I am trying to find out information on whether you can acquire a property by paying the back taxes owed

You can ask what it would take to acquire a particular building and they would tell you where it stands whether the owner is holding on to it, it is going to be going up for auction for back taxes or whatever.

Contact the county auditor's office and ask them about a particular piece of property as to the status of it. Sometimes the property is up for county auction on the steps of the courthouse but not sold for back taxes. Usually when a property is offered by the county for sale it is for the county appraisal of the property for the starting bid.