Many of the Sheriff’s duties mandated by the State of Indiana span outside the scope of the men and women in uniform. The Sheriff must execute and serve all process directed to him/her by legal authority, court or the county executive. The Porter County Sheriff’s Office, Civil Bureau, carries out these duties:

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• Maintains Central Depository of Protective Orders for Porter County

• Delivers Subpoenas

• Serves Summons and other Court papers from Porter County as well as other counties throughout Indiana and other states, and making return of service to the appropriate agencies.

• Execution of Judgments

• Mortgage Foreclosures

• Court ordered Evictions

• Replevins – Order of Possession of Personal Property

• Collects Tax Warrants - delinquent taxes for the State of Indiana

• Maintains Central Depository for Criminal and Civil Warrants for Porter County

• Collection of Service Fees

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Information On Out-Of-State Service For Civil Papers

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What must be included for Out-of-State service of Civil Papers:

• Three copies of all papers to be served. (One copy for defendant, one mail copy if we are not able to make personal service on the defendant, and one will be returned to you with our service information)

• $60 per defendant to be served, in the form of money order made payable to Porter County Clerk.

• A self-addressed stamped envelope

• An affidavit of Return of Service form. If one is not included, we will use our standard form

• Name and Address is required. Please include work schedule of the defendant (if known)

• Mail all to: Porter County Clerk, Attn: Civil Clerk, 16 E Lincolnway, Valparaiso, IN 46383

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Tax Warrant Information

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The Sheriff of Porter County is authorized to collect taxes due to the State of Indiana. If you wish to dispute the amount owed, please contact the Indiana Department of Revenue directly in Indianapolis at (317) 232-2165, or their Merrillville branch located at 1411 E 85th Ave, Merrillville, IN 46410 (219) 769-4267.Otherwise ,you may choose to pay in full or call our office to set up a payment arrangement. We do NOT send payment coupons. You are responsible for remembering your payment every month. Once your first payment is received, your account will be put on a payment plan.

 

How to make payments:

• WE DO NOT ACCEPT PERSONAL CHECKS

• Money Order, Certified Check, EXACT cash or Credit/Debit card payments may be made at our office Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm (except holidays)

• Mail Money Order or Certified Check mailed to:  Porter County Sheriff, Attn: Rachel, 2755 State Road 49, Valparaiso, IN 46383

• Please write your Warrant Number on your Money Order/Certified Check

• Only payments with a self addressed stamped envelope will receive a receipt

• Credit/Debit Card over the phone to our office, or over the phone to Gov Pay Exp at 1-888-604-7888 or Credit/Debit Card payment online at www.GovPayNow.com. Enter PLC (Pay Location Code) 7765 to be directed to Porter County-Civil Bureau-Tax Warrants

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Mortgage Foreclosures Procedures

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Sheriff’s Sales are Mortgage Foreclosures where a judgment has been entered through the court. There is no redemption period on Sheriff’s Sales. Tax Sales are when property owners do not pay their property taxes and are sold through the Porter County Auditor’s Office. There is a one year redemption period on Tax Sales. Sheriff’s Sales and Tax Sales are completely different.

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Bidding

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Bidding is open and progressive. The Plaintiff always opens the bid and may start lower than the judgment amount. The Sheriff’s Office sends out updates on cancellations and bid amounts when available. You may request to be added to this list. The list is sent periodically as a mass email and not individually.

If you intend to bid on a property, you must bring to the auction a certified check in the amount of the opening bid or your bid will not be accepted. Notify the Sheriff’s Office representative of your intention to bid. Your check will be held until after the sale. If there is competitive bidding and your successful bid exceeds the amount of your opening bid check, then you will have until 2:00 pm of the same day to remit the balance. If you are the successful bidder and your check is greater than your successful bid, the Sheriff’s Office will issue you a check for the overpayment after funds are deposited.

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Terms

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Bids must be in the form of CERTIFIED CHECK. We do not accept letters of credit from a financial institution. There are no exceptions. All checks are to be payable to the PORTER COUNTY SHERIFF.

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Notices Of  Sale

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Notices of Sale are available on our website. They are also published at least 30 days prior to sale in the Chesterton Tribune on any given week day. Notices are posted at the Civil Bureau office during business hours. (We do not make copies.) Notices are also posted at the Porter County Courthouse. ALL SALES MAY BE CANCELLED RIGHT UP UNTIL THE TIME OF SALE.

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Availability To Inspect Property

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Foreclosed property is still in the hands of the property owner until sold at Sheriff’s Sale. Therefore, you will not have the opportunity to inspect the property which may be owner occupied.

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Other Leins On Foreclosed Property

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The Sheriff's Office has no knowledge of any other liens on properties other than what is listed in the judgment order which is available for inspection at the Porter County Clerk’s Office in the Courthouse. If you are unfamiliar on how to research liens, the Sheriff's Office recommends that you pay a title company to perform this task for you. If you buy property at Sheriff’s Sale it is a risk. The Sheriff's Office does not guarantee clear title or issue a warranty deed. You need to contact an attorney for advice on whether you would or would not be responsible for liens on a foreclosed property. We cannot give legal advice.

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After The Sale

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If you are the successful bidder, it will take one to two weeks to obtain a Sheriff’s Deed. If the property is still occupied and you need the Sheriff’s Office assistance in removing the occupants, you must file for a WRIT OF ASSISTANCE (court order), usually obtained with the help of an attorney. The Sheriff's Office will serve the writ and then remove the occupants if necessary. The Sheriff's Office will stand by while you secure the property.

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Evictions

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You must start the process for an eviction by filing through the Porter County Clerk’s Office / Small Claims.

 

The Sheriff’s Office will serve the notice of hearing which is issued first which give the defendant a right to appear before the Judge. After the hearing, the Judge may grant a Pre-Judgment Order of Possession – giving you a possession date. The Clerk’s Office will deliver this paperwork to the Sheriff’s Office and we will serve it on the defendant.

 

If the defendant does not or is not willing to move you may request the help of the Porter County Sheriff’s Office to remove the defendant from the property.

 

You must come to the sheriff’s office and pay the $100.00 eviction fee (non-refundable) and we will schedule a lock out date and time and post a lock out notice at the residence. Make this arrangement prior to the possession date or expiration date on the notice as we need time to schedule an eviction.

 

You will be responsible for changing the locks on the doors and/or any moving of personal belongings.

 

 

Jeffrey A. Balon, Porter County Sheriff
Tanya Gear, Support Services Director
2755 State Road 49
Valparaiso IN 46383
219-477-3156

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