Van Buren County, AR tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Van Buren County, seat of Clinton: 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
- Registration
- Registration opens one hour before the auction at the sale site and costs nothing.
- County office
- (501) 745-8550
On this page
How Van Buren County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. The Van Buren County Collector bills the taxes and certifies unredeemed real estate to the state office, which conducts the auction and issues the deed. Van Buren County holds no tax sale of its own.
- Frequency
- annual
- Registration
- Registration opens one hour before the auction at the sale site and costs nothing.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Registration opens 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 matching half as your bidder number. Parcels are called in sale number order from the catalog, and the minimum bid is the taxes, interest, penalty and costs due as of the sale date, with the total purchase price being that minimum plus any competitive bidding. Winners pay in full immediately after the auction by personal or business check, cashier's check, money order, or credit or debit card, with a 4% non-refundable card processing fee. Cash is not accepted and no one is given extra time to reach a bank, so bring payment ready in the exact amount.
Sale format and venue
Van Buren County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Van Buren 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 Commissioner of State Lands Public Auction Catalog, Van Buren County entry for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
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.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. The Van Buren County Collector bills the taxes and certifies unredeemed real estate to the state office, which conducts the auction and issues the deed. Van Buren County holds no tax sale of its own. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Van Buren County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Commissioner of State Lands Public Auction Catalog, Van Buren County entry. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Registration opens 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 matching half as your bidder number. Parcels are called in sale number order from the catalog, and the minimum bid is the taxes, interest, penalty and costs due as of the sale date, with the total purchase price being that minimum plus any competitive bidding. Winners pay in full immediately after the auction by personal or business check, cashier's check, money order, or credit or debit card, with a 4% non-refundable card processing fee. Cash is not accepted and no one is given extra time to reach a bank, so bring payment ready in the exact amount.
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
County notes
- Van Buren County does not run its own tax sale. The County Collector in Clinton bills the taxes and certifies unredeemed real estate to the Commissioner of State Lands, which sells the deed.
- Van Buren County parcels are auctioned in a regional block with Cleburne and Faulkner counties at the Conway Expo and Event Center in Conway, not at the Van Buren County courthouse in Clinton.
- The Commissioner of State Lands publishes the Van Buren County parcel list in the online Public Auction Catalog and updates it daily, so pull a fresh copy the morning of the sale.
- Reach the Van Buren County Collector at 501-745-8550 or by mail at PO Box 359, 1414 Highway 65 South, Suite 118, Clinton, AR 72031 for delinquent tax amounts on the county side.
- The Commissioner of State Lands answers bidder questions at 501-324-9422 or [email protected], and its real estate office is at 7003 Valley Ranch Drive, Little Rock, AR 72223.
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 Van Buren County, Arkansas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Van Buren County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Van Buren 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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