Interested buyers will have an opportunity to purchase tax-foreclosed properties next month when the county conducts its tax sale on June 25.
According to Allen County Treasurer Darolyn Maley, the sale will begin at 9 a.m. in District Court at the Allen County Courthouse.
A tax sale is the final step in a lengthy process involving properties with delinquent taxes. When property taxes remain unpaid for an extended period, the county can seek a court order allowing the property to be sold. The proceeds are used to pay outstanding taxes and costs associated with the sale process. Once a property is sold at the tax sale, ownership transfers to the purchaser.
As of now, 72 properties are scheduled to be included in the sale, though Maley said that number could still change before June 25.
The current list is significantly smaller than the number of properties initially identified for the process.
Maley said the county began with roughly 279 properties before owners paid delinquent taxes or otherwise resolved their accounts.
“We basically started with about the same number of properties as we did with the previous tax sale, but we have a little more this time around going into the sale,” she said, indicating that fewer property owners have stepped forward to pay their delinquent taxes this time around.
The last Allen County tax sale was in 2023.
At that time, approximately 280 properties initially entered the process, but many owners paid what they owed before the sale occurred. Ultimately, 54 properties were sold.
Most of the properties slated for this year’s sale are not active commercial sites or farmland. Instead, Maley said they are largely neglected residential properties and vacant lots.
While tax sales generate revenue, Maley said the county’s primary benefit is not financial. “A lot of it goes to the expense of the sale,” she said.
She noted that the county often abates portions of delinquent taxes and incurs significant legal and administrative costs throughout the process.
“So, as far as what we gain from the sale, it’s not a lot,” Maley said.
County officials view tax sales as a way to return neglected properties to productive use.
“The benefit is it goes back on the tax roll and the people who buy it, hopefully they’ll take care of the property and maybe do something good with it,” she said.
Maley said the impact can extend beyond county finances. Properties that sit vacant often require attention from local governments through weed removal, maintenance efforts, or demolition programs.
