Story County delinquent tax list
Short answer: Story County has two delinquent tax lists. The official one is published by the County Treasurer before each scheduled sale, free to download, and it lists parcel numbers and amounts owed with no owner contact. The year-round one is the delinquency record underneath it, where 575 (estimated) owners near Story County currently carry a distress signal. Iowa is a lien state, so a winning bid at the sale takes a certificate rather than the house.
Distressed owners near Story County
575
Within 25 miles of the county centre, refreshed daily. Story County is a smaller county.
Top-deal discount target
~41% under market
Average start bid across the 20 strongest Story leads right now.
Avg. spread per top deal
$233,000
On a typical $563,000 estimated value.
Coverage centers on Story County and reaches 25 miles out, widening to 50 when the market runs thin.
Story County tax sale rules at a glance
The mechanics that decide what you are actually buying, and how long the owner keeps a way out. The full Iowa rules, timelines and deficiency detail sit on the state page, since they apply to every county here.
| County | Story County, Iowa. |
|---|---|
| Who publishes the list | The County Treasurer for Story County. |
| What the sale transfers | Iowa is a lien state. A winning bidder gets a tax lien certificate, which pays interest if the owner redeems and can be foreclosed into ownership if they do not. |
| Rate and cadence | Third-Monday-of-June tax sales at 2% per month (24% per year) with a redemption period of about 21 months. |
| Foreclosure path | Judicial, typically 5 to 12 months from filing to sale. |
The Iowa delinquency clock
Where a Story owner sits on this line is what decides whether they will take a low cash offer today.
The Story list, ranked hardest-first
Representative profiles from our ranking model for the Story County area. The live list, with exact locations, photos and owner details, is one free scan away.
- #1Foreclosure suit pending for 44 days. Owners in this spot often want out fast, before a foreclosure hits their credit.$267K start bid · ~45% under market
- #2Foreclosure auction on record. The clock is likely ticking, and owners this close to an auction often take a fast cash offer over losing the home.$265K start bid · ~45% under market
- #3Foreclosure suit pending for 125 days. Owners in this spot often want out fast, before a foreclosure hits their credit.$254K start bid · ~45% under market
7 more ranked Story County deals behind the scan
Unlock the full Story County list freeFree scan · no card needed
What the Story list is made of
Most distressed owners carry more than one signal, so these bands overlap. Stacked signals rank highest.
How Story compares across Iowa
Story County is the 8th largest of the 99 Iowa counties covered here, and it runs denser in distressed owners than the Iowa average, at 56.1 flagged properties per 10,000 residents against a state figure of 39.6. It accounts for about 4.5% of every flagged property across the Iowa counties on this site.
| County | Seat | Flagged owners | Per 10k residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | Des Moines | 2,297 | 45.9 |
| Linn County | Cedar Rapids | 958 | 41.7 |
| Scott County | Davenport | 738 | 42.4 |
| Story County (this page) | Story County | 575 | 56.1 |
| Johnson County | Iowa City | 550 | 35.9 |
| Dubuque County | Dubuque County | 392 | 39.5 |
Density matters more than the raw count when you are choosing where to work. A smaller county with a high per-capita figure often has less competition per lead than the metro next door.
How far under market these close
The official Story list vs. this one
Both are worth having. They answer different questions.
| Story official sale list | The LowBaller list | |
|---|---|---|
| Who publishes it | The County Treasurer | LowBaller, from county and public records |
| When it exists | Only in the run-up to each scheduled sale | Year round, refreshed daily |
| Format | A PDF or spreadsheet of parcel numbers and amounts owed | A ranked table with a map pin, photo and estimated value on every row |
| Owner contact | Not included | Phone and email on unlock, and no credit is spent when nothing verifies |
| Ranking | Alphabetical or by parcel number | Hardest situation first, by foreclosure stage, years behind and equity |
| Timing advantage | Everyone bidding sees the same list on the same day | Owners appear months before any auction, while a private sale still solves their problem |
Working the Story list
What actually matters in a county this size, at this level of distress, under Iowa timelines.
Off the main road
Story County ranks 8 of 99 covered Iowa counties and holds about 4.5% of the state's flagged properties. Most buyers never scroll this far down the state, which is the entire argument for working it.
