State laws / Colorado
Colorado tax sales: liens, deeds, rates & redemption
Quick answerColorado sells tax lien certificates for unpaid property taxes. Lien buyers can earn Federal discount rate (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City) in effect Sept. 1 plus 9 percentage points, rounded to the nearest whole percent, set Oct. 1 and fixed for the life of the certificate (C.R.S. §39-12-103) — e.g. 14% for certificates in the Oct. 1, 2025-Sept. 30, 2026 period, 13% announced for the 2026 El Paso County sale. Interest accrues only on taxes/subsequent taxes, not on any premium bid. Redemption: Owner may redeem at any time before issuance of a treasurer's deed / completion of the treasurer's deed public auction; the lienholder may apply for that auction no sooner than 3 years from the date of the tax lien sale (C.R.S. §§39-12-103, 39-11.5-102) Sales: Annual county treasurer tax lien sales in the fall, typically October-November (most counties in November) Governing law: Colorado Revised Statutes Title 39, Articles 11 and 12 (§§39-11-101 et seq., 39-12-103) and Article 11.5 (§§39-11.5-101 et seq.) for treasurer's deed auctions.
Where to bid: Online via RealAuction, GovEase, SRI Inc., and Zeus Auction depending on the county; some counties still hold in-person sales — see the Colorado County Treasurers' association sale list for the county-by-county split
| What is sold | Tax lien certificates |
|---|---|
| Interest / penalty | Federal discount rate (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City) in effect Sept. 1 plus 9 percentage points, rounded to the nearest whole percent, set Oct. 1 and fixed for the life of the certificate (C.R.S. §39-12-103) — e.g. 14% for certificates in the Oct. 1, 2025-Sept. 30, 2026 period, 13% announced for the 2026 El Paso County sale. Interest accrues only on taxes/subsequent taxes, not on any premium bid |
| Redemption period | Owner may redeem at any time before issuance of a treasurer's deed / completion of the treasurer's deed public auction; the lienholder may apply for that auction no sooner than 3 years from the date of the tax lien sale (C.R.S. §§39-12-103, 39-11.5-102) |
| When sales happen | Annual county treasurer tax lien sales in the fall, typically October-November (most counties in November) |
| Governing law | Colorado Revised Statutes Title 39, Articles 11 and 12 (§§39-11-101 et seq., 39-12-103) and Article 11.5 (§§39-11.5-101 et seq.) for treasurer's deed auctions |
| Investor notes | Premium bidding: the winning premium over the lien amount is not refunded on redemption and earns no interest, so effective yield is below the headline rate. HB 24-1056 (eff. July 1, 2024) replaced automatic issuance of a treasurer's deed with a public auction of a certificate of option for treasurer's deed, so surplus value can return to the former owner. |
Sources
- https://www.weld.gov/Government/Departments/Treasurer-Public-Trustee/Treasurer/Tax-Lien-Sale-Information
- https://treasurer.elpasoco.com/tax-lien-sale/
- https://legalclarity.org/pueblo-county-tax-liens-auctions-rates-redemption/
- https://cctpta.org/tax-lien-sales/
- https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Finance/Our-Divisions/Treasury/Treasurers-Deed-Application-Information
Law verified 2026-10-30 against the sources above. Confirm current details with the county tax collector / clerk before bidding — counties can change dates and procedures.