USA Foreclosure Wiki

Adams County, CO

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Adams County, Colorado — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

Local operations layer. The legal framework (redemption periods, surplus rights, statutes, case law) lives on the parent page → colorado. This page covers how Adams County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Brighton
  • Population: ~519,572 (2020 Census); 2024 estimate ~530,000; fifth-most populous county in Colorado (64 counties total). [Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts; worldpopulationreview.com, retrieved 2026-06-02]
  • Recording unit: county
  • FIPS: 08001
  • Parent legal framework: colorado

C1. Local Tax Sale

  • Conducts own sale? Yes — the Adams County Treasurer & Public Trustee (Alexander Villagran) conducts the annual tax-lien-certificate internet auction. [Source: adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Platform: County-branded internet auction at https://adams.coloradotaxsale.com/ The platform vendor is not identified by name on official county pages. Multiple Colorado counties use the coloradotaxsale.com domain via either RealAuction or SRI Services; Adams County’s specific vendor is needs_verification. [Source: adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale; 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Calendar:

    • Frequency: Annual (one sale per year).
    • Typical timing: Registration and live auction occur in October.
    • 2025 sale (2024 tax year):
      • Registration: October 13 – October 24, 2025
      • Live internet auction: October 20 – October 31, 2025
    • Delinquent list published in the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel on September 18, 25, and October 2, 2025 (three consecutive weeks).
    • 2026 sale dates: Not yet announced as of 2026-06-02. Based on the 2025 pattern, expect registration to open mid-October 2026 and the auction to close in late October / early November 2026. needs_verification: 2026 sale dates — confirm at adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale once announced.
    • [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF (TRS-AC-2025-Tax-Lien-Sale.pdf), retrieved 2026-06-02; adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Interest rate: 14% per annum (as of October 1, 2025), set per C.R.S. § 39-12-103 (9 percentage points above the September 1 federal discount rate, rounded). Interest begins in November of the sale year. Premiums are nonrefundable and do not accrue interest. Wrongfully-sold-lien rate: 8% compounded per annum (C.R.S. § 39-12-111). [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Registration & deposit:

    • Registration (and deposit) completed online at adams.coloradotaxsale.com.
    • Bidders must provide name, address, telephone number, and Social Security number.
    • Auction participation fee: $12.00 per lien (nonrefundable).
    • No county official or employee (or their immediate family or agent) may purchase a tax lien at the sale.
    • [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Bidder requirements: Any individual or entity may register online; county employees / officials are prohibited. Buyers are responsible for knowing the quality of the property on which they are bidding. All successful bids are final. No changes or cancellations after the lien is sold. [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Delinquent list location:

C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption

  • Where to redeem: Adams County Treasurer’s Office, 4430 South Adams County Parkway, Suite W1000, Brighton, CO 80601. Contact Tax Lien Sales at 720-523-6160 or taxliens@adamscountyco.gov. [Source: adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale/treasurers-deed/, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Local fees: Statutory redemption interest at 14% per annum (2025 rate) on taxes, penalty interest, advertising, and legal charges. Redemption interest accrues starting November of the sale year. Portions of a month counted as a whole month. [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Redemption contact:

  • Sub-taxing (endorsements): The certificate holder may pay subsequent years’ delinquent taxes (“Endorsement” — Adams County’s local term for sub-taxing). Sub-taxing normally begins after August 1 each year; endorsement of the current year’s taxes does not accrue interest until August 1. [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Deviations from state default: None identified. All redemptions governed by C.R.S. §§ 39-12-103 and 39-12-104 as described in colorado.

C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds

Tax Lien Treasurer’s Deed Overbid (C.R.S. §§ 39-11.5-101 et seq.)

  • Claim filing venue: Adams County Treasurer’s Office, 4430 South Adams County Parkway, Suite W1000, Brighton, CO 80601. [Source: adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale/treasurers-deed/, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Application fee for treasurer’s deed public auction: $1,250 (per certificate). The fee covers title commitment and policy, advertising, mailing, posting, and auction expenses. Application submitted with a certified check to the Treasurer’s Office. Eligible applicant: only the tax lien certificate holder. Mobile/manufactured homes are currently excluded from the HB24-1056 process. [Source: adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale/treasurers-deed/, retrieved 2026-06-02; 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Timeline for the public auction: approximately 6 months total; the auction is held 4 months (120 days) after the first advertising date. Applications may be submitted up to 3 calendar months prior to the third anniversary of the certificate sale date. [Source: adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale/treasurers-deed/, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Overbid distribution (priority waterfall per C.R.S. § 39-11.5-109(1)):

