To amend sections 5721.30, 5721.32, 5721.33, 5721.36, and 5721.38 of the Revised Code to permit delinquent property tax certificates for residential and agricultural property to be sold only to county land reutilization corporations, to prohibit such a certificate from being transferred to any person other than a county land reutilization corporation, and to authorize a county land reutilization corporation to accept from the owner of residential or agricultural property a redemption payment of one hundred five per cent of the cost of a certificate at any time before instituting foreclosure proceedings.

Section 1. That sections 5721.30, 5721.32, 5721.33, 5721.36, and 5721.38 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 5721.30.  As used in sections 5721.30 to 5721.43 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Tax certificate," "certificate," or "duplicate certificate" means a document that may be issued as a physical certificate, in book-entry form, or through an electronic medium, at the discretion of the county treasurer. Such document shall contain the information required by section 5721.31 of the Revised Code and shall be prepared, transferred, or redeemed in the manner prescribed by sections 5721.30 to 5721.43 of the Revised Code. As used in those sections, "tax certificate," "certificate," and "duplicate certificate" do not refer to the delinquent land tax certificate or the delinquent vacant land tax certificate issued under section 5721.13 of the Revised Code.

(B) "Certificate parcel" means the parcel of delinquent land that is the subject of and is described in a tax certificate.

(C) "Certificate holder" means a person, including a county land reutilization corporation, that purchases or otherwise acquires a tax certificate under section 5721.32, 5721.33, or 5721.42 of the Revised Code, or a person to whom a tax certificate has been transferred pursuant to section 5721.36 of the Revised Code.

(D) "Certificate purchase price" means, with respect to the sale of tax certificates under sections 5721.32, 5721.33, and 5721.42 of the Revised Code, the amount equal to delinquent taxes charged against a certificate parcel at the time the tax certificate respecting that parcel is sold or transferred, not including any delinquent taxes the lien for which has been conveyed to a certificate holder through a prior sale of a tax certificate respecting that parcel. Payment of the certificate purchase price in a sale under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code may be made wholly in cash or partially in cash and partially by noncash consideration acceptable to the county treasurer from the purchaser, and, in the case of a county land reutilization corporation, with notes. In the event that any such noncash consideration is delivered to pay a portion of the certificate purchase price, such noncash consideration may be subordinate to the rights of the holders of other obligations whose proceeds paid the cash portion of the certificate purchase price.

"Certificate purchase price" also includes the amount of the fee charged by the county treasurer to the purchaser of the certificate under division (H) of section 5721.32 of the Revised Code.

(E)(1) With respect to a sale of tax certificates under section 5721.32 of the Revised Code, and except as provided in division (E)(2) of this section, "certificate redemption price" means the certificate purchase price plus the greater of the following:

(a) Simple interest, at the certificate rate of interest, accruing during the certificate interest period on the certificate purchase price, calculated in accordance with section 5721.41 of the Revised Code;

(b) Six per cent of the certificate purchase price.

(2) If the certificate rate of interest equals zero, the certificate redemption price equals the certificate purchase price plus the fee charged by the county treasurer to the purchaser of the certificate under division (H) of section 5721.32 of the Revised Code.

(F) With respect to a sale or transfer of tax certificates under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code, "certificate redemption price" means the amount equal to the sum of the following:

(1) The certificate purchase price;

(2) Interest accrued on the certificate purchase price at the certificate rate of interest from the date on which a tax certificate is delivered through and including the day immediately preceding the day on which the certificate redemption price is paid;

(3) The fee, if any, charged by the county treasurer to the purchaser of the certificate under division (J) of section 5721.33 of the Revised Code;

(4) Any other fees charged by any county office in connection with the recording of tax certificates.

(G) "Certificate rate of interest" means the rate of simple interest per year bid by the winning bidder in an auction of a tax certificate held under section 5721.32 of the Revised Code, or the rate of simple interest per year not to exceed eighteen per cent per year fixed pursuant to section 5721.42 of the Revised Code or by the county treasurer with respect to any tax certificate sold or transferred pursuant to a negotiated sale under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code. The certificate rate of interest shall not be less than zero per cent per year.

