Ohio forecloses through the courts, and it collects unpaid property taxes through a county delinquent list that can end in a tax foreclosure, a tax lien certificate sale or a transfer to a land bank. Each step leaves a public record, but the records sit in different offices in each county. This post walks through both processes, where each stage shows up, and how Propertiz decides which Ohio tax balances count as distress.
How an Ohio foreclosure moves through the records
Ohio foreclosure is judicial, under Chapters 2323 and 2329 of the Ohio Revised Code. The lender files a foreclosure complaint with the Clerk of the county Court of Common Pleas. A lis pendens attaches when the case is filed (R.C. 2703.26), and no separate notice has to be recorded. So the first public signal is the case on the court docket, and a search of the county recorder's index can miss it.
- Complaint. The case is filed in Common Pleas. This is the earliest record, when the owner has the most time.
- Decree and order of sale. If the court rules for the lender, it orders the property sold by the sheriff or by a private selling officer (R.C. 2329.151).
- Appraisal and notice. The property is appraised, and the sale is advertised for three weeks, in a newspaper or on the selling officer's website (R.C. 2329.26).
- Sheriff sale. Since House Bill 390 (2016), sales may run online (R.C. 2329.152), and all 88 county sheriffs list them on state-contracted auction sites. The first sale needs a bid of at least two-thirds of the appraisal. A second sale has no minimum.
- Confirmation. The owner keeps a right to redeem until the court confirms the sale.
A typical case takes 9 to 18 months from filing to sale, and the case is on the docket for all of it.
Where Propertiz sees each stage
Propertiz follows Ohio foreclosures in three stages: the filing, the judgment and the scheduled sale. Later stages replace earlier ones, so one case counts once, and a filing's weight fades as it ages. What's included depends on what each county publishes:
- New foreclosure filings are included in Cincinnati and Dayton, from the Clerk of Courts' monthly report of new mortgage and tax foreclosure cases.
- Sheriff sales are included in Canton, Elyria and Batavia, from the sale listings each Sheriff publishes.
- Foreclosure judgments aren't included in any Ohio county yet.
Each county page on the Ohio coverage page lists which of these it has.
How unpaid taxes become public records
Ohio has no statewide tax sale. When taxes go unpaid, the parcel goes on the county auditor's delinquent list (R.C. 5721.011), which is published in a newspaper (R.C. 5721.03). From there each county uses one or more of these routes:
- Tax foreclosure. The county prosecutor files a foreclosure in Common Pleas (R.C. 5721.18). It ends in a sheriff sale on the same auction sites as mortgage foreclosures.
- Expedited foreclosure of abandoned land. The county Board of Revision can foreclose on abandoned or vacant parcels (R.C. 323.65 to 323.79), and these often go to a county land bank.
- Forfeited-land sales under R.C. Chapter 5723.
- Tax lien certificate sales. Some larger counties, including Cuyahoga and Franklin, sell tax liens to investors in bulk or negotiated sales (R.C. 5721.30 to 5721.43). A certificate holder can foreclose after a one-year wait.
A tax foreclosure goes through Common Pleas like a mortgage foreclosure, so it can show up as a foreclosure filing. Montgomery County's monthly Clerk report lists both kinds of new case.
Why Propertiz counts only certified or year-old delinquency in Ohio
On an Ohio auditor's or treasurer's roll, a parcel listed as delinquent is often behind by a single half-year payment. Counting every balance would mix owners who missed one payment with owners who are years behind. So in Ohio, a tax delinquency adds to a lead's score only when one of two things is true:
- the county's file marks the parcel certified delinquent, or
- the balance owed is at least one full year's tax on the parcel.
Where the county's file carries a certified flag, Propertiz uses it. Where it doesn't, Propertiz compares the balance with the parcel's yearly tax. A source that shows neither can't prove the balance is more than a missed payment, so it doesn't count. When a delinquency does count, two or more years owed weighs more than one.
Unpaid property taxes are included in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Canton, Elyria and Batavia. Only the latest snapshot of a county's tax file is used, so a parcel that pays off drops out at the next refresh.
Reading an Ohio lead
A few Ohio terms help when you read a property's numbers. The market value is the county auditor's appraised value. Ohio taxes 35% of it, the assessed value, at the rates of the parcel's taxing district: the city or township plus the school district. Ohio taxes the county auditor's value, and a sale can trigger a new appraisal, so today's bill can understate a new owner's.
An out-of-state owner is one whose mailing address is outside Ohio. Ohio's homestead exemption is for seniors and disabled owners, so a parcel without it can still be owner-occupied, and Propertiz doesn't count a missing exemption against the owner. Where the county publishes Ohio's owner-occupancy credit, Propertiz uses it to tell who lives in the house. Every lead gets an equity estimate, a HUD market rent and a DSCR at your purchase price, and you can test your own terms with the DSCR calculator.
Contacting Ohio owners
All data is public under Ohio's Public Records Act (R.C. 149.43). Contact owners respectfully. Mail first; follow federal rules (TCPA, Do Not Call) and Ohio's telephone-solicitation law (R.C. Chapter 4719) for calls and texts. No leaseback or "save your home" offers to owners in foreclosure. If you assign contracts, Ohio requires a written wholesaler disclosure to the seller.
Propertiz is live in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Canton, Elyria and Batavia. Our Ohio launch post covers what each county includes today.