Denver 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 Denver County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

• County seat: Denver (consolidated city-county)
• Population: ~715,522 (2020 Census)
• FIPS: 08031
• Recording unit type: independent city / consolidated city-county (Denver is simultaneously a statutory city and county; it has no separate county government)
• Parent legal framework: colorado
• Notable quirk: Because Denver is a consolidated city and county, the Clerk and Recorder (elected) also serves as the Public Trustee — an arrangement unique among Colorado’s 64 counties, where the Governor typically appoints a separate public trustee. The Treasurer function is housed in the Department of Finance (not a separately elected row officer). [Sources: denvergov.org Clerk and Recorder page; cctpta.org Denver roster]

C1. Local Tax Sale

• Conducts own sale? Yes — the Denver Treasury Division conducts the annual tax-lien-certificate sale independently under Title 39.
• Platform: Custom county subdomain hosted by RealAuction — https://denver.coloradotaxsale.com (internet-based online auction). Other Colorado counties (Eagle, Garfield, etc.) use the same *.coloradotaxsale.com pattern administered by RealAuction (877-361-7325 / customerservice@realauction.com). [Source: denvergov.org tax-lien-sale page (retrieved 2026-06-02); comparison with eagle.coloradotaxsale.com / garfield .coloradotaxsale.com search results]
• Treasurer’s deed public-auction platform: https://denver.treasurersdeedsale .realtaxdeed.com/ — the HB24-1056 Article 11.5 public auction of the certificate of option for treasurer’s deed is also online through RealTaxDeed (a RealAuction property). Example upcoming listing: Parcel 05212-02-034-000 / 1740 W Mississippi Ave, auction 10/8/2025 10:00 AM. [Source: denvergov.org Treasurer’s Deed Application page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]

Sale Calendar

• Frequency: Annual
• Typical dates (2025 sale):
  • Registration opens: October 13, 2025
  • Registration/deposit deadline: October 27, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
  • Bidding opens: November 3, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.
  • Bidding closes: November 5, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. (with batches closing throughout the day)
  • Payment ACH initiated: November 6, 2025 by 2:00 p.m.
  • Delinquent list published: beginning October 13, 2025 at the auction site and the Treasury Division office; advertised in The Denver Post (September 12, 19, and 26, 2025)
• Next known sale: November 2026 (expected; exact dates needs_verification until Treasury publishes the 2026 notice). [Source: denvergov.org tax-lien-sale page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]

Registration & Deposit

• Bidder must register at https://denver.coloradotaxsale.com before bidding.
• Deposit: 10% of total anticipated winning bids, via ACH/electronic funds transfer only; must be submitted no later than October 27, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
• Deposits are refunded if bids are unsuccessful.
• Bidder requirements: must be 18 or older; Denver City employees and their immediate family members are prohibited from purchasing.
• Workstations available at the Treasury Division (201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1009) during October 13 – November 5, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Mon–Fri, for those needing computer access. [Source: denvergov.org tax-lien-sale page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]

Bidding Method & Minimum Bid

• Minimum bid: tax lien face value (unpaid taxes + delinquent interest + penalties + advertising fees). Per state law (C.R.S. § 39-11-115), the lien goes to the bidder paying the largest premium over the minimum.
• Bid increments: $1.00 minimum.
• Tie resolution: random selection by the platform.
• Bidders may change or withdraw bids before batch closing.
• Interest rate (2025 sale): 14% per annum (set by State Bank Commissioner at 9% over September 1 federal discount rate) = 1.167% per month or portion thereof. [Source: denvergov.org tax-lien-sale page (retrieved 2026-06-02); colorado module 1]

Certificate of Purchase

• The CP is a negotiable document representing a lien; valid for 15 years.
• Redemption fee: $7.00 (to redeem through the Treasury).
• Subsequent-tax endorsement fee: $5.00 per certificate per year.
• Deed application deposit: $2,500 (subject to change), required when filing an Application for Public Auction of a Certificate of Option for Treasurer’s Deed (C.R.S. § 39-11.5-102). [Source: denvergov.org tax-lien-sale page and Treasurer’s Deed Application page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]

Delinquent List Location

• Online: https://denver.coloradotaxsale.com beginning October 13 (Excel download available).
• In-person: Treasury Division, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1009, Denver, CO 80202.
• Newspaper: Denver Post (three consecutive weeks in September).
• [Source: denvergov.org tax-lien-sale page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]

