Ballard County, KY tax sales
How tax lien sales work in Ballard County, seat of Wickliffe: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Kentucky tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- between mid July and late August, 2026
- Format
- In person
- Registration
- Two registrations, and both are required.
- County office
- (270) 335-5168
On this page
How Ballard County sells delinquent taxes
From lien to deed
Kentucky holds no county tax deed auction. Title moves only through a lawsuit. The owner of a certificate of delinquency may sue to collect the debt, to enforce the KRS 134.420 lien, or both, at any time after one year has passed from the date the taxes became delinquent, and the action must be brought within eleven years of that date. A third-party purchaser has extra duties first: a notice to the delinquent taxpayer within 50 days of receiving the certificate, that notice repeated every six months, and a further notice to the taxpayer and every mortgagee at least 45 days before filing suit.
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Ballard County Clerk
- Frequency
- annual
- Registration
- Two registrations, and both are required.
- Next expected
- between mid July and late August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Two registrations, and both are required. First, register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue if you plan to buy more than three certificates of delinquency in one county, more than five statