Tax lien state · Mississippi

Mississippi Tax Deed & Tax Lien Sales 2026

County listings for Mississippi are on the way. The rules below are ready now, so you can plan before the first sale is published.

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How Mississippi sales work

Miss. Code Title 27, Chapters 41 and 45
Sale type
Tax Lien (tax sale with 2-year redemption, then chancery clerk's tax deed)
Redemption period
2 years from the sale
Interest or penalty
1.5% per month (18% per year) on taxes, plus a 5% damages penalty on redemption
Sale frequency
Annual, last Monday in August (some counties first Monday in April)
Bidding method
Premium bid (overbid above taxes; overbid earns no interest)
Where sales run
GovEase · In-person at county tax collector's office · Mississippi Secretary of State (tax-forfeited land)

Summary from public statutes. Rules change and counties differ. Verify with the county before bidding.

What catches investors off guard

  1. The overbid earns nothing on redemption and is refunded only as the statute allows, so premium bidding directly reduces yield.
  2. Tax deeds are frequently set aside because the chancery clerk's notice to the owner or a lienholder was defective, sometimes years after issuance.
  3. Parcels that strike off to the state go to the Secretary of State and follow a different application process.
  4. A quiet title action is nearly always necessary before a title company will insure a Mississippi tax deed.

How tax sales work in Mississippi

Each Mississippi county tax collector holds an annual sale of parcels with unpaid taxes, by default on the last Monday in August, though counties may elect the first Monday in April instead. The sale is a premium bid: the opening amount is the taxes, interest and costs, and the highest total wins. The buyer pays in full and receives a receipt for a tax lien, and the chancery clerk records the sale. Parcels with no bids are struck off to the State of Mississippi and are handled by the Secretary of State’s public lands division, which sells them by application at a set price. Many counties now run the August sale online through a contracted platform, while others still call parcels in the courthouse.

Redemption and interest

The owner or any interested party has two years from the sale to redeem through the chancery clerk. The redemption cost is the taxes paid, plus interest at 1.5 percent per month, plus 5 percent damages, plus subsequent taxes the buyer paid with interest and the clerk’s fees. The overbid above the taxes is returned to the buyer but earns no interest. If the two years pass without redemption, the chancery clerk issues a tax deed to the buyer, but only after mailing and serving statutory notices to the owner and lienholders in the months before expiration. Mississippi courts strictly enforce those notice requirements, and defective notice is the most common reason a tax deed is voided.

When and where sales happen

The August date is statewide, with lists advertised in the county newspaper for two weeks before. Online counties open registration a few weeks ahead and run the sale over a day or two with batch closings. The Secretary of State’s tax-forfeited inventory is available year-round.

What to check before you bid

Compare the assessed value to the taxes and decide your maximum overbid knowing it earns nothing. Search the land records for mortgages; lenders redeem reliably, which helps yield but eliminates acquisition. Check for homestead exemption, which affects the tax amount and the owner’s notice rights. Look at the parcel on the county map for size and access. If you want the property, plan for quiet title after the deed and for the possibility that a notice challenge unwinds the sale.

How AuctionScouts helps here

AuctionScouts imports the August and April sale lists from Mississippi counties and the Secretary of State’s forfeited land inventory, scores each parcel from 0 to 100, and flags recorded liens. The calendar tracks each county’s sale date and registration window.

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