(H) "Cash" means United States currency, certified checks, money orders, bank drafts, electronic transfer of funds, or other forms of payment authorized by the county treasurer, and excludes any other form of payment not so authorized.

(I) "The date on which a tax certificate is sold or transferred," "the date the certificate was sold or transferred," "the date the certificate is purchased," and any other phrase of similar content mean, with respect to a sale pursuant to an auction under section 5721.32 of the Revised Code, the date designated by the county treasurer for the submission of bids and, with respect to a negotiated sale or transfer under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code, the date of delivery of the tax certificates to the purchasers thereof pursuant to a tax certificate sale/purchase agreement.

(J) "Certificate interest period" means, with respect to a tax certificate sold under section 5721.32 or 5721.42 of the Revised Code and for the purpose of accruing interest under section 5721.41 of the Revised Code, the period beginning on the date on which the certificate is purchased and, with respect to a tax certificate sold or transferred under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code, the period beginning on the date of delivery of the tax certificate, and in either case ending on one of the following dates:

(1) The date the certificate holder files a request for foreclosure or notice of intent to foreclose under division (A) of section 5721.37 of the Revised Code and submits the payment required under division (B) of that section;

(2) The date the owner of record of the certificate parcel, or any other person entitled to redeem that parcel, redeems the certificate parcel under division (A) or (C) of section 5721.38 of the Revised Code or redeems the certificate under section 5721.381 of the Revised Code.

(K) "Qualified trustee" means a trust company within the state or a bank having the power of a trust company within the state with a combined capital stock, surplus, and undivided profits of at least one hundred million dollars.

(L) "Tax certificate sale/purchase agreement" means the purchase and sale agreement described in division (C) of section 5721.33 of the Revised Code setting forth the certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium or less any applicable discount, including, without limitation, the amount to be paid in cash and the amount and nature of any noncash consideration, the date of delivery of the tax certificates, and the other terms and conditions of the sale, including, without limitation, the rate of interest that the tax certificates shall bear.

(M) "Noncash consideration" means any form of consideration other than cash, including, but not limited to, promissory notes whether subordinate or otherwise.

(N) "Private attorney" means any attorney licensed to practice law in this state whose license has not been revoked and is not currently suspended, and who is retained to bring foreclosure proceedings pursuant to section 5721.37 of the Revised Code on behalf of a certificate holder.

(O) "Related certificate parcel" means, with respect to a certificate holder, the certificate parcel with respect to which the certificate holder has purchased and holds a tax certificate pursuant to sections 5721.30 to 5721.43 of the Revised Code and, with respect to a tax certificate, the certificate parcel against which the tax certificate has been sold pursuant to those sections.

(P) "Delinquent taxes" means delinquent taxes as defined in section 323.01 of the Revised Code and includes assessments and charges, and penalties and interest computed under section 323.121 of the Revised Code.

(Q) "Certificate period" means the period of time after the sale or delivery of a tax certificate within which a certificate holder must initiate an action to foreclose the tax lien represented by the certificate as specified under division (A) of section 5721.32 of the Revised Code or as negotiated under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code.

(R) "Residential or agricultural property" means a parcel classified as to use as residential or agricultural property by the county auditor.

Sec. 5721.32.  (A) The sale of tax certificates by public auction may be conducted at any time after completion of the advertising of the sale under section 5721.31 of the Revised Code, on the date and at the time and place designated in the advertisements, and may be continued from time to time as the county treasurer directs. The county treasurer may offer the tax certificates for sale in blocks of tax certificates, consisting of any number of tax certificates as determined by the county treasurer, and may specify a certificate period of not less than three years and not more than six years. On or after the effective date of ...B... of the 130th general assembly, a county treasurer shall not sell a tax certificate under this section to any person if the certificate parcel is residential or agricultural property.

(B)(1) The sale of tax certificates under this section shall be conducted at a public auction by the county treasurer or a designee of the county treasurer.

(2) No person shall be permitted to bid without completing a bidder registration form, in the form prescribed by the tax commissioner, and without filing the form with the county treasurer prior to the start of the auction, together with remittance of a registration fee, in cash, of five hundred dollars. The bidder registration form shall include a tax identification number of the registrant. The registration fee is refundable at the end of bidding on the day of the auction, unless the registrant is the winning bidder for one or more tax certificates or one or more blocks of tax certificates, in which case the fee may be applied toward the deposit required by this section.

