(A) A county treasurer shall not sell any tax certificate respecting a parcel of delinquent land to which any of divisions (A)(1)(a) to (c) of section 5721.31 of the Revised Code apply. A certificate sold in violation of this section is void.

(B) If the county treasurer discovers or determines that a certificate is void for any reason, the holder of the void certificate is entitled to a refund of the certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium and less any applicable discount, and the fee charged by the treasurer under division (H) of section 5721.32 or division (J) of section 5721.33 of the Revised Code, if any, as applicable. If the county treasurer makes the discovery or determination more than ninety days after the certificate's date of sale, the holder also is entitled to interest on the certificate purchase price at the rate of five per cent per year. The interest shall be calculated from the first day of the month following the month in which the certificate was sold, to the first day of the month in which the county treasurer makes the discovery or determination. The county treasurer shall notify the certificate holder by ordinary first class or certified mail or by binary means that the certificate is void and shall issue the refund. The county auditor shall issue a warrant for the portion of the refund from the undivided tax fund, which portion consists of the certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium and less any applicable discount; the portion of the refund consisting of interest and the treasurer's fee, if any, shall be paid from the tax certificate administration fund.

(C) With respect to a tax certificate found to be void under division (A) or (B) of this section, the county treasurer may, with the approval of the certificate holder, substitute for such tax certificate another tax certificate that has a certificate purchase price equivalent to the certificate purchase price of the tax certificate found to be void. In addition, the substitute tax certificate shall be for a parcel concerning which the county treasurer has taken action under divisions (A), (B), and (C) of section 5721.31 of the Revised Code, but with respect to which a tax certificate has not been sold, and that has a true value, as determined by the county auditor, that is equivalent to the true value of the parcel for which the tax certificate has been found to be void. Whenever a tax certificate is to be substituted for a tax certificate that has been found to be void, the county treasurer shall provide notice of the intention to substitute a tax certificate to any person required to be notified under division (I) of section 5721.32 or division (K) of section 5721.33 of the Revised Code.

(D) If an application for the exemption from and remission of taxes made under section 3735.67 or 5715.27 of the Revised Code, or under any other section of the Revised Code under the jurisdiction of the director of environmental protection, is granted for a parcel for which a tax certificate has been sold, the county treasurer shall refund to the certificate holder, in the manner provided in this section, the amount of any taxes exempted or remitted that were included in the certificate purchase price. If the whole amount of the taxes included in the certificate purchase price are exempted or remitted, the tax certificate is void. If all of the taxes that were included in the certificate purchase price are not exempted or remitted, the county treasurer shall adjust the tax certificate register to reflect the remaining amount of taxes that were not exempted or remitted, and notify the certificate holder of the adjustment in writing.

Effective Date: 06-15-2004; 2008 HB562 09-22-2008 .