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

• Where to redeem: Treasury Division / Special Accounts Unit, Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1009, Denver, CO 80202. Phone: (720) 913-9500 (Special Accounts Unit) or (720) 913-9300 (Taxpayer Service Unit). [Source: denvergov.org Additional Treasury Contacts page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Redemption period: 3 years from the original lien sale; redemption may be made at any time before execution of the treasurer’s deed (C.R.S. § 39-12-103). [Source: colorado module 2]
• Local fees confirmed by Denver:
  • Redemption fee: $7.00
  • Subsequent-tax endorsement fee: $5.00 per certificate
  • [Source: denvergov.org tax-lien-sale page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Deviations from state default: None identified. Denver follows the standard Colorado redemption framework. The $7 and$5 fees are within normal county practice; the precise statutory authority for these amounts was not separately confirmed against a Denver ordinance (needs_verification).
• Redemption contact:
  • Office: Treasury Division — Special Accounts Unit
  • Phone: (720) 913-9500
  • Address: 201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1009, Denver, CO 80202
  • Email: PropertyTaxInfo@denvergov.org

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

Denver has two distinct surplus pools corresponding to the two foreclosure types: (A) tax treasurer’s-deed overbid (new HB24-1056 process) and (B) mortgage/deed-of-trust public-trustee overbid.

(A) Tax Treasurer’s-Deed Overbid (Article 11.5, eff. July 1, 2024)

• Claim filing venue: Treasury Division, Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1009, Denver, CO 80202.
• Contact: Email denvertreasurersdeed@denvergov.org; phone (720) 913-9300. [Source: denvergov.org Treasurer’s Deed Application page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Claim form: The Denver Treasurer’s Deed Application page provides a “Notice of Intent to Redeem” form (PDF). A separate overbid claim form was not identified by name on the retrieved page; property owners are directed to contact the Treasury after the auction. (Specific overbid claim form name/URL for treasury-deed surplus — needs_verification.)
• Local deadline notes: Per C.R.S. § 39-11.5-109(2), the treasurer mails the overbid notice to the former owner within 30 days of the auction; the overbid is held in escrow for 6 months from the auction date; unclaimed funds then transfer to the Colorado State Treasurer (Great Colorado Payback unclaimed-property program). [Source: colorado module 3; denvergov.org “Did Your House Sell” page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Unclaimed list published: needs_verification (Denver Treasury does not appear to publish a public list of unclaimed tax-deed overbids on the retrieved pages).
• Key restriction: Under C.R.S. § 39-11.5-109(2)(c), any agreement to pay compensation for recovering the overbid from the treasurer is unenforceable and inducing such an agreement is a Class 2 misdemeanor. [Source: colorado module 3; HB24-1056]

(B) Mortgage / Deed-of-Trust Foreclosure Overbid (C.R.S. § 38-38-111)

• Claim filing venue: Denver Clerk and Recorder / Public Trustee, 200 W. 14th Ave., Denver, CO 80204 (Public Trustee unit of the Clerk & Recorder).
• Contact: Email foreclosures@denvergov.org; phone 311 or (720) 913-1311; Direct Public Trustee line: (720) 865-2633.
• Claim form: Excess Funds Claim Form (Form 4001) — fillable PDF available from the Denver Clerk and Recorder website. URL pattern: https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/777/documents/Foreclosures/Form4001_Excess%20Funds%20Claim%20Form%20and%20Instructions_fillable.pdf [Source: denvergov.org search results (retrieved 2026-06-02); did-your-house-sell page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Unclaimed list published: Yes — Denver publishes monthly excess funds lists as PDFs on the denvergov.org Clerk & Recorder site (e.g., October 2025 excess_funds_list.pdf, April 2025 excess-funds_april-2025.pdf). URL pattern: https://denvergov.org/files/assets/public/v/1/clerk-and-recorder/documents/ public-trustee-amp-recorder/2025/<month>-2025-excess_funds_list.pdf [Source: Google search results referencing denvergov.org PDFs (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Local deadline notes: The Public Trustee holds excess funds for 6 months following the sale. After that, unclaimed funds transfer to the Great Colorado Payback program (Colorado State Treasurer’s unclaimed property).
• Key restriction: “No one may charge a fee to help you collect your money” (per the Public Trustee’s own website) — consistent with C.R.S. § 38-38-111’s prohibition during the public trustee’s custody window. [Source: denvergov.org did-your-house-sell page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Distribution priority: (1) foreclosing lender outstanding debt → (2) junior lienholders who filed notice of intent to redeem but did not redeem → (3) foreclosed homeowner. [Source: denvergov.org did-your-house-sell page (retrieved 2026-06-02); C.R.S. § 38-38-111]

▸ For Investors / Operators — Denver’s annual tax-lien-certificate sale is conducted entirely online through denver.coloradotaxsale.com (RealAuction) with a 10% ACH deposit due before bidding and the 2025 rate set at 14% per annum. Denver uniquely merges the Clerk and Recorder with the Public Trustee (Paul López; 200 W. 14th Ave.) — so mortgage foreclosure sales run every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. online, with a 3-year redemption window before the Article 11.5 treasurer’s-deed public auction process can begin. The treasurer’s-deed application deposit is $2,500 (subject to change), and certificates of purchase are valid for 15 years.