(3) The county treasurer may require a person who wishes to bid on one or more parcels to submit a letter from a financial institution stating that the bidder has sufficient funds available to pay the purchase price of the parcels and a written authorization for the treasurer to verify such information with the financial institution. The county treasurer may require submission of the letter and authorization sufficiently in advance of the auction to allow for verification. No person who fails to submit the required letter and authorization, or whose financial institution fails to provide the requested verification, shall be permitted to bid.

(C) At the public auction, the county treasurer or the treasurer's designee or agent shall begin the bidding at eighteen per cent per year simple interest, and accept lower bids in even increments of one-fourth of one per cent to the rate of zero per cent. The county treasurer, designee, or agent shall award the tax certificate to the person bidding the lowest certificate rate of interest. The county treasurer shall decide which person is the winning bidder in the event of a tie for the lowest bid offered, or if a person contests the lowest bid offered. The county treasurer's decision is not appealable.

(D)(1) The winning bidder shall pay the county treasurer a cash deposit of at least ten per cent of the certificate purchase price not later than the close of business on the day of the sale. The winning bidder shall pay the balance and the fee required under division (H) of this section not later than five business days after the day on which the certificate is sold. Except as provided under division (D)(2) of this section, if the winning bidder fails to pay the balance and fee within the prescribed time, the bidder forfeits the deposit, and the county treasurer shall retain the tax certificate and may attempt to sell it at any auction conducted at a later date.

(2) At the request of a winning bidder, the county treasurer may release the bidder from the bidder's tax certificate purchase obligation. The county treasurer may retain all or any portion of the deposit of a bidder granted a release. After granting a release under this division, the county treasurer may award the tax certificate to the person that submitted the second lowest bid at the auction.

(3) The county treasurer shall deposit the deposit forfeited or retained under divisions (D)(1) or (2) of this section in the county treasury to the credit of the tax certificate administration fund.

(E) Upon receipt of the full payment of the certificate purchase price from the purchaser, the county treasurer shall issue the tax certificate and record the tax certificate sale by entering into a tax certificate register the certificate purchase price, the certificate rate of interest, the date the certificate was sold, the certificate period, the name and address of the certificate holder, and any other information the county treasurer considers necessary. The county treasurer may keep the tax certificate register in a hard-copy format or in an electronic format. The name and address of the certificate holder may be, upon receipt of instructions from the purchaser, that of the secured party of the actual purchaser, or an agent or custodian for the purchaser or secured party. The county treasurer also shall transfer the tax certificate to the certificate holder. The county treasurer shall apportion the part of the proceeds from the sale representing taxes, penalties, and interest among the several taxing districts in the same proportion that the amount of taxes levied by each district against the certificate parcel in the preceding tax year bears to the taxes levied by all such districts against the certificate parcel in the preceding tax year, and credit the part of the proceeds representing assessments and other charges to the items of assessments and charges in the order in which those items became due. Upon issuing a tax certificate, the delinquent taxes that make up the certificate purchase price are transferred, and the superior lien of the state and its taxing districts for those delinquent taxes is conveyed intact to the certificate holder.

(F) If a tax certificate is offered for sale under this section but is not sold, the county treasurer may sell the certificate in a negotiated sale authorized under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code, or may strike the corresponding certificate parcel from the list of parcels selected for tax certificate sales. The lien for taxes, assessments, charges, penalties, and interest against a parcel stricken from the list thereafter may be foreclosed in the manner prescribed by section 323.25, sections 323.65 to 323.79, or section 5721.14 or 5721.18 of the Revised Code unless, prior to the institution of such proceedings against the parcel, the county treasurer restores the parcel to the list of parcels selected for tax certificate sales.

(G) A certificate holder shall not be liable for damages arising from a violation of sections 3737.87 to 3737.891 or Chapter 3704., 3734., 3745., 3746., 3750., 3751., 3752., 6109., or 6111. of the Revised Code, or a rule adopted or order, permit, license, variance, or plan approval issued under any of those chapters, that is or was committed by another person in connection with the parcel for which the tax certificate is held.