    1. Junior lienors in recording priority who filed a notice of intent to redeem, up to the unpaid lien amount + fees/costs.
    2. Any remaining overbid paid to the former property owner. Former owners with potential overbid due to them should contact the Treasurer’s Office after the auction. [Source: adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale/treasurers-deed/, retrieved 2026-06-02; colorado (HB24-1056 § 39-11.5-109)]

  • Overbid claim deadline / escheat: Per C.R.S. § 39-11.5-109(2)–(3) (from state framework colorado): Treasurer mails overbid notice within 30 days of the auction and holds funds in escrow for 6 months; unclaimed funds transfer to the Colorado State Treasurer’s unclaimed-property program. needs_verification: Adams County-specific local procedures for overbid claim — no dedicated overbid claim form listed on official county pages as of 2026-06-02; contact Treasurer at 720-523-6160 for current form/process.

  • Unclaimed-funds list published: needs_verification — no specific Adams County unclaimed tax-surplus list URL identified.

  • Contact: Alexander Villagran, Treasurer & Public Trustee; 720-523-6160; taxliens@adamscountyco.gov; 4430 S. Adams County Pkwy Suite W1000, Brighton CO 80601.

Public Trustee Foreclosure Overbid (C.R.S. § 38-38-111)

  • Claim filing venue: Adams County Public Trustee Division, 4430 South Adams County Parkway, Suite W1000, Brighton, CO 80601. [Source: adamscountyco.gov/public-trustee-division, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • How to claim: Contact the Public Trustee’s Office after the sale. Official language: “if your property goes to the foreclosure auction sale and is purchased for more than the total owed to the lender and to all other lien holders, please contact the Public Trustee’s office AFTER the sale because you MAY have funds due to you.” [Source: adamscountyco.gov/public-trustee-division, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Overbid deadline / escheat: Per C.R.S. § 38-38-111: Public Trustee publishes notice within 90 days of sale; overbid held for 6 months from sale date; unclaimed funds transferred to the State Treasurer (Unclaimed Property Act). [Source: State framework colorado; Arapahoe County PT overbid page confirmed the same procedure]

  • Contact for overbid: 720-523-6250; Email: Eforeclosures@adcogov.org; 4430 South Adams County Parkway, Suite W1000, Brighton, CO 80601. [Source: Public Trustee Bidding Process PDF (TRS-Bidding-Process_v2024.pdf), retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Forms related to foreclosure/redemption:

  • No dedicated overbid claim form identified on the Adams County website as of 2026-06-02. needs_verification: Contact Public Trustee at 720-523-6250 for current overbid claim form and procedure.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Adams County runs two distinct acquisition tracks. The annual tax-lien-certificate auction (October, online at adams.coloradotaxsale.com, RealAuction) charges a $12/lien participation fee and a 14$1,250 application fee. Foreclosure auctions (public trustee sales) occur every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at the Government Center in Brighton, in-person only, full cashier’s-check payment required same day. The Certificate of Purchase from foreclosure is assignable only after issuance under C.R.S. § 38-38-403. See colorado for the redemption window and lien-survival analysis.

▸ For Former Owners — For tax-lien overbids, the Adams County Treasurer (720-523-6160; taxliens@adamscountyco.gov) mails an overbid notice within 30 days of the treasurer’s-deed auction; unclaimed overbid funds are held 6 months, then transferred to the Colorado State Treasurer. For mortgage/deed-of-trust foreclosure overbids, contact the Public Trustee (720-523-6250; Eforeclosures@adcogov.org) after the sale — the county states there is no charge for this service. Both overbid streams prohibit any finder’s-fee agreement while funds remain in county custody, and inducing such an agreement is a misdemeanor.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Treasurer & Public TrusteeAlexander Villagran4430 S. Adams County Pkwy, Suite W1000, Brighton, CO 80601720-523-6160 (Treasurer/Tax Lien); 720-523-6250 (Public Trustee)https://adamscountyco.gov/our-county/elected-officials/treasurer-public-trustee/
Clerk & Recorder (Recording)Josh Zygielbaum4430 S. Adams County Pkwy, Suite E2400, Brighton, CO 80601720-523-6020https://adamscountyco.gov/our-county/elected-officials/clerk-recorder/recording/
AssessorThomas Swingle4430 S. Adams County Pkwy, Brighton, CO 80601720-523-6038https://adamscountyco.gov/our-county/elected-officials/assessor/
Sheriffneeds_verificationneeds_verificationneeds_verificationhttps://adamscountyco.gov

Note: Colorado public-trustee foreclosure sales are conducted by the Public Trustee (housed within the Treasurer’s office), not the Sheriff. The Sheriff is not typically involved in tax lien or deed-of-trust foreclosure sales in Colorado.

