Three kinds of sale run through the Stark County Sheriff
Stark County splits its foreclosure auctions three ways, and the rules differ for each. Knowing which one your house is in tells you the schedule, the format and who sets the price.
| Sale | Format | When | Minimum bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage foreclosure | Online, RealAuction | Mondays 10:00 a.m. | Two-thirds of the sheriff’s appraisal at the first sale (R.C. 2329.20) |
| Tax-certificate foreclosure (private attorney) | Online, RealAuction, since Aug 7, 2023 | Mondays 10:00 a.m. | Set by the plaintiff’s private attorney, no appraisal |
| Treasurer’s delinquent-tax foreclosure | In person, Canton | First Tuesday of each month | Taxes plus costs, set by the Prosecutor, no appraisal |
The Sheriff’s office serves as auctioneer for the court on all three, taking its instructions from the order of sale.
Monday online mortgage auctions
Since September 26, 2022, the Stark County Sheriff has sold all foreclosed real estate on RealAuction’s “Official Public Sheriff’s Sale Website” at stark.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, under a state Department of Administrative Services contract. The Sheriff’s page sets out:
- Schedule. Auctions every Monday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, or Tuesday when Monday is a holiday. Properties sell one at a time, each auction starting when the last one closes.
- Advance posting. Each property is open for proxy bids at least seven days before the sale date.
- Registration. Every bidder registers with RealAuction and completes the purchaser information form there.
- Lender bids. A judgment creditor buying its own case pays no deposit but must tell RealAuction at least one business day ahead whether it will bid live or by a pre-set managed bid.
The Sheriff’s sale site at sheriffsales.starkcountyohio.gov lists each upcoming Monday date; in late October 2026 it showed weekly dates running through December 28, 2026.
Deposits and deadlines for Stark County bidders
The deposit follows R.C. 2329.211: $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000, depending on the appraised value. Stark accepts only wire or ACH, no cash:
- Wire: received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern, two business days before the Monday auction.
- ACH debit: received by 4:00 p.m. Eastern, five days before the Monday auction.
The winning bidder’s deposit moves from RealAuction to the Sheriff and is applied to court costs, taxes and the creditor’s claim. Transfer and recording fees are added when the deed comes back from the attorney’s office, as set out in the confirmation. For tax-certificate foreclosures, the Sheriff lists the deposit tiers as $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000.
The Treasurer’s monthly tax sales in Canton
Delinquent-tax cases brought by the Stark County Treasurer are still auctioned in person, on the first Tuesday of each month. The Sheriff’s tax-certificate page says these monthly tax sales continue on-site at 110 Central Plaza South in Canton until further notice. The pages give more than one room and start time, so check the current listing before a sale day.
For these sales:
- The house is not appraised. The minimum bid is the taxes owed through the sale date plus case costs. Other lienholders are not part of the minimum.
- Ads run in the Canton Repository for three consecutive Thursdays.
- The high bidder pays a 10% deposit by cashier’s or certified check to the Stark County Treasurer by 4:30 p.m. on sale day, and the balance within 30 days of the confirmation.
- A property that gets no bid is rescheduled for the first Tuesday of the next month.
- The Prosecutor prepares and files the confirmation and deed after the balance is paid.
The Sheriff’s page also confirms that an owner can negotiate a private sale of a house set for a tax sale. The sale is only pulled once all taxes and costs are paid in full.
Confirmation, payment and possession in Stark
After any of these auctions, the court has to confirm the sale. The Sheriff’s pages say:
- The balance is due within 30 calendar days from the date the final entry confirming the sale is received by the Clerk, and the Sheriff can’t extend it.
- The current owner remains the owner until the confirmation is filed, the balance is paid and the deed is transferred.
- Buyers may not enter or trespass before the deed is recorded, and people may still be living in the homes.
- A buyer who needs someone removed applies to the Clerk of Courts for a writ of possession or files an eviction in Canton Municipal Court.
Until that confirmation, Ohio’s redemption right under R.C. 2329.33 still lets the owner pay the judgment and keep the house. The Treasurer’s page says the same for tax cases: you can redeem any time before the confirmation entry by paying all taxes, penalties, interest, fees and costs in certified funds.
Looking up your own Stark County case
You can follow your own file in two places:
- The Clerk of Courts, 115 Central Plaza North, Suite 101, Canton, with an online case docket at starkcountyohio.gov/clerk showing the title work and every filing.
- The Sheriff’s sale site, which shows whether a sale date has been set and, afterward, the result.
For tax cases, the Treasurer’s office can give you the payoff. The Ohio foreclosure timeline shows how these Stark dates fit the statewide steps, our Stark County page covers the county more broadly, and selling before a sheriff sale covers the decision to sell first.
If your Stark County house is on the Monday list and you want an as-is figure before the date, send us the address.
