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Tax Sale Atlas

Monroe County, AR tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Monroe County, seat of Clarendon: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Arkansas tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Format
In person
County office
(870) 747-3722
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 22, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Monroe County sells delinquent taxes

No tax lien certificate sale

Arkansas sells no tax lien certificates to investors, and Ark. Code Ann. 26-37-101(a)(2) states that tax-delinquent lands shall not be sold at the county level.

Tax deed sale

In person
Run by
Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. Monroe County runs no tax sale of its own: the Monroe County Collector bills the taxes, advertises the delinquent list and certifies unredeemed parcels to the Commissioner, who publishes the catalog, conducts the auction and issues the deed.
Frequency
annual
Sale list
Monroe County parcels, Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands Public Auction Catalog
When it runs
The Commissioner of State Lands sells Monroe County parcels in a regional block with Lee and Phillips counties, so the auction sits in Helena rather than at the Clarendon courthouse. The catalog heads the Monroe County list "9/10/2026 10:00:00 AM - BETH EL HERITAGE HALL, 406 PERRY ST - HELENA". Arkansas sets no statutory sale month; the Commissioner works across the state in regional blocks through July, August and September and holds one auction a year for each county, so read the Public Auction Catalog for the following year's Monroe County date before booking travel.
Registration and deposit

Registration begins one hour before the auction at the sale site and costs nothing: fill out a numbered bidder registration card, hand it to a Commissioner of State Lands employee and keep the opposite half as your bidder number. Parcels are called in sale number order from the catalog. The minimum bid is the taxes, interest, penalty and costs due as of the sale date, and the purchase price is that minimum plus any competitive bidding. The winner pays in full immediately after the auction in the exact amount, by personal or business check, cashier's check, money order, or credit or debit card carrying a 4 percent non-refundable processing fee. Cash is refused, and no one is given extra time to travel to a bank.

Sale format and venue
Bidding happens in the room on sale day; Monroe County parcels are not sold by live online bidding. The winner receives a limited warranty deed, which the Commissioner records with the circuit clerk of the county where the land sits and then forwards to the buyer's mailing address. That deed passes only the interest the state held, with no guarantee of usability, accessibility, existence or clear title, and city liens, improvement district taxes and property owners' association fees usually transfer to the new owner. A 90-day litigation period runs from the day the deed issues, and the Commissioner advises against major changes or improvements until it ends. Owners may redeem up to 4:00 p.m. the last business day before the sale, and the Monroe County list already carries cancelled entries beside live ones, so confirm a parcel is still offered before travelling. Sales are final: nothing can be redeemed on the sale date or after it. Any Monroe County parcel that draws no bid reopens 30 days later in the Commissioner's online post auction sale, where the first $100 goes on your card and the balance is due within 10 business days of the close.

Monroe County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Monroe County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use Monroe County parcels, Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands Public Auction Catalog for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.
  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.
  3. Sale day

    The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.
  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. Monroe County runs no tax sale of its own: the Monroe County Collector bills the taxes, advertises the delinquent list and certifies unredeemed parcels to the Commissioner, who publishes the catalog, conducts the auction and issues the deed. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Monroe County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Monroe County parcels, Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands Public Auction Catalog. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.
  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration begins one hour before the auction at the sale site and costs nothing: fill out a numbered bidder registration card, hand it to a Commissioner of State Lands employee and keep the opposite half as your bidder number. Parcels are called in sale number order from the catalog. The minimum bid is the taxes, interest, penalty and costs due as of the sale date, and the purchase price is that minimum plus any competitive bidding. The winner pays in full immediately after the auction in the exact amount, by personal or business check, cashier's check, money order, or credit or debit card carrying a 4 percent non-refundable processing fee. Cash is refused, and no one is given extra time to travel to a bank.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Arkansas due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.
  4. Set a walk-away number

    Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.

Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases

Thirty calendar days after the live auction, every parcel that drew no qualifying bid moves to the Commissioner's online unsold-property auction and stays there until it sells, is redeemed, or is withdrawn. Nothing is priced over a counter: the first online bid starts a 30-calendar-day auction period that closes at 8:00 p.m. Central on the thirtieth day, other registered bidders may outbid during it, and the Commissioner mails the owner and interested parties notice when the first bid arrives. Within two years of the live auction the reserve stays at the taxes, penalty, interest, fees and costs; two years or more after it, the Commissioner may negotiate a price he determines is in the best interest of the state and the local taxing units. Online bidders must pass an identity check as a United States resident and keep a card on file; the winner's card is charged $100 in earnest money immediately and the balance is due in certified funds within 10 business days.

Commissioner of State Lands post-auction sales (search by county)

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter purchases work.

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County offices

Tax sale office

Monroe County Collector

(870) 747-3722

123 Madison Street, Clarendon, AR 72029

Official website

County notes

  • Arkansas counties hold no tax sale of their own. The Monroe County Collector bills and collects, then certifies unredeemed parcels to the Commissioner of State Lands, who publishes the catalog, runs the auction and issues the deed. Call the Commissioner's real estate office at 501-324-9422 or email [email protected] about parcels and sale mechanics, and the Collector at (870) 747-3722 for payoff and redemption figures.
  • Monroe County land is auctioned in Helena alongside Lee and Phillips county parcels, in Phillips County southeast of Clarendon, so allow travel time and arrive an hour early to register.
  • Monroe County keeps no online delinquent list or sale calendar. Once the Collector certifies unredeemed parcels, the Commissioner's Public Auction Catalog is the only authoritative list, and a payoff figure for a specific parcel comes from the Collector's office at 123 Madison Street in Clarendon, (870) 747-3722.
  • Parcels left unsold at the live auction move to the Commissioner's online post auction sale 30 days later, searchable by county, and stay there until they sell, are redeemed or are withdrawn.

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.
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.
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.
Governing statute
Ark. Code Ann. Title 26, Chapter 37

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 →

Frequently asked questions

Does Monroe County, Arkansas sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax deeds. Arkansas sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the Commissioner of State Lands sells the property itself at a public tax sale.

How often does Monroe County hold tax deed sales?

Monroe County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Arkansas's redemption rule: Until 4:00 p.m. Central time on the last business day before the sale date. There is no redemption after the sale. Call the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. Monroe County runs no tax sale of its own: the Monroe County Collector bills the taxes, advertises the delinquent list and certifies unredeemed parcels to the Commissioner, who publishes the catalog, conducts the auction and issues the deed. as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Where can I find the Monroe County tax sale list?

Monroe County posts its tax sale list at cosl.org. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

Verified Aug 22, 2026 against official county and state sources.

Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.

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