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • HB24-1056 in practice: Adams County has implemented the new Article 11.5 treasurer’s-deed public auction process (effective July 1, 2024). Applications for the public auction of a certificate of option for treasurer’s deed are submitted to the Treasurer’s Office with a $1,250 fee and typically take 6 months to process (~4 months to auction after first advertising). [Source: adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale/treasurers-deed/, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Local term “Endorsement”: Adams County uses “Endorsement” as the local term for what other counties call “sub-taxing” (paying subsequent years’ delinquent taxes onto the existing certificate). Sub-taxing begins after August 1 each year. [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • “Auction participation fee”: Adams County charges a $12.00 per-lien nonrefundable participation fee in addition to the lien bid amount. This differs from some Colorado counties that charge only a deposit. [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Treasurer’s deed application timing: Applications may be filed up to 3 calendar months prior to the third anniversary of the certificate sale date (early filing does not shorten the statutory notice period). [Source: 2025 Tax Lien Sale Notice PDF; adamscountyco.gov/tax-lien-sale/treasurers-deed/, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Foreclosure auction day/time: Foreclosure (public trustee) auctions are held every Wednesday at 10:00 AM (except holidays/county-wide closures), at the County Government Center, 1st Floor, Suite W1000, Brighton, CO 80601. Bidders must submit a completed Bidder Information Sheet before the auction commences. Payment in full required at time of sale (cashier’s checks, teller checks, or wire transfer confirmed before 10 AM). Bidding increments: $1.00 over the lender's opening bid (first competing bid), then$200.00 increments thereafter. [Source: Public Trustee Bidding Process PDF (TRS-Bidding-Process_v2024.pdf), retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • No-deposit foreclosure auction: Unlike the tax-lien-sale (which requires a deposit on the auction platform), the Public Trustee foreclosure auction requires full payment at the time the property is “struck and sold” — no pre-deposit required, but no partial payments accepted. [Source: Public Trustee Bidding Process PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Foreclosure pre-sale list: A preliminary “This Week’s Pre-Sale List” is posted to adcogov.org/public-trustee on Monday afternoons, with an amended list on Tuesday afternoons, for the upcoming Wednesday auction. [Source: Public Trustee Bidding Process PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

  • Certificate of Purchase assignability (foreclosure): The Public Trustee CP is assignable pursuant to C.R.S. § 38-38-403, but cannot be assigned before it is issued and recorded by the Public Trustee. [Source: Public Trustee Bidding Process PDF, retrieved 2026-06-02]

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

▸ For Investors / Operators — Adams County runs two distinct acquisition tracks. The annual tax-lien-certificate auction (October, online at adams.coloradotaxsale.com, RealAuction) charges a $12/lien participation fee and a 14$1,250 application fee. Foreclosure auctions (public trustee sales) occur every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at the Government Center in Brighton, in-person only, full cashier’s-check payment required same day. The Certificate of Purchase from foreclosure is assignable only after issuance under C.R.S. § 38-38-403. See colorado for the redemption window and lien-survival analysis.

▸ For Former Owners — For tax-lien overbids, the Adams County Treasurer (720-523-6160; taxliens@adamscountyco.gov) mails an overbid notice within 30 days of the treasurer’s-deed auction; unclaimed overbid funds are held 6 months, then transferred to the Colorado State Treasurer. For mortgage/deed-of-trust foreclosure overbids, contact the Public Trustee (720-523-6250; Eforeclosures@adcogov.org) after the sale — the county states there is no charge for this service. Both overbid streams prohibit any finder’s-fee agreement while funds remain in county custody, and inducing such an agreement is a misdemeanor.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Adams County, Colorado operational procedures as of the last_verified date and may be incomplete or out of date. The legal framework (statutes, redemption periods, surplus rights, case law) lives on the parent page colorado. Verify against the cited primary sources and consult a licensed Colorado attorney before acting.

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