▸ For Former Owners — Denver has two surplus streams. For tax treasurer’s-deed overbids (C.R.S. § 39-11.5-109), contact the Treasury Division (201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1009; denvertreasurersdeed@denvergov.org; (720) 913-9300) — the overbid is held in escrow for 6 months from the auction date; unclaimed funds transfer to the Great Colorado Payback program. For mortgage/deed-of-trust foreclosure overbids (C.R.S. § 38-38-111), file the Excess Funds Claim Form (Form 4001) with the Denver Public Trustee (200 W. 14th Ave.; (720) 865-2633); the Public Trustee publishes monthly excess funds lists as PDFs and holds funds for 6 months before transfer to Great Colorado Payback.

C4. Offices & Contacts

Notes on office structure:

• Denver has no separately elected County Treasurer — the Treasury Division is a division of the Department of Finance (a mayoral department). [Source: denvergov.org; dpt.colorado.gov Denver entry (403 on fetch — needs_verification of current treasurer title/name)]
• The Public Trustee role in Denver is not a Governor-appointed office; instead, the elected Clerk and Recorder serves as Public Trustee (per Colorado statute and the city charter). [Source: cctpta.org Denver Public Trustee roster entry (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Paul López is confirmed as Denver City and County Clerk & Recorder and ex-officio Public Trustee (CCTPTA roster; denvergov.org elected officials page, both retrieved 2026-06-02).

C5. Local Procedure Notes

• Consolidated city-county quirk: Denver is the only Colorado jurisdiction that functions as both a city and a county. As a result, the “county treasurer” in state statutes maps to the Treasury Division of the Department of Finance (not a separately elected row officer), and the “county public trustee” maps to the Clerk and Recorder’s Public Trustee unit.
• Online-only auction: Both the tax lien sale and the HB24-1056 treasurer’s deed public auction are conducted entirely online. No in-person auction venue.
• Foreclosure auctions (mortgage): Held online Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. through the Public Trustee’s system. [Source: denvergov.org Public Trustee page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Treasurer’s deed application deposit: Denver charges $2,500 (subject to change), compared with El Paso County's$1,300 — no statutory cap on this fee, so it may be adjusted. [Source: denvergov.org Treasurer’s Deed Application page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• Certificates valid 15 years: Denver’s lien-sale page explicitly notes CPs are valid for 15 years, which is the outer limit under Colorado law before the lien lapses (C.R.S. § 39-11-120 — specific statutory reference needs_verification for the 15-year cap).
• Unclaimed tax-deed overbid: Funds go to “Great Colorado Payback” (the Colorado State Treasurer’s unclaimed property program), consistent with C.R.S. § 39-11.5-109(3)(b). [Source: denvergov.org did-your-house-sell page (retrieved 2026-06-02)]
• No county-specific tax rate deviation identified: Denver follows the state-set rate (14% for 2025 sales) without a locally adjusted rate within the statutory band.

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

sources:

• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Finance/Our-Divisions/Treasury/Property-Taxes/Real-Estate-Delinquent-Taxes-and-Tax-Lien-Sale”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — tax lien sale platform (denver.coloradotaxsale.com), 2025 sale dates, 10% deposit, bidder requirements, $7 redemption fee,$5 sub fee, $2,500 deed-application deposit, 14% rate, November dates
• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Finance/Our-Divisions/Treasury/Treasurers-Deed-Application-Information”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — HB24-1056 public auction process, denver.treasurersdeedsale.realtaxdeed.com, $2,500 deposit, denvertreasurersdeed@denvergov.org, Notice of Intent to Redeem form
• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Denver-Clerk-and-Recorder/Denver-Public-Trustee/did-your-house-sell”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — Public Trustee excess funds claim: Form 4001, 200 W. 14th Ave., 6-month deadline, Great Colorado Payback, fee prohibition, distribution priority
• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Denver-Clerk-and-Recorder/Recording-Division/Denver-Public-Trustee”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — Public Trustee contact (200 W. 14th Ave., foreclosures@denvergov.org, 720-865-2633), Thursday online foreclosure auctions
• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Denver-Clerk-and-Recorder/About-the-Denver-Clerk-and-Recorder/contact-us”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — Clerk & Recorder divisions, recording@denvergov.org, 720-865-8699, foreclosures@denvergov.org, 720-865-2633
• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Denver-Clerk-and-Recorder/Recording-Division/find-records”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — recorder deed search portal URL (countyfusion3.govos.com), cost, email recording@denvergov.org
• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Elected-Officials/Clerk-Recorder”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — Paul López, Clerk & Recorder, 201 W. Colfax Dept. 101
• {type: official, url: “https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Finance/Contact/Additional-Treasury-Contacts”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — Treasury contacts: 720-913-9300 (Taxpayer Svc), 720-913-9500 (Special Accounts), 201 W. Colfax Dept. 1009
• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Make-a-Payment/Property-Taxes”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — tax payment portal URL, payment methods, 2.5% card fee
• {type: official, url: “https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Finance/Our-Divisions/Treasury/Property-Taxes”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — payment deadlines, delinquency interest 1%/month, property search portal
• {type: official, url: “https://countyfusion3.govos.com/countyweb/loginDisplay.action?countyname=Denver”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — Denver Clerk & Recorder Online Services, 11M+ docs back to 1859, account required
• {type: official_roster, url: “https://cctpta.org/roster-member/denver-city-and-county-public-trustee/”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — Paul D Lopez as Denver Public Trustee, 201 W Colfax Dept 101
• {type: secondary, url: “https://cctpta.org/tax-lien-sales/”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — CCTPTA statewide listing; Denver entry present but no specific dates/details shown
• {type: web_search_result, url: “https://eagle.coloradotaxsale.com”, retrieved: 2026-06-02} — confirms RealAuction is vendor for *.coloradotaxsale.com subdomain pattern used by Denver and other CO counties