(H) When selling a tax certificate under this section, the county treasurer shall charge a fee to the purchaser of the certificate. The county treasurer shall set the fee at a reasonable amount that covers the treasurer's costs of administering the sale of the tax certificate. The county treasurer shall deposit the fee in the county treasury to the credit of the tax certificate administration fund.

(I) After selling a tax certificate under this section, the county treasurer shall send written notice by certified mail to the owner of the certificate parcel at the owner's last known tax-mailing address. The notice shall inform the owner that the tax certificate was sold, shall describe the owner's options to redeem the parcel, including entering into a redemption payment plan under division (C)(1) of section 5721.38 of the Revised Code, and shall name the certificate holder and its secured party, if any. However, the county treasurer is not required to send a notice under this division if the treasurer previously has attempted to send a notice to the owner of the parcel at the owner's last known tax-mailing address, and the postal service has returned the notice as undeliverable.

(J) A tax certificate shall not be sold to the owner of the certificate parcel.

Sec. 5721.33.  (A) A county treasurer may, in the treasurer's discretion, negotiate the sale or transfer of any number of tax certificates with one or more persons, including a county land reutilization corporation. On or after the effective date of ... B... of the 130th general assembly, a county treasurer shall not negotiate the sale or transfer of a tax certificate under this section with any person except a county land reutilization corporation if the certificate parcel is residential or agricultural property. Terms that may be negotiated include, without limitation, any of the following:

(1) A premium to be added to or discount to be subtracted from the certificate purchase price for the tax certificates;

(2) Different time frames under which the certificate holder may initiate a foreclosure action than are otherwise allowed under sections 5721.30 to 5721.43 of the Revised Code, not to exceed six years after the date the tax certificate was sold or transferred;

(3) The amount to be paid in private attorney's fees related to tax certificate foreclosures, subject to section 5721.371 of the Revised Code;

(4) Any other terms of the sale or transfer that the county treasurer, in the treasurer's discretion, determines appropriate or necessary for the sale or transfer.

(B) The sale or transfer of tax certificates under this section shall be governed by the criteria established by the county treasurer pursuant to division (E) of this section.

(C) The county treasurer may execute a tax certificate sale/purchase agreement and other necessary agreements with a designated purchaser or purchasers to complete a negotiated sale or transfer of tax certificates.

(D) The tax certificate may be sold at a premium to or discount from the certificate purchase price. The county treasurer may establish as one of the terms of the negotiated sale the portion of the certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium or less any applicable discount, that the purchaser or purchasers shall pay in cash on the date the tax certificates are sold and the portion, if any, of the certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium or less any applicable discount, that the purchaser or purchasers shall pay in noncash consideration and the nature of that consideration.

The county treasurer shall sell such tax certificates at a certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium and less any applicable discount, and at a certificate rate of interest that, in the treasurer's determination, are in the best interests of the county.

(E)(1) The county treasurer shall adopt rules governing the eligibility of persons to purchase tax certificates or to otherwise participate in a negotiated sale under this section. The rules may provide for precertification of such persons, including a requirement for disclosure of income, assets, and any other financial information the county treasurer determines appropriate. The rules also may prohibit any person that is delinquent in the payment of any tax to the county or to the state, or that is in default in or on any other obligation to the county or to the state, from purchasing a tax certificate or otherwise participating in a negotiated sale of tax certificates under this section. The rules may also authorize the purchase of certificates by a county land reutilization corporation, and authorize the county treasurer to receive notes in lieu of cash, with such notes being payable to the treasurer upon the receipt or enforcement of such taxes, assessments, charges, costs, penalties, and interest, and as otherwise further agreed between the corporation and the treasurer. The eligibility information required shall include the tax identification number of the purchaser and may include the tax identification number of the participant. The county treasurer, upon request, shall provide a copy of the rules adopted under this section.

