The Ontario County tax auction is an online sale of tax-foreclosed properties run through Auctions International under contract with the county. Sales happen once or twice a year after the county completes foreclosure under New York’s Real Property Tax Law, and the lots on offer range from residential parcels to vacant land and the occasional commercial property. Prices can sit well below market, but the terms are unforgiving: no inspections, quitclaim deeds, tight payment windows, and forfeiture of your deposit if you miss a deadline.
Where to Find Listings and Auction Dates
Start with the Ontario County Treasurer’s Office. The Treasurer’s website links directly to the current foreclosure auction listings on Auctions International.1Ontario County, NY. Treasurer Each listing shows every parcel offered, along with its tax map number, address, description, and starting bid. The county also puts out an auction brochure that gathers the same information in one document.
Check early. Serious buyers use the lead time before an auction to drive by properties, pull tax maps, look into zoning, and check for environmental issues. Properties sell as-is, and you will not get an interior inspection. What you can see from the curb and what you can pull from public records is the full extent of your pre-bid information.
How to Register to Bid
You cannot bid without registering in advance, and the deadline is firm. The county requires a completed bidder registration packet submitted before the cutoff date printed on the auction listing. Individual bidders need a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
Business entities have to do more. Corporations and LLCs must provide their Articles of Organization and a federal tax identification number. Anyone bidding for a business also needs documentation showing authority to bind the entity, such as a corporate resolution.
The registration packet includes an Affirmation of Real Property Taxes, a sworn statement that you do not owe delinquent taxes to Ontario County on any other property. Existing tax liens or a default on a prior county sale will get you barred from bidding. Late or incomplete paperwork will not be considered, and the county has turned away otherwise-qualified buyers who missed the registration cutoff.
Buyer’s Premium and Payment Deadlines
The financial terms differ from a normal real estate purchase. There is no separate down payment. Your deposit is the buyer’s premium, and the rate depends on how you pay:
- Cash or guaranteed funds: a discounted buyer’s premium of 6% of the winning bid. Bank checks, certified checks, money orders, and personal or business checks drawn on a New York State bank are accepted, made payable to the Ontario County Treasurer.
- Credit or debit card: a non-discounted buyer’s premium of 8.77% of the winning bid. You complete a credit card authorization form in the registration packet. Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted.
Credit card deposits are charged immediately once you are named the winning bidder. If you pay with cash or guaranteed funds, the deposit is due by the close of business on the date set in the auction terms. That window is historically tight. In a recent auction, the full bid amount and recording fees came due within two business days of the sale. There are no payment plans, and if you fail to close on time you forfeit everything you have already paid along with any rights to the property.2Auctions International. Ontario County Tax Foreclosed Real Estate Auction 43335
How the Online Bidding Works
Bidding runs through the Auctions International platform. Each parcel opens at a predetermined starting price, and registered bidders place offers electronically. Some lots close within minutes when interest is light. Others stretch longer as competition builds on desirable parcels.
When bidding closes, the high bidder is identified and must immediately start the payment and paperwork process. A winning bidder who fails to pay the deposit or complete the forms may see the property re-offered to the next-highest bidder or pulled from the sale.
What Happens After You Win
Winning the bid does not make you the owner. Every purchase is subject to confirmation by the Ontario County Board of Supervisors, which has to formally approve the auction results before deeds go out.3Auctions International. Ontario County Tax Foreclosed Real Estate Auction 32295 – Terms and Conditions If the Board declines to confirm a sale for any reason, the deal falls through.
Once approved, you submit two separate payments. The first goes to the Ontario County Treasurer for the balance of your bid. The second goes to the Ontario County Clerk for recording fees. A single combined check is not accepted.2Auctions International. Ontario County Tax Foreclosed Real Estate Auction 43335
Recording costs stack up from several line items. The Ontario County Clerk charges $50 to record a one-page deed plus $5 for each additional page, a $10 deed notification letter for residential properties, a $5 filing fee for the TP-584 transfer tax form, and either $125 or $250 for the RP-5217 Real Property Transfer Report depending on the classification checked on the form.4Ontario County, NY. Deeds Expect somewhere between $190 and $315 in recording costs, with multi-page deeds pushing the total higher.
What the Deed Actually Gives You
The county conveys through a quitclaim deed. It transfers whatever interest the county acquired through the foreclosure judgment and makes no warranties about title. That distinction is where inexperienced buyers get hurt.
The foreclosure judgment itself is powerful. Once the court enters a final judgment under RPTL ยง 1136, prior owners, lienholders, mortgagees, and anyone else with a claim are “barred and forever foreclosed” of their rights, and the new owner receives a fee simple absolute estate.5New York State Senate. New York Real Property Tax Law 1136 The problem is that the deed carries no warranty, and the practical enforceability of the judgment depends on whether the county followed every procedural step correctly. Flawed notice, a wrong property description, or improper service on a party with standing can open the door to a challenge. Federal tax liens also have their own redemption rules under federal law that survive state foreclosure proceedings. Those gaps are why title insurance companies are often reluctant to insure tax-foreclosed properties without further steps.
Quiet Title Actions
Buyers who plan to resell or finance a tax-auction property often end up filing a quiet title action. That is a court proceeding asking a judge to declare your ownership valid and free of competing claims. It involves a thorough title search, a complaint filed in court, service on parties who might have an interest, and a recorded judgment. Uncontested cases can move on default fairly quickly. A contested action gets slower and more expensive.
Legal fees for a quiet title action can eat into whatever discount you captured at the auction. Budget for the possibility before you bid, especially on higher-value parcels where clear title matters for financing or resale.
Due Diligence Before You Bid
Treating a tax auction like a regular home purchase is the most common and costly mistake. There is no seller’s disclosure, no inspection contingency, no mortgage contingency, and no walking away without losing your deposit. Before placing a bid, experienced buyers work through the following:
- Title search: run one through the county clerk’s records to identify easements, rights of way, or federal liens that may have survived the foreclosure.
- Future property taxes: check the assessed value and current tax rate. A property that went to auction for unpaid taxes may carry a heavy annual bill going forward.
- Zoning and code violations: contact the local municipality about open building permits, code violations, or zoning restrictions that could limit your use of the property.
- Environmental issues: underground storage tanks, prior commercial use, or proximity to contaminated sites can bring remediation costs larger than the purchase price.
- Physical condition: drive by and look at the exterior, check satellite imagery for visible structural problems, and talk to neighbors when possible. You cannot inspect the interior before buying.
Bargains that look impossible at auction sometimes turn out to be properties nobody wanted for good reason. The county has no obligation to disclose defects, and the quitclaim deed leaves you no recourse against the seller after closing.
Surplus Funds for Former Owners
If you are a former owner whose property was sold at a county tax auction, a 2024 change in New York law may entitle you to money. After the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County, which held that governments cannot keep sale proceeds beyond the amount of unpaid taxes, New York amended Article 11 of the Real Property Tax Law to make surplus funds available to former owners.
Within 45 days of the sale, the enforcing officer must determine whether a surplus exists by subtracting delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, and costs from the sale price. Former owners of residential property can file a claim for surplus proceeds for at least three years after the court confirms the sale report. Unclaimed surplus after that period goes to the tax district to reduce its future tax levy rather than to the state comptroller.