Sebastian County, AR tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Sebastian County, seat of Fort Smith: 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
- County site
- County office
- 479-783-4163
On this page
How Sebastian County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands, which auctions every tax-delinquent Sebastian County parcel; the county itself holds no tax sale, and the county collector's role ends when unredeemed parcels are certified to the state
- Frequency
- annual
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Registration is free and opens at the auction room one hour before the 10:00 a.m. start; no pre-qualification or deposit is required to raise a paddle. Full payment is due at the time of sale, and "Buyers may pay by personal or business check, credit or debit card, or cashier's check or money order." Card processing fees are not refundable if a sale is later cancelled. For parcels that reach the online post-auction sale, open an account at auction.cosl.org, bid from the map or list view, and expect "The first $100 for each parcel you purchase will be charged to your registered credit or debit card" with the balance due in full within 10 days of the auction's close.
Sale format and venue
Sebastian County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Sebastian 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.
Get the advertised list
Use Sebastian County auction catalog and results for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
Bidding runs on County site; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands, which auctions every tax-delinquent Sebastian County parcel; the county itself holds no tax sale, and the county collector's role ends when unredeemed parcels are certified to the state as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Sebastian County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Sebastian County auction catalog and results. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Registration is free and opens at the auction room one hour before the 10:00 a.m. start; no pre-qualification or deposit is required to raise a paddle. Full payment is due at the time of sale, and "Buyers may pay by personal or business check, credit or debit card, or cashier's check or money order." Card processing fees are not refundable if a sale is later cancelled. For parcels that reach the online post-auction sale, open an account at auction.cosl.org, bid from the map or list view, and expect "The first $100 for each parcel you purchase will be charged to your registered credit or debit card" with the balance due in full within 10 days of the auction's close.
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.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
unsold properties
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.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter purchases work.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax sale office
Sebastian County Treasurer and Collector
35 S 6th, Room 105, Fort Smith, AR 72901; mailing address PO Box 1358, Fort Smith, AR 72902
Official websiteCounty notes
- Sebastian County certifies unredeemed parcels to the Commissioner of State Lands, which conducts the auction; the collector bills, penalizes and advertises but never sells the land.
- The collector states that "Before December 1st of each year, the collector of taxes shall prepare a list of delinquent personal property and real estate taxes and deliver a copy of the list to a legal newspaper in the county." That published list is the earliest warning of parcels heading toward a state auction.
- Three collector counters serve the county: the Fort Smith courthouse at 35 S 6th, Room 105; the Greenwood courthouse at 301 E Center St, Room 112; and the Phoenix Avenue East Revenue Office at 6515 Phoenix Avenue, Fort Smith. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
- Once a parcel is certified, redemption is handled by the Commissioner of State Lands rather than the county collector, and it closes at 4 p.m. the last business day before the sale date.
- Parcel-level catalog and post-sale results for Sebastian County are published per county by the Commissioner of State Lands, with mapping and parcel research through the DataScoutPro links on that catalog page.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sebastian County, Arkansas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Sebastian County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Sebastian County tax sale list?
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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