Guide
Over-the-Counter Tax Liens (and Leftover Deeds)
Certificates and parcels nobody bought at auction, bought straight from the county with no bidding war. How OTC tax liens and lands-available lists work.
By Evan Reid, Founder of Tax Sale Atlas · Updated Jul 4, 2026 · 3 min read
Not every certificate sells at auction, and not every parcel sells at a tax deed sale. What is left over does not disappear. It becomes available to buy directly from the county, without competing against other bidders. This is the over-the-counter (OTC) market, and it is one of the least understood corners of tax sale investing.
Over-the-counter certificates
When no investor bids on a tax certificate at the annual sale, it is struck to the county. In Florida these are called county-held certificates, and they carry the full statutory maximum of 18 percent. After the sale, any buyer can purchase them over the counter.
The appeal is obvious: no bidding war, and you get the top rate instead of a rate someone bid down to 2 percent. In Florida you buy county-held certificates at face value plus 1.5 percent per month (which is the same as the full 18 percent per year) plus a small fee, and the two-year clock toward a tax deed still runs from the original issuance date.
Leftover deeds: lands available for taxes
The deed side has its own leftover list. When a parcel gets no bid at a tax deed sale, it does not vanish; it goes onto a lands available list.
In Florida, an unsold parcel lands on the Clerk's Lands Available for Taxes list. The county has a first-purchase right for 90 days. After that, any buyer can purchase the parcel directly from the Clerk. If nobody buys it, the parcel escheats to the county three years after it was first offered.
Buying from the lands-available list means you acquire the property outright at a fixed price rather than bidding. Again, the parcels are there because nobody wanted them at auction, so due diligence is everything.
How to find OTC inventory
Each county publishes its own lists, usually on the Tax Collector site (for county-held certificates) and the Clerk site (for lands available). The formats vary: a spreadsheet download, a searchable portal, or a PDF. Every county page on this site points to where those lists live for that county. Start on the Florida tax sales hub and open a county to find its OTC links.
Is OTC right for you?
OTC suits patient investors who would rather research quietly than compete in a live auction, and who understand that the discount comes with a reason. If you want the maximum certificate rate without bidding, county-held certificates are worth a look, especially held in a self-directed IRA. If you want to acquire land outright at a fixed price, the lands-available list is the deed-side equivalent. Either way, the parcel research is the job.
Frequently asked questions
- What are over-the-counter tax liens?
- They are tax lien certificates that did not sell at the county's auction and were struck to the county. Afterward, any buyer can purchase them directly from the county at the maximum statutory interest rate, with no competitive bidding. In Florida these are called county-held certificates and they carry the full 18 percent.
- Are OTC tax liens a good deal?
- They can be, because you skip the bidding war and often get the maximum rate. The tradeoff is that they went unsold for a reason, so the underlying parcels are frequently low-value or problematic. The same due diligence applies, maybe more.
- What is a lands available for taxes list?
- It is the list of properties that got no bid at a tax deed sale. In Florida, an unsold parcel goes on the Clerk's Lands Available for Taxes list; the county has a first-purchase right for 90 days, and after that any buyer can purchase it directly from the Clerk.
Keep reading
Buying Tax Liens in a Self-Directed IRA
How to hold tax lien certificates in a self-directed IRA so interest grows tax-advantaged, plus the prohibited-transaction rules that trip people up.
Read guideHow to Find Tax Sale Property Lists
Where to find tax sale and delinquent property lists: free official county sources first, how to read them, and when a paid data tool is worth it.
Read guideTax Lien vs Tax Deed: What You're Actually Buying
A tax lien earns you interest; a tax deed can hand you the property. Here is the core difference, how each sale works, and which one fits your goal.
Read guideTax 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.