(2) Any person that intends to purchase a tax certificate in a negotiated sale shall submit an affidavit to the county treasurer that establishes compliance with the applicable eligibility criteria and includes any other information required by the treasurer. Any person that fails to submit such an affidavit is ineligible to purchase a tax certificate. Any person that knowingly submits a false or misleading affidavit shall forfeit any tax certificate or certificates purchased by the person at a sale for which the affidavit was submitted, shall be liable for payment of the full certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium and less any applicable discount, of the tax certificate or certificates, and shall be disqualified from participating in any tax certificate sale conducted in the county during the next five years.

(3) A tax certificate shall not be sold to the owner of the certificate parcel or to any corporation, partnership, or association in which such owner has an interest. No person that purchases a tax certificate in a negotiated sale shall assign or transfer the tax certificate to the owner of the certificate parcel or to any corporation, partnership, or association in which the owner has an interest. Any person that knowingly or negligently transfers or assigns a tax certificate to the owner of the certificate parcel or to any corporation, partnership, or association in which such owner has an interest shall be liable for payment of the full certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium and less any applicable discount, and shall not be entitled to a refund of any amount paid. Such tax certificate shall be deemed void and the tax lien sold under the tax certificate shall revert to the county as if no sale of the tax certificate had occurred.

(F) The purchaser in a negotiated sale under this section shall deliver the certificate purchase price or other consideration, plus any applicable premium and less any applicable discount and including any noncash consideration, to the county treasurer not later than the close of business on the date the tax certificates are delivered to the purchaser. The certificate purchase price, less any applicable discount, or portion of the price, that is paid in cash shall be deposited in the county's general fund to the credit of the account to which ad valorem real property taxes are credited and further credited as provided in division (G) of this section. Any applicable premium that is paid shall be, at the discretion of the county treasurer, apportioned to and deposited in any authorized county fund. The purchaser also shall pay on the date the tax certificates are delivered to the purchaser the fee, if any, negotiated under division (J) of this section. If the purchaser fails to pay the certificate purchase price, plus any applicable premium and less any applicable discount, and any such fee, within the time periods required by this section, the county treasurer shall retain the tax certificate and may attempt to sell it at any auction or negotiated sale conducted at a later date.

(G) Upon receipt of the full payment from the purchaser of the certificate purchase price or other agreed-upon consideration, plus any applicable premium and less any applicable discount, and the negotiated fee, if any, the county treasurer, or a qualified trustee whom the treasurer has engaged for such purpose, shall issue the tax certificate and record the tax certificate sale by entering into a tax certificate register the certificate purchase price, any premium paid or discount taken, the certificate rate of interest, the date the certificates were sold, the name and address of the certificate holder or, in the case of issuance of the tax certificates in a book-entry system, the name and address of the nominee, and any other information the county treasurer considers necessary. The county treasurer may keep the tax certificate register in a hard-copy format or an electronic format. The name and address of the certificate holder or nominee may be, upon receipt of instructions from the purchaser, that of the secured party of the actual purchaser, or an agent or custodian for the purchaser or secured party. The county treasurer also shall transfer the tax certificates to the certificate holder. The county treasurer shall apportion the part of the cash proceeds from the sale representing taxes, penalties, and interest among the several taxing districts in the same proportion that the amount of taxes levied by each district against the certificate parcels in the preceding tax year bears to the taxes levied by all such districts against the certificate parcels in the preceding tax year, and credit the part of the proceeds representing assessments and other charges to the items of assessments and charges in the order in which those items became due. If the cash proceeds from the sale are not sufficient to fully satisfy the items of taxes, assessments, penalties, interest, and charges on the certificate parcels against which tax certificates were sold, the county treasurer shall credit the cash proceeds to such items pro rata based upon the proportion that each item of taxes, assessments, penalties, interest, and charges bears to the aggregate of all such items, or by any other method that the county treasurer, in the treasurer's sole discretion, determines is equitable. Upon issuing the tax certificates, the delinquent taxes that make up the certificate purchase price are transferred, and the superior lien of the state and its taxing districts for those delinquent taxes is conveyed intact to the certificate holder or holders.

