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Guide 05
4 min read · updated October 22, 2026
Ohio forecloses through its county courts of common pleas, and its sheriff sales follow a statute that is unusually specific: an appraisal before the sale, a minimum price at the first sale, fixed deposits, and confirmation by the court before anyone gets a deed. Our records hold 781 upcoming Ohio sheriff sales in 79 counties; the next is in Lucas County on October 22, 2026, with 25 properties listed. The median opening bid across the Ohio sales we hold is $66,667.
When the court orders a foreclosed property sold, "the sheriff shall call an inquest of three disinterested freeholders" who live and own property in the county, to appraise it "upon actual view" [1]. For residential property they have 21 days. If they miss that deadline, the county auditor's most recent value becomes the appraised value unless the court allows a separate appraisal [2].
The appraisal is printed with the sale, and it drives two numbers: the minimum bid and the deposit.
At an Ohio first sale, a property cannot sell for less than two-thirds of its appraised value; a residential foreclosure that does not sell goes to a second auction with no minimum.
The rule is R.C. 2329.20: "no tract of land shall be sold for less than two-thirds the amount of the appraised value" [3]. Where a junior lien is foreclosed and a senior lien is left in place, the court sets the minimum against the equity above the senior debt instead [4].
If a residential mortgage foreclosure draws no qualifying bid, "a second auction shall be held and the property shall be sold to the highest bidder without regard to the minimum bid requirement" [5], between 7 and 30 days after the first [6]. The second date is set in advance and printed in the notice of sale, so a property that fails on the first date can come back within weeks at a lower price. The buyer at a second sale still pays any costs and taxes the price does not cover.
Ohio law created "a single statewide system for use by all county sheriffs" for selling foreclosed real estate online [7]. For residential property, online sale was optional for five years after the system went live and mandatory after that [8]. "All sales conducted on the official public sheriff sale web site shall be open for bidding for at least seven days" [9], so a sale on the official site is a week-long online auction rather than a morning at the courthouse.
The plaintiff can instead ask the court to authorize a private selling officer [10], who may also sell online. Either way, the sale is advertised once a week for at least three consecutive weeks, with the start date, the web address, the deposit and any second sale date [11].
For residential property the deposit is fixed by statute, by appraised value [12]:
| Appraised value | Deposit |
|---|---|
| $10,000 or less | $2,000 |
| More than $10,000, up to $200,000 | $5,000 |
| More than $200,000 | $10,000 |
The plaintiff pays none when it buys at its own sale [13]. When the deposit is due and how it is paid are set "by the court or the person conducting the sale and included in the advertisement" [14], and at an online sale it can be paid by card or a similar device [15]. A bidder who misses the deposit terms loses the sale, and the property can go to the second sale date [16]. Commercial property carries whatever deposit is set for its sale.
After the sheriff returns the writ, the court reviews the sale and, if it complied with the statutes, confirms it within 30 days [17]. Until then the sale can be undone. The debtor can redeem "at any time before the confirmation" by depositing the judgment, costs and interest with the clerk [18], and a sale held without the required notice is to be set aside on motion [19].
After confirmation the buyer has 30 days to pay the balance [20]; a buyer who does not can lose the sale and the deposit [21]. The officer records the deed within 14 days after confirmation and payment [22].
Taxes come out of the proceeds. At a judicial sale the court orders past-due and prorated current taxes paid from the sale money, "but only to the extent of such proceeds" [23], and the notice of sale warns that the buyer pays the "costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover" [24]. At a low second-sale price, that can be real money.
On the official site, the plaintiff may postpone a sale once, by up to 180 days [25], and any bids placed before a postponement are void [26]. A private selling officer's sale can be postponed more than once, within 180 days of the first date [27]. A bankruptcy filing stays any sale. Why sheriff sales get postponed covers the rest.
When a county treasurer forecloses for unpaid property taxes, the sheriff sells the parcel too, under different rules. The court "may order each parcel to be sold, without appraisal, for not less than" a minimum drawn from two figures: the county auditor's fair market value plus costs, or the taxes, charges and costs owed [28]. If no bid reaches the lesser of the two, the sale is adjourned to a second date two to six weeks later [29], and a parcel still unsold can be offered again at a later sale if the court orders [30].
Read the advertisement closely. Where the treasurer foreclosed only the tax lien, the parcel "will be sold subject to all liens and encumbrances" other than the taxes foreclosed, and the notice must say so in bold type [31]. The notice must also warn when a parcel is "subject to a federal tax lien that may not be extinguished by the sale" [32]. A tax foreclosure parcel at a low minimum can carry a mortgage the sale never touched.
The Ohio sheriff sales pages list every county we read. For the process in general see how sheriff sales work, and before bidding, how to buy a house at a sheriff sale.
At the first sale of a foreclosed property, two-thirds of the appraised value. If a residential mortgage foreclosure does not sell, a second auction is held 7 to 30 days later with no minimum, though the buyer still covers the costs and taxes the price does not. Tax foreclosures have their own minimum: the lesser of the taxes and costs owed or the auditor's value plus costs.
For residential property, $2,000 if the appraisal is $10,000 or less, $5,000 if it is up to $200,000, and $10,000 above that. The plaintiff pays no deposit. When it is due is set by the court or the officer and printed in the advertisement; commercial property carries whatever deposit is set for its sale.
Ohio law created a single statewide official sheriff sale website and made online sale of residential property mandatory after a five-year phase-in. Online sales stay open for at least seven days. A court can also authorize a private selling officer, who may sell online or at a physical location in the county.
Until the court confirms the sale. The debtor can redeem by depositing the judgment, costs and interest with the clerk of courts at any time before confirmation; once the sale is confirmed, it stands.
General information about Ohio procedure, not legal advice. Each county sheriff sets its own deposit and terms, and statutes change; confirm with the sheriff's office before bidding.
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