Tax Sale Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The properties are auctioned once each year, on the fourth Monday in August; see RSMO 140.150.

If you are a Missouri resident, at least 18 years of age, and you provide the collector with an affidavit attesting that you owe no delinquent property taxes, then you are eligible to bid; the affidavit can be downloaded from this website. If you want to bid at the tax sale you should complete the bidder affidavit and bring this affidavit with you on the morning of the sale. You will be required to present your Missouri driver's license or Missouri identification card on the morning of the sale. Non-Missouri residents have additional requirements; see RSMO 140.190.   If you are bidding in the name of a business,  you will also need to complete a Bidder Affidavit-Business form and bring it with you on the date of the sale.

All lands and lots on which taxes are delinquent and unpaid are subject to sale. In most Missouri counties, including Greene County, properties are offered when taxes are more than one year delinquent on the last business day in April and have not been paid in full by the day of the sale; see RSMO 140.150 and 140.160.

In a typical year there will be approximately one hundred properties offered for sale. Approximately 300 properties are normally advertised in the first newspaper publication, but most will have paid their taxes by the date of the sale.

Properties will be advertised in the legal notices section of the "Springfield News-Leader" for three consecutive Wednesdays, one insertion weekly, before the sale, the last insertion to be at least fifteen days prior to the fourth Monday in August. The list will also be available on our website upon publication of the first ad, and will be available in the Collector's office during the week immediately preceding the sale; see RSMO 140.170.

Yes. Pre-registration opens in early August.  Links can be found under Resources, Tax Sale.  On the day of sale, regular registration begins at 8:00 A.M.. Registration will be held in the rotunda of the Greene County Courthouse, 940 Boonville Ave, Springfield, MO.  You will be required to present your Missouri driver's license or Missouri identification card.  You will be required to sign an affidavit attesting that you have no taxes due.  This form can be found on website and submitted in advance; see RSMO 140.190.

The sale is a public auction.  The minimum acceptable bid will be the amount of taxes and sale expenses due for the property.  There is no upper limit on the amount which can be bid, and the highest bidder will be granted a Purchase Certificate which acts as a lien on the property.  The bidder will not be granted a deed unless all requirements of RSMo 140.405 have been met. The bidder, or his/her legally designated representative, must be present at the sale to participate; see RSMO 140.170.  

It begins at 10:00 A.M. on the fourth Monday in August each year. The sale is held in room 212 of the Greene County Courthouse, 940 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Mo; see RSMO 140.150 and 140.170.

If you are a successful bidder, your payment will be due within two hours after all properties have been offered, or before 3:30 p.m. (local time), whichever is later.. 

Cashier's check is the only form of payment accepted.  Cash, personal/business checks, debit/credit cards, and money orders will not be accepted.

Payments are taken in the Cashier's office, room 109 of the Historic Greene County Courthouse.  Please have the bid certification slip from the sale handy, so that the cashier will know for which property you are paying.  Only cashier's checks will be accepted.

There is a waiting period (redemption period), during which time the owner of the property can redeem (buy back) your interest in the property by paying to the Collector the amount of your original investment, any subsequent taxes you have paid, and any other costs of sale, plus interest. This redemption money will be paid to you by the Collector, only after the return of the original certificate of purchase; see RSMO 140.340. Upon paying the reasonable and customary costs of sale to the county collector for the use of the purchaser, his or her heirs, successors, or assigns; the owner; lienholder; or occupant of any land or lot sold for taxes, or any other persons having an interest therein, shall have the absolute right to redeem the same at any time during the one year next ensuing and shall continue to have a defeasible right to redeem the same until such time as the tax sale purchaser acquires the deed, at which time the right to redeem shall expire, provided upon the expiration of the lien evidenced by a certificate of purchase under section 140.410 no redemption shall be required.  At least ninety days prior to the date when a purchaser is authorized to acquire the deed, the purchaser shall notify the owner of record and any person who holds a publicly recorded unreleased deed of trust, mortgage, lease, lien, judgment, or any other publicly recorded claim upon that real estate of such person's right to redeem the property; see RSMO 140.405.  NOTE:  The tax sale purchaser is solely responsible for submitting all receipts to the Collector immediately upon completion of the title search and mailings in order to be reimbursed if the property is redeemed.

The certificate of purchase is the document the tax sale purchaser receives as evidence of his/her interest in the property. Please do not lose this important document. If you purchase a property at the tax sale you should read the certificate of purchase when you receive it. There is important information in this document with which you should be familiar; see RSMO 140.290.

Possession prior to receiving a deed is described in RSMO 140.310. It is recommended that you consult with your attorney before attempting to enforce any rights granted to you under this section of the statutes.

If your purchase is redeemed, the tax & costs portion of your original investment will earn simple interest at the rate of ten percent (10%) per annum. No interest will be paid on that portion of the investment which is in excess of the taxes & costs. Any subsequent taxes that you pay will earn simple interest at the rate of eight percent (8%) per annum; see RSMO 140.340.

Before you are eligible to receive a Collector's deed you must follow the procedures described in RSMO 140.405. This statute is confusing to most people so it is recommended that you consult an attorney to be sure you comply with this statute. Neither the Collector nor the employees of the Collector's office are allowed to provide legal advice. Please consult your attorney.