(H) If a tax certificate is offered for sale under this section but is not sold, the county treasurer may strike the corresponding certificate parcel from the list of parcels selected for tax certificate sales. The lien for taxes, assessments, charges, penalties, and interest against a parcel stricken from the list thereafter may be foreclosed in the manner prescribed by section 323.25, 5721.14, or 5721.18 of the Revised Code unless, prior to the institution of such proceedings against the parcel, the county treasurer restores the parcel to the list of parcels selected for tax certificate sales.

(I) Neither a certificate holder nor its secured party, if any, shall be liable for damages arising from a violation of sections 3737.87 to 3737.891 or Chapter 3704., 3734., 3745., 3746., 3750., 3751., 3752., 6109., or 6111. of the Revised Code, or a rule adopted or order, permit, license, variance, or plan approval issued under any of those chapters, that is or was committed by another person in connection with the parcel for which the tax certificate is held.

(J) When selling or transferring a tax certificate under this section, the county treasurer may negotiate with the purchaser of the certificate for fees paid by the purchaser to the county treasurer to reimburse the treasurer for any part or all of the treasurer's costs of preparing for and administering the sale of the tax certificate and any fees set forth by the county treasurer in the tax certificate sale/purchase agreement. Such fees, if any, shall be added to the certificate purchase price and shall be paid by the purchaser on the date of delivery of the tax certificate. The county treasurer shall deposit the fees in the county treasury to the credit of the tax certificate administration fund.

(K) After selling tax certificates under this section, the county treasurer shall send written notice by certified mail to the last known tax-mailing address of the owner of the certificate parcel. The notice shall inform the owner that a tax certificate with respect to such owner's parcel was sold or transferred and shall describe the owner's options to redeem the parcel, including entering into a redemption payment plan under division (C)(2) of section 5721.38 of the Revised Code. However, the county treasurer is not required to send a notice under this division if the treasurer previously has attempted to send a notice to the owner of the parcel at the owner's last known tax-mailing address and the postal service has returned the notice as undeliverable.

Sec. 5721.36.  (A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the purchaser of a tax certificate sold as part of a block sale pursuant to section 5721.32 of the Revised Code may transfer the certificate to any person, and any other purchaser of a tax certificate pursuant to section 5721.32 or 5721.33 of the Revised Code may transfer the certificate to any person, except the owner of the certificate parcel or any corporation, partnership, or association in which such owner has an interest. The transferee of a tax certificate subsequently may transfer the certificate to any other person to whom the purchaser could have transferred the certificate. The transferor of a tax certificate shall endorse the certificate and shall swear to the endorsement before a notary public or other officer empowered to administer oaths. The transferee shall present the endorsed certificate and a notarized copy of a valid form of identification showing the transferee's taxpayer identification number to the county treasurer of the county where the certificate is registered, who shall, upon payment of a fee of twenty dollars to cover the costs associated with the transfer of a tax certificate, enter upon the register of certificate holders opposite the certificate entry the name and address of the transferee, the date of entry, and, upon presentation to the treasurer of instructions signed by the transferee, the name and address of any secured party of the transferee having an interest in the tax certificate. The treasurer shall deposit the fee in the county treasury to the credit of the tax certificate administration fund.

Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, no request for foreclosure or notice of intent to foreclose, as the case may be, shall be filed by any person other than the person shown on the tax certificate register to be the certificate holder or a private attorney for that person properly authorized to act in that person's behalf.

A county land reutilization corporation may not transfer or assign a tax certificate under this section if the corporation purchased the certificate on or after the effective date of ...B... of the 130th general assembly if the certificate parcel is residential or agricultural property.

(2) Upon registration of a security interest with the county treasurer, both of the following apply:

(a) No purchaser or transferee of a tax certificate, other than a county land reutilization corporation, may transfer that tax certificate except upon presentation to the treasurer of instructions signed by the secured party authorizing such action. A county land reutilization corporation may transfer or assign tax certificates consistent with its public purposes and plan adopted pursuant to Chapter 1724. of the Revised Code.

(b) Only the secured party may issue a request for foreclosure or notice of intent to foreclose concerning that tax certificate.

(B)(1) Application may be made to the county treasurer for a duplicate certificate if a certificate is alleged by affidavit to have been lost or destroyed. The treasurer shall issue a duplicate certificate, upon payment of a fee of twenty dollars to cover the costs of issuing the duplicate certificate. The treasurer shall deposit the fee in the county treasury to the credit of the tax certificate administration fund.

