The Marion County delinquent tax list is a public record kept by the Treasurer’s Office showing every parcel in the county with unpaid property taxes, and you can search it by parcel number, owner name, or street address through the Indy.gov online portal.1Indy.gov. Pay Your Property Taxes or View Current Tax Bill Property taxes come due twice a year, on May 10 and November 10, and missing either date starts a penalty clock that can push an unpaid parcel toward the county’s annual tax lien sale within about 15 months.3Department of Local Government Finance. Property Tax Due Dates
How to Search the List
The Indy.gov portal is the fastest way to check a balance. Indiana identifies every piece of real property with an 18-digit state parcel number, and entering that full number gives the cleanest result when similar addresses or owner names exist in the system.2Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. Real Property Data Compliance Checks Address and owner-name searches work too, but can return multiple matches.
If you’d rather review records in person, the Treasurer’s Office is in the City-County Building in downtown Indianapolis. Staff can pull up a specific parcel and walk you through the breakdown of what’s owed. Check early. By the time most owners discover a delinquency, penalties have already enlarged the original bill.
When a Property Lands on the List
Indiana splits annual property taxes into two equal installments due on May 10 and November 10. For 2026, the dates are May 10 and November 10, 2026.4Department of Local Government Finance. Property Tax Due Dates
A property is certified to the county auditor as delinquent when unpaid taxes, special assessments, and penalties from the prior year’s spring installment or earlier exceed $25. Once the delinquency is more than 15 months past the first due date, the parcel becomes eligible for the county’s tax sale.5Justia Law. Indiana Code Title 6 Article 1.1 Chapter 24 – Sale of Real Property When Taxes or Special Assessments Become Delinquent That window is shorter than most people expect: miss a May payment, ignore it through the following fall, and the county can start preparing to sell the lien the next summer.
How Penalties Grow
The first penalty depends on how quickly you pay and whether the same parcel already carries a prior delinquency:
- 5% if you pay within 30 days of the due date and have no delinquent taxes or unpaid penalties from a prior period on the same property.
- 10% if you miss that 30-day window, or if you already owe back taxes on the same parcel. The 10% applies to the full amount due as of the tax date.
On the day after each installment due date in the years following, the county adds another 10% penalty on any remaining unpaid principal.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 6-1.1-37-10 – Penalties for Delinquent Taxes A balance that sits untouched through two full tax cycles can take multiple 10% hits on top of the original penalty, and every cycle pushes the total further past what most households planned for.
How to Get Off the List
Paying the full balance, including accumulated penalties, clears the record. Marion County accepts e-checks and credit cards through the online portal, and you can search for your parcel and pay in a single session.1Indy.gov. Pay Your Property Taxes or View Current Tax Bill In-person payment at the Treasurer’s Office in the City-County Building also works. Once the balance clears, the Treasurer updates the record and cancels any pending tax sale proceedings on that parcel.
Written Installment Agreements
If you can’t pay in a lump sum, Indiana law lets the county treasurer enter into a written agreement with you. The terms must require the delinquent taxes to be paid in full no later than the last business day before July 1 of the year after you sign. The agreement has to be in writing and signed by you. Once it’s in place, the county auditor removes the property from the tax sale list.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 6-1.1-24-1.2 – Removal of Property From Tax Sale List
There’s no safety net if you miss a payment. A default voids the agreement immediately and the auditor puts the property back on the sale-eligible list. Indiana allows you to try to negotiate a new arrangement after a default, but the county isn’t obligated to offer the same terms.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 6-1.1-24-1.2 – Removal of Property From Tax Sale List
The Marion County Tax Sale
Parcels still delinquent past the 15-month mark go to the county’s annual tax lien sale. Marion County’s 2026 online sale runs October 13 through October 16, with bidding open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.8Indy.gov. Prepare for a Tax Sale
Before the auction, the county auditor publishes a notice listing every eligible property. The minimum bid for each parcel covers the delinquent taxes and special assessments, any taxes due and payable in the sale year (delinquent or not), accumulated penalties, and administrative costs for postage, publication, and other sale-related expenses.9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 6-1.1-24-2 – Notice of Tax Sale The notice lists each property’s address, parcel number, and owner name, and states that the sale is subject to a right of redemption.
A property can be pulled from the sale any time before the auction by paying the full balance of taxes, assessments, penalties, and costs to the Treasurer.5Justia Law. Indiana Code Title 6 Article 1.1 Chapter 24 – Sale of Real Property When Taxes or Special Assessments Become Delinquent Parcels under an active installment agreement are also excluded. If you’re close to the auction date, call the Treasurer’s Office directly to confirm the exact payoff and how to submit it before the cutoff.
The highest bidder at auction receives a certificate of sale, which is a lien against the property rather than ownership. The buyer earns interest and can eventually petition for a tax deed if you don’t redeem in time.
Redeeming After the Sale
Indiana gives you one year from the date of sale to redeem and cancel the lien.10Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 6-1.1-25-4 – Period for Redemption The redemption amount depends on when you pay:
- Within six months of the sale: 110% of the minimum bid.
- Between six months and one year: 115% of the minimum bid.
- Any excess the purchaser bid above the minimum, plus 5% annual interest on that excess.
- Any taxes or special assessments the purchaser paid after the sale, plus 5% annual interest.
These figures are set by statute and spelled out in the sale notice.9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 6-1.1-24-2 – Notice of Tax Sale Redeeming earlier costs less: paying in month five rather than month seven saves 5% on the minimum bid alone, plus whatever the purchaser has advanced in the interim.
If the year passes without redemption, the lienholder can petition the court for a tax deed. Certified-mail notice goes to the owner and other interested parties, and a 30-day objection window opens.11Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 6-1.1-25-4.6 – Tax Deed Petition Once a tax deed issues, the former owner loses all legal interest in the property.
Surplus Proceeds From a Sale
If a parcel sells for more than the minimum bid, Indiana directs the surplus into a tax sale surplus fund held by the county. The person who was owner of record when the tax deed issued can file a verified claim with the county auditor and county treasurer to recover the money. The deadline is three years from the date the surplus was received; after that, unclaimed funds transfer to the county general fund.12Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 6-1.1-24-6.4 – Distribution of Proceeds of Sale
The U.S. Supreme Court reinforced this right in 2023 in Tyler v. Hennepin County, holding that a government cannot keep the excess value above a tax debt after selling a property, because retaining that surplus is an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment.13Supreme Court of the United States. Tyler v. Hennepin County (2023) If your property sold for well above what you owed, that money is yours to claim.
What Delinquent Taxes Do to Your Mortgage
Property tax liens in Indiana sit ahead of mortgages and other encumbrances. A tax lien sale can wipe out a lender’s security interest if the owner doesn’t redeem in time, and lenders know it. Most react quickly the moment taxes go delinquent.
If your loan includes an escrow account, the servicer collects a share of estimated taxes with each monthly payment and is supposed to pay the county on your behalf. When it works, you never land on the list. Escrow shortages, servicer errors, and misrouted payments do happen, and you remain legally responsible for the bill either way. If your lender advances the delinquent payment to protect its lien, that amount typically gets added to your loan balance, and failing to reimburse the lender can trigger a mortgage default.
Without an escrow account, the lender may still monitor tax status and pay to protect its collateral. Either path leaves you dealing with two creditors at once: the county wants its money, and the lender wants to protect the asset securing your loan. Clearing the delinquency quickly is the only way to keep both sides from escalating.