Drew County, AR tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •County seat is Monticello. The Drew County Collector, Tonya Loveless, is at 210 South Main Street, Monticello, AR 71655, phone (870) 460-6220, and the office runs tax search and payment through arkansastaxsearch.com/drew.html.
• •The Collector never sells tax delinquent land. Drew County personal and real estate taxes are due March 1 and payable from March 1 to October 15, personal property must be assessed between January 1 and May 31, personal taxes must be paid before or at the same time as real estate taxes, and partial payments are accepted on current taxes only.
• •The delinquent list reaches the public through the Collector, who must deliver it to a legal newspaper of the county by December 1 each year for publication within seven days. Once unredeemed real estate is certified to the Commissioner of State Lands, the list to bid from is the Commissioner's Public Auction Catalog.
• •Drew County hosts its own regional auction rather than sending parcels elsewhere. The August 4, 2026 sale at the Second Baptist Church auditorium, 1032 Old Warren Road in Monticello, covered seven counties, Lincoln, Cleveland, Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Desha and Drew, so expect bidders from across southeast Arkansas in the room.
• •The Commissioner's Drew County page lists both the parcels sold on August 4, 2026, where winning bids ran from $279.37 to $60,000, and the seven parcels that went unsold. Unsold parcels open for online bidding at auction.cosl.org 30 days after the auction date.
• •For a certified parcel, a redemption figure or a deed question, contact the Commissioner of State Lands Real Estate Office, 7003 Valley Ranch Drive, Little Rock, AR 72223, phone 501-324-9422, [email protected]. The Drew County Collector cannot redeem or sell a parcel once it has been certified.

Arkansas rules

Redemption

The clock is long even though the deadline is hard. The county collector holds the delinquent land for one year after the October 15 delinquency date, certification to the Commissioner of State Lands follows no later than July 1 of the next year, and the sale date must be no earlier than one year after certification, so an owner normally has more than two years from the missed payment. What the owner does not get is any post-sale window. The Commissioner's office states that, effective July 1, 2023, parcels sold through its office cannot be redeemed and all sales are final, at live auctions and through the online unsold-property auction alike. Payment has to be received by the 4:00 p.m. deadline; postmarks are not accepted. A quoted redemption figure holds for 30 days unless the parcel sells, the county amends its records, or further costs accrue.Ark. Code Ann. 26-37-302, the redemption and purchase figure: all delinquent taxes plus 10 percent simple interest per year of delinquency, a 10 percent penalty per year of delinquency, and county and Commissioner costs, accruing from October 16Ark. Code Ann. 26-37-302Verified Aug 18, 2026

Deed deposit

There is no statutory bidder deposit at the live auction and no registration fee. Registration opens one hour before the sale at the sale site against a photo ID and a driver's license number, and the successful bidder tenders the full purchase price at the time of the sale. The online unsold-property auction works differently: registration requires identity verification and a card on file, and the winning bidder's card is charged $100 in earnest money immediately on notification.Ark. Code Ann. 26-37-202, in-person auction held in the county where the parcel sits, online unsold-property auction for parcels that draw no qualifying bid, negotiated-price sale after two years, and redemption cut off at 4:00 p.m. CST the last business day before the saleArk. Code Ann. 26-37-202Verified Aug 18, 2026

Surplus proceeds

Money above the taxes, fees, penalties, interest and costs due at the time of sale is excess proceeds. Within one year of receipt the Commissioner pays penalties, collection fees and sale costs to his own office and the delinquent taxes, interest and costs to the county. The remainder is held for one year from the date of the limited warranty deed, then applied on application to delinquent personal property taxes, state tax certificates of indebtedness and delinquent solid waste assessments. Of whatever is left, 10 percent up to a maximum of $500 goes to the Commissioner for administering the distribution and the rest is payable to the former owner on a complete claim packet. Excess proceeds are held two years and then escheat by operation of law to the county. A former owner, part owner or interested party who buys the parcel at the tax sale is not entitled to any distribution, and a third-party recovery agent's fee may not exceed 10 percent.Ark. Code Ann. 26-37-205, order of distribution of sale money, the 10 percent capped at $500 administration retention, the former owner's claim to the remainder and the two-year escrow before escheatArk. Code Ann. 26-37-205Verified Aug 18, 2026

Governing statute

Ark. Code Ann. Title 26, Chapter 37Ark. Code Ann. 26-37-101, land unpaid one year after the October 15 due date is forfeited to the state and certified to the Commissioner of State Lands; tax-delinquent lands shall not be sold at the county levelArk. Code Ann. 26-37-101Verified Aug 18, 2026

A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.

See the full Arkansasrules and every county →