(2) The duplicate certificate shall be plainly marked or stamped "duplicate."

(3) The treasurer shall enter the fact of the duplicate in the tax certificate register.

Sec. 5721.38.  (A) At any time prior to payment to the county treasurer by the certificate holder to initiate foreclosure proceedings under division (B) of section 5721.37 of the Revised Code, the owner of record of the certificate parcel, or any other person entitled to redeem that parcel, may redeem the parcel by paying to the county treasurer an amount equal to the total of the certificate redemption prices of all tax certificates respecting that parcel.

(B) At any time after payment to the county treasurer by the certificate holder to initiate foreclosure proceedings under section 5721.37 of the Revised Code, and before the filing of the entry of confirmation of sale of a certificate parcel, or the expiration of the alternative redemption period defined in section 323.65 of the Revised Code under foreclosure proceedings filed by the county prosecuting attorney, and before the decree conveying title to the certificate holder is rendered as provided for in division (F) of section 5721.37 of the Revised Code, the owner of record of the certificate parcel or any other person entitled to redeem that parcel may redeem the parcel by paying to the county treasurer the sum of the following amounts:

(1) The amount described in division (A) of this section;

(2) Interest on the certificate purchase price for each tax certificate sold respecting the parcel at the rate of eighteen per cent per year for the period beginning on the day on which the payment was submitted by the certificate holder and ending on the day the parcel is redeemed under this division;

(3) An amount equal to the sum of the county prosecuting attorney's fee under division (B)(3) of section 5721.37 of the Revised Code plus interest on that amount at the rate of eighteen per cent per year beginning on the day on which the payment was submitted by the certificate holder and ending on the day the parcel is redeemed under this division. If the parcel is redeemed before the complaint has been filed, the prosecuting attorney shall adjust the fee to reflect services performed to the date of redemption, and the county treasurer shall calculate the interest based on the adjusted fee and refund any excess fee to the certificate holder.

(4) Reasonable attorney's fees in accordance with section 5721.371 of the Revised Code if the certificate holder retained a private attorney to foreclose the lien;

(5) Any other costs and fees of the proceeding allocable to the certificate parcel as determined by the court or board of revision.

The county treasurer may collect the total amount due under divisions (B)(1) to (5) of this section in the form of guaranteed funds acceptable to the treasurer. Immediately upon receipt of such payments, the county treasurer shall reimburse the certificate holder who initiated foreclosure proceedings as provided in division (D) of this section. The county treasurer shall pay the certificate holder interest at the rate of eighteen per cent per year on amounts paid under divisions (B)(2) and (3) of section 5721.37 of the Revised Code, beginning on the day the certificate holder paid the amounts under those divisions and ending on the day the parcel is redeemed under this section.

(C)(1) During the period beginning on the date a tax certificate is sold under section 5721.32 of the Revised Code and ending one year from that date, the county treasurer may enter into a redemption payment plan with the owner of record of the certificate parcel or any other person entitled to redeem that parcel. The plan shall require the owner or other person to pay the certificate redemption price for the tax certificate in installments, with the final installment due no later than one year after the date the tax certificate is sold. The certificate holder may at any time, by written notice to the county treasurer, agree to accept installments collected to the date of notice as payment in full. Receipt of such notice by the treasurer shall constitute satisfaction of the payment plan and redemption of the tax certificate.

(2) During the period beginning on the date a tax certificate is sold under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code and ending on the date the decree is rendered on the foreclosure proceeding under division (F) of section 5721.37 of the Revised Code, the owner of record of the certificate parcel, or any other person entitled to redeem that parcel, may enter into a redemption payment plan with the certificate holder and all secured parties of the certificate holder. The plan shall require the owner or other person to pay the certificate redemption price for the tax certificate, an administrative fee not to exceed one hundred dollars per year, and the actual fees and costs incurred, in installments, with the final installment due no later than the expiration of the certificate period. The certificate holder shall give written notice of the plan to the applicable county treasurer within sixty days after entering into the plan and written notice of default under the plan within ninety days after the default. If such a plan is entered into, the time period for filing a request for foreclosure or a notice of intent to foreclose under section 5721.37 of the Revised Code is extended by the length of time the plan is in effect and not in default.

