm deposit and platform on Treasurer foreclosure page. Wenatchee / Leavenworth tourism and orchard-ag market. Tax-title leftovers also listed separately when available.

Auction logistics

Format

Online

Frequency

Annually in December (2025 sale Dec. 1–3; confirm 2026 dates on Treasurer site)

Platform

Public Surplus — Chelan County Treasurer tax foreclosure ↗

Deposit rules

Register on Public Surplus; wire bid deposit ($500 for 2025 cycle) by published deadline before sale opens. Winning bidders complete settlement per Public Surplus and Treasurer terms; non-winners refunded per platform post-sale audit. Confirm 2026 deposit amount and wire deadline.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Treasurer’s deed generally extinguishes most private liens; federal tax liens can survive. Verify local improvement district and other assessments.

Quiet title

Practically often required for title insurance on Washington tax-deed property.

Deal maths for Washington

Assessment ratio: 1× of market value
Typical quiet title: $1,800–$5,000 · 5 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

RCW 84.40.030: "All property must be valued at one hundred percent of its true and fair value in money and assessed on the same basis unless specifically provided otherwise by law." RCW 84.41.030 requires annual revaluation of all taxable real property, with physical inspection at least once every six years.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Chelan County Treasurer ↗

509-667-6405

Clerk of court

Chelan County Auditor / Recording (land records) ↗

Property appraiser

Chelan County Assessor ↗

GIS / parcel map

Chelan County Assessor / GIS parcel resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

Wenatchee / valley commercial core

Regional service and healthcare employment with strongest year-round SF demand

East Wenatchee fringe (cross-river market influence)

Commuter and retail demand tied to greater Wenatchee employment

Leavenworth / Bavarian tourism corridor

Visitor economy supporting short-term and workforce housing pressure