needs_verification:

• Specific overbid/surplus claim form name, URL, and filing instructions for tax treasurer’s-deed overbid (Article 11.5) — the denvergov.org Treasurer’s Deed Application page confirms Treasury holds these funds and directs former owners to contact the office; a standalone claim form was not identified.
• Current official name/title of the Denver City and County Treasurer (the Treasury Division function); Paul López is confirmed as Clerk & Recorder and Public Trustee; the CDOLA page (dpt.colorado.gov) 403’d on direct fetch.
• Statutory authority for 15-year CP validity (cited on Denver’s lien sale page as a feature of the certificate — likely C.R.S. § 39-11-120 or related provision; not directly fetched).
• Whether Denver publishes a public list of unclaimed tax-deed overbids (distinct from the mortgage excess funds list which is confirmed published monthly).
• 2026 sale dates (registration opens, bidding opens/closes, deposit deadline) — not yet published as of 2026-06-02.
• Exact Denver-specific ordinance or rule (if any) governing the Public Trustee’s fee schedule beyond the state defaults (fee schedule as of July 1, 2024 referenced on the Public Trustee page but full list not extracted).
• Precise statutory day-counts for the public-trustee cure/redemption timeline (§§ 38-38-104, -302) — inherited from colorado needs_verification.

cross_links: colorado, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, third-party-recovery-rules, treasurer-sale, due-process-notice, tyler-v-hennepin-county, jones-v-flowers, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, federal-tax-lien-redemption, void-vs-voidable

changelog:

• “2026-06-02 — Initial population (autoresearch). Tax lien sale platform, 2025 dates, deposit, bidder requirements, fees, and 14% rate confirmed from denvergov.org tax-lien-sale page (fetched). Treasurer’s deed (Article 11.5) auction platform (denver.treasurersdeedsale.realtaxdeed.com) and $2,500 deposit confirmed. Public Trustee excess-funds claim Form 4001, 6-month deadline, Great Colorado Payback, and fee prohibition confirmed from denvergov.org did-your-house-sell page. Paul López confirmed as Clerk & Recorder / Public Trustee. Monthly excess funds PDFs confirmed published. Key gap: standalone claim form for tax-deed (Article 11.5) overbid not identified by name.”

▸ For Investors / Operators — Denver’s annual tax-lien-certificate sale is conducted entirely online through denver.coloradotaxsale.com (RealAuction) with a 10% ACH deposit due before bidding and the 2025 rate set at 14% per annum. Denver uniquely merges the Clerk and Recorder with the Public Trustee (Paul López; 200 W. 14th Ave.) — so mortgage foreclosure sales run every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. online, with a 3-year redemption window before the Article 11.5 treasurer’s-deed public auction process can begin. The treasurer’s-deed application deposit is $2,500 (subject to change), and certificates of purchase are valid for 15 years.

▸ For Former Owners — Denver has two surplus streams. For tax treasurer’s-deed overbids (C.R.S. § 39-11.5-109), contact the Treasury Division (201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1009; denvertreasurersdeed@denvergov.org; (720) 913-9300) — the overbid is held in escrow for 6 months from the auction date; unclaimed funds transfer to the Great Colorado Payback program. For mortgage/deed-of-trust foreclosure overbids (C.R.S. § 38-38-111), file the Excess Funds Claim Form (Form 4001) with the Denver Public Trustee (200 W. 14th Ave.; (720) 865-2633); the Public Trustee publishes monthly excess funds lists as PDFs and holds funds for 6 months before transfer to Great Colorado Payback.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Denver County procedures and Colorado statutes as of the last_verified date and may be incomplete or out of date. Verify against the cited primary sources and consult a licensed Colorado attorney before acting.