(D)(1) Immediately upon receipt of full payment under division (A) or (B) of this section, the county treasurer shall make an entry to that effect in the tax certificate register, credit the payment to the tax certificate redemption fund created in the county treasury, and shall notify the certificate holder or holders by ordinary first class or certified mail or by binary means that the parcel has been redeemed and the lien or liens canceled, and that payment on the certificate or certificates is forthcoming. The treasurer shall pay the tax certificate holder or holders promptly.

The county treasurer shall administer the tax certificate redemption fund for the purpose of redeeming tax certificates. Interest earned on the fund shall be credited to the county general fund. If the county has established a county land reutilization corporation, the county treasurer may apply interest earned on the fund to the payment of the expenses of such corporation.

(2) If a redemption payment plan is entered into pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, the county treasurer immediately shall notify each certificate holder by ordinary first class or certified mail or by binary means of the terms of the plan. Installment payments made pursuant to the plan shall be deposited in the tax certificate redemption fund. Any overpayment of the installments shall be refunded to the person responsible for causing the overpayment if the person applies for a refund under this section. If the person responsible for causing the overpayment fails to apply for a refund under this section within five years from the date the plan is satisfied, an amount equal to the overpayment shall be deposited into the general fund of the county. If the county has established a county land reutilization corporation, the county treasurer may apply such overpayment to the payment of the expenses of the corporation.

Upon satisfaction of the plan, the county treasurer shall indicate in the tax certificate register that the plan has been satisfied, and shall notify each certificate holder by ordinary first class or certified mail or by binary means that the plan has been satisfied and that payment on the certificate or certificates is forthcoming. The treasurer shall pay each certificate holder promptly.

If a redemption payment plan becomes void, the county treasurer shall notify each certificate holder by ordinary first class or certified mail or by binary means. If a certificate holder files a request for foreclosure under section 5721.37 of the Revised Code, upon the filing of the request for foreclosure, any money paid under the plan shall be refunded to the person that paid the money under the plan.

(3) Upon receipt of the payment required under division (B)(1) of section 5721.37 of the Revised Code, the treasurer shall pay all other certificate holders and indicate in the tax certificate register that such certificates have been satisfied. If a county has organized a county land reutilization corporation, the county treasurer may apply the redemption price and any applicable interest payable under division (B) of this section to the payment of the expenses of the corporation.

(E) At any time before a certificate holder that is a county land reutilization corporation institutes a foreclosure action as authorized under section 5721.37 of the Revised Code, the owner of record of a certificate parcel that is residential or agricultural property may offer to pay the county land reutilization corporation an amount equal to one hundred five per cent of the total of the certificate purchase prices, net of any premium or discount, of all tax certificates held by the county land reutilization corporation respecting that parcel.

If the certificate holder accepts the offer, the certificate holder shall notify the county treasurer immediately upon the certificate holder's receipt of the full payment from the parcel owner of record and pay to the county treasurer any amount due to the treasurer for the sale or transfer of those tax certificates, including amounts due on any notes described in division (E)(1) of section 5721.33 of the Revised Code. Immediately upon the county treasurer's receipt of the notification and payment, if any, from a certificate holder, the county treasurer shall do all of the following:

(1) Make an entry of the amount paid to the certificate holder in the tax certificate register;

(2) Credit any portion of the payment received by the county treasurer that is required to be credited to the county's tax certificate administration fund under division (J) of section 5721.33 of the Revised Code to that fund, and credit any portion that is required to be credited to the tax certificate redemption fund to pay certificate holders;

(3) Credit any remaining portion of the payment received by the treasurer to the county treasury for distribution among the several taxing districts in proportion to each district's claim on the taxes or assessments levied against the related certificate parcel for the preceding tax year;

(4) Notify the certificate holder that the parcel has been redeemed and the lien or liens canceled.

Section 2. That existing sections 5721.30, 5721.32, 5721.33, 5721.36, and 5721.38 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.