One of the densest counties in the state
At 56.1 flagged properties per 10,000 residents against an Iowa figure of 39.6, Story is in the top quarter for distress density. Stacked-signal owners are common here, and those are where the deepest discounts sit.
All of Story County
The scan centres on Story County and reaches 25 miles out, widening to 50 when the list runs thin. In a county this size that usually spans several towns, each with its own price level, so read the estimated value on each row rather than the discount alone.
The Iowa clock
Foreclosure here typically runs 5 to 12 months from filing to sale. The tax clock and the mortgage clock run independently, so check both before you decide how hard a deadline an owner is actually facing.
Why Story investors work it before auction day
No bidding war
At the sale you are one of a room full of bidders on the same parcel. Months earlier you are the only person who called.
You can see the house
A private sale means an inspection and a clean title search. Lien auctions in Iowa rarely give you either.
The owner keeps something
An owner with equity who sells early clears the tax debt and walks away with money. At the sale, they usually walk away with nothing.
Story County delinquent tax list FAQ
How do I get the Story County delinquent tax list?
Two lists exist and they are not the same. The official one comes from the County Treasurer, is published as a PDF or spreadsheet before each scheduled sale, and disappears between sales. The year-round one is the delinquency record itself, which is what LowBaller compiles: roughly 575 properties around Story County currently carry at least one distress signal, ranked by how much pressure the owner is under.
Is there a free Story delinquent property tax list PDF?
Yes. The County Treasurer publishes the pre-sale list free of charge, usually as a PDF or a downloadable spreadsheet tied to a specific sale date. It gives you parcel numbers and amounts owed. It does not give you owner contact details, an estimated value, or any indication of which owners would actually take a low cash offer.
When is the Story County tax sale?
Story County publishes its own schedule, and it moves. The Iowa pattern is the thing that holds steady: Third-Monday-of-June tax sales at 2% per month (24% per year) with a redemption period of about 21 months. Check the county's pre-sale notice close to the date, because the list shrinks daily as owners redeem.
Can I buy Story tax-delinquent property before the auction?
Yes, and it is usually the better trade. There is no bidding war, the owner clears the debt with a clean sale instead of a forced one, and you are not buying blind. The window is the months between the delinquency appearing in the record and the sale being scheduled, which is exactly the period this list covers.
What does a winning bid actually get you in Iowa?
Iowa is a lien state, so a winning bidder takes a tax lien certificate, which pays interest if the owner redeems and can be foreclosed into ownership if they do not. Third-Monday-of-June tax sales at 2% per month (24% per year) with a redemption period of about 21 months. That difference matters more than the discount: in a lien state you are buying a debt with a yield, and in a deed state you are buying a house.
How far below market do Story deals close?
The strongest current leads near Story County support start bids around 41% under estimated value. Across the whole list, hard distress such as a scheduled auction or a stacked tax lien closes 20 to 40% under market, while softer signals like long-distance ownership land closer to 15 to 30% under. Story runs denser in distress than the Iowa average, so stacked-signal owners, the ones who accept the widest discounts, turn up more often here than in a typical county in this state. Equity sets the ceiling, because an offer cannot go below what clears the owner's mortgage.
How many tax-delinquent properties are there in Story?
About 575 properties within 25 miles of Story County currently show at least one motivation signal in public records, and tax delinquency is among the most common. That works out to 56.1 flagged properties per 10,000 residents, against 39.6 across Iowa as a whole, and makes Story the number 8 of the 99 Iowa counties covered here by population. That figure moves daily as owners pay, redeem or fall further behind.
Do I need a Story address to search, or can I search the whole county?
Either. Run the scan on any Story ZIP and you get the full ranked list for the surrounding area, or check one specific address to see whether that owner carries a distress signal. The scan is free; the full list opens with a 7-day trial, and credits are only spent when an owner's phone number comes back.
More on Story County
Delinquent tax lists nearby
Keep going
The Story owners who will sell cheap are on this list today.
Not in 2026 sale season. Now, months before the auction, while a quiet private sale still solves their problem. Scan free and browse every one.
Scan Story freeInformational summary, not legal or investment advice. Rates, redemption periods and sale formats are summarized at the Iowa state level and can be changed by statute or applied differently by Story County. The County Treasurer and the county's own pre-sale notices control every schedule, deposit and bidding rule. Verify before you bid.