​​​​RULES AND REGISTRATION

​

Cash Only
Valid Identification (ID) Required

​

NOTE: ORDER OF SALE:

​

1. Redemption Call – prior owner who wishes to redeem property

2. In Rem Parcels

3. Parcels offered at Fair Market Value or amount owed in taxes

4. Parcels offered at minimum bid ($300 for land and $1,000 for improved), in numerical parcel order

RULES:

​

1. Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 5721.16 states, Parcels shall be sold for not less than the lesser of (1) fair market value plus the costs incurred in the foreclosure and forfeiture proceeding, or (2) the total amount of taxes, etc. found by the court in a foreclosure action. Winning bids of $1,000.00 or less must be PAID IN FULL on the day of the Sale. Winning bids over $1,000.00 require a deposit of half (50%) of the winning bid price. All deposits, fees** and paid in full parcels will be required to be paid IMMEDIATELY AT THE CLOSE OF A SALE FOR EACH PARCEL. **$85 fee PER PARCEL in a sale that includes deed preparation, transfer fees, recording fees, and current postage. This must be paid in addition to the bid price payment or deposit (per ORC Section 5723.12(A)).

2. ALL SALES ARE FINAL – All payments and deposits made on the day of the Sale are non-refundable deposits.

3. Bidders are advised to proceed with extreme caution when bidding on a parcel. The law in Ohio relative to Real Estate is “Caveat Emptor” which means BUYER BEWARE. It is expected that all purchasers have contacted a Real Estate Attorney and Title Company prior to bidding, since ALL SALES ARE FINAL.  Bidders shall use due diligence and:

   1. Make certain you are only bidding on parcels you intended to purchase. Buyers are obligated to purchase any property in which they are the winning bidder, or forfeit a substantial amount of money.

   2. View the property.  Many properties have undesirable characteristics, especially those which are being reoffered this year. If you have not carefully researched the property and physically viewed it, you may not want to bid on the property.

   3. Research. There are number of properties which are scheduled for demolition, have Code Enforcement orders or are cited for health code violations.  The cost of any demolition, repair, or maintenance becomes the responsibility of the buyer.  It is advised that you contact the City of Toledo, Code Enforcement Department at (419) 245-1400 to check whether or not the property is subject to orders or demolition prior to the date of sale; and the Lucas County Health Department at (419) 213-4074 to see if there are any health code violations on the property.

   4. Be aware that properties listed as being sold IN REM are sold subject to all prior liens, such as mortgages, judgment liens, a stay on the property, etc.

   5. Realize all sales are subject to any Federal Tax Liens, which will transfer with the property.

   6. Winning bidders MUST BE a property owner in good standing for a parcel to complete the transfer. Any property owner with delinquent taxes on other properties in this state, as of the date of the Forfeited Land Sale, will not obtain title to any property in which they may have been the winning bidder pursuant to Revised Code 5723.06(A)(3)(a).

   7. All bidders will be required to sign an Affidavit that they have no prior interest in any property to which they will be bidding. If prior ownership is discovered, not only will any monies paid be forfeited, but the bidder will be subject to prosecution.

   8. *All prospective bidders are hereby put on notice that some or all the property that is the subject of this sale is a contaminated site and may be the subject of a court order and/or a U.S. or Ohio Environmental Protection Agency order. Any persons who take title to such property may incur liability therefrom and must comply with Ohio and/or federal law in the clean-up of said property, including, but not limited to, closure of the landfills and post closure monitoring and maintenance of the landfills on site.

4. Bidders must have their money with them at the time of bidding. NO ONE will be allowed to leave and return later to make their payments/deposits. As each parcel must be paid IMMEDIATELY at the close of its sale, do not bid if you do not have the money on you.

   1. Again, deposits/payments made on the date of sale are CASH ONLY.

   2. Full and Final Payments must be made within 5 Business Days from the Date of Sale, which will be Thursday, December 18th, 2025. Final payments may be made with CASH or MONEY ORDER in the Lucas County Auditor’s Office (6th floor of One Government Center) in the Forfeited Land Department. Absolutely NO EXTENSION of time will be granted.

   3. If payment is not made in full on the 5th business day, the winning bidder will forfeit any monies paid, and the parcel will be offered to the back-up bidder for the same price. Back-up bidders will then be given 5 business days to pay in full or the property will be offered at the next scheduled sale. Back-up bidders would have to finalize the purchase by the close of business on Friday, December 26th, 2025.

   4. The Auditor reserves the right to require PAYMENT IN FULL on day of sale for select parcels marked by the asterisk (*). On such select parcels, the full bid price must be paid by cash within 30 minutes of time of sale.

5. Deed Preparation is completed by the Lucas County Auditor’s Office. The deed will only be prepared in the name of the winning bidder unless:

   1. A Bid Release Form is properly filed with the Lucas County Auditor’s Office BEFORE the Forfeited Land Sale.  A Bid Release Form allows a potential buyer the ability to appoint someone as their personal representative for the sole purpose of bidding on property at the Forfeited Land Sale.

   2. A copy of the Articles of Incorporation is filed with the Lucas County Auditor’s Office PRIOR TO THE SALE. If properly filed, the property may be placed in the Company Name. If the bidder’s name is not included on the Articles of Incorporation, a written letter of authorization must be submitted prior to the date of the sale.

6. Property sold at the Forfeited Land Sale will not transfer to the winning bidder until the deed is delivered to the County Recorder. This process will take approximately two weeks after the sale is finalized. Winning bidder CANNOT enter the property, alter it, or remove anything from the property until ownership is finalized by the deed being recorded. NOTICE: ENTERING THE PROPERTY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF OWNER(S) OR OCCUPANT(S) IS A VIOLATION OF THE OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 2911.21, PUNISHABLE BY UP TO 30 DAYS IN JAIL AND/OR A FINE OF $250.00. FURTHER, PHYSICALLY REMOVING THE PROPERTY OF THE OCCUPANTS WITHOUT A COURT ORDER, EVEN AFTER RECEIVING THE DEED, MAY RESULT IN CIVIL OR CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

7. The Lucas County Auditor cannot give any warranty of title, as stated above. Additionally, the Auditor does not give any representation regarding possession, eviction, prior inspection, scheduled demolition, health code violations, federal tax liens, other liens (for In Rem properties), or any other matter. Bidders are encouraged to do their own investigation.

8. Attendance will be limited to Pre-Registered Bidders only, on a First Come/First Served basis. PRE-REGISTRATION will END at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 4th, 2025. ONLY THOSE PRE-REGISTERED will be given a BID CARD to use at the Forfeited Land Sale. There is no fee to register. All registration information must be received before this deadline.

9. The auctioneer may increase the minimum bid increments at his or her discretion in order to keep the bid process moving quickly. DO NOT DELAY in making your bid. Sale is FINAL at the strike of the gavel. All decisions of the auctioneer are FINAL.NOTE: Acceptance of your bid creates a contract between you and The Lucas County Auditor. The Lucas County Prosecutor may file a lawsuit for Breach of Contract if you fail to pay the full price. You may be prohibited from participating in future sales. Bidding on property with the intent to delay the sale or with the intention of not paying the bid price constitutes the crime of Obstructing Official Business under O.R.C. 2921.31, a misdemeanor of the second degree; and bidders may be subject to prosecution.

10. Sales are conducted based SOLELY upon the Permanent Parcel Number of the Property. The county does NOT use addresses for any purpose. The county is therefore not responsible for inaccurate addresses provided in the county records. The county also does not warrant or guarantee any information provided in the county records.​