In Marion County, a house goes to a sheriff's sale only after a court has entered a foreclosure judgment and the Clerk certifies it to the Sheriff, and Indiana law requires the sale to be advertised with the first newspaper notice at least 30 days before the sale date (IC 32-29-7-3). Until the sale actually happens, you still own the house, and you can usually still pay off the judgment, work out a deal with the lender, or sell.
Updated . Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
Seeing your address on a sheriff's sale list is a gut punch. The sale date is a real deadline, but it is also a date you can plan around, and there are free people whose job is to help you do that.
A sheriff's sale is the last step of a court foreclosure in Indiana. It does not come out of nowhere. First the lender files a foreclosure lawsuit in court. Then the court enters a judgment. The Marion County Clerk then certifies that judgment to the Marion County Sheriff, and the Sheriff's Office schedules the property for sale.
Indiana law builds in a waiting period. In most cases, the judgment cannot be sent to the Sheriff for sale until three (3) months after the foreclosure complaint was filed (IC 32-29-7-3). Older mortgages can have longer waiting periods, and a property the court finds abandoned can move faster.
According to the Marion County Sheriff's real estate sales page on indy.gov, all Marion County sheriff's sales are held on an online platform, GovEase, and run from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on sale day. The 2026 schedule on that page lists one sale day each month from January through November, and no sale in December.
Sale dates can change, and individual properties can be pulled from a sale. Do not rely on a date you heard from someone else. Check the official page and the list itself.
The Sheriff's Office says its mortgage foreclosure sale list is free, and that the lists are posted on GovEase 30 days in advance. You do not have to register to see the list. The Sheriff's page also says removals are updated in real time, so if your property was taken off the sale, it should show there.
You can also call the Sheriff's real estate section at 317-327-2459 or email MCSO-SheriffSaleRealEstate@indy.gov, as listed on the indy.gov page.
Indiana's sale notice rules are in IC 32-29-7-3. In plain terms:
If you get a notice of sheriff's sale, the date on it is the deadline that matters most. Write it down.
For most owner-occupied homes, Indiana gives you the right to a settlement conference with your lender, run through the court (IC 32-30-10.5). The lender is supposed to mail you a notice at least 30 days before filing the foreclosure, and the summons you get with the lawsuit tells you about the conference. You can ask for one by telling the court within 30 days after the complaint is served on you.
If you missed that window, still call the free Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network at 1-877-GET-HOPE (877-438-4673). Their counselors can tell you what is still possible in your case.
Indiana law lets any owner or part owner redeem the property before the sale by paying the full judgment, plus interest and costs (IC 32-29-7-7). Before the judgment reaches the Sheriff, that payment goes to the Clerk. After the Sheriff has it, the payment goes to the Sheriff. Once paid, the sale is called off.
Many people cannot pay the whole judgment at once. That is where the other options come in.
Once the sale is done, the Sheriff issues a deed to the buyer. In Indiana, a sheriff's sale under this chapter is made without a right of redemption afterward (IC 32-29-7-9), so the time to act is before the sale, not after.
If the house sells for more than the costs and what is owed on the debt, the extra money (the surplus) is paid to the Clerk of the court. The court then directs it to the former owner, their heirs, or whoever they assigned it to (IC 32-30-10-14). If your home was sold, ask the Marion County Clerk whether there is surplus money in your case. You usually do not need to pay anyone a fee to find out.
Your name and address are public once a sale is scheduled. Be careful with anyone who asks for an upfront fee to "stop the sale" (a licensed attorney charging legal fees is different), asks you to sign your deed over before you are paid, or asks you to send mortgage payments to them instead of your lender. Check anyone you talk to, including buyers. See how to check a we-buy-houses company.
The Sheriff's official page on indy.gov lists one online sale day each month from January through November 2026, with no sale in December. Dates can change, so check that page and the GovEase list for the current schedule.
The Sheriff's Office posts it free on GovEase, and its page says the lists are available 30 days in advance. You do not have to register to view it, and removals are updated in real time.
Often, yes. You can pay the full judgment, interest and costs before the sale (IC 32-29-7-7), reach an agreement with your lender that postpones or cancels it, or close a sale of the house first. A bankruptcy filing can also pause a sale; talk to an attorney about that.
In most cases, no. Indiana sheriff's sales under the foreclosure chapter are made without a right of redemption afterward (IC 32-29-7-9). The time to act is before the sale.
The surplus is paid to the Clerk of the court, and the court directs it to the former owner or their heirs (IC 32-30-10-14). Ask the Marion County Clerk about your case.
The Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network at 1-877-GET-HOPE (877-438-4673), a HUD-approved housing counselor at 1-800-569-4287, and Indiana Legal Services.
No. Orrindale is free to homeowners and we are not a buyer. If we have local buyers working in your county we will introduce you, you choose who to talk to, and you are never under any obligation. If we do not, we will still point you to free help.
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This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state or the relevant agency. Orrindale is a matching service, not a law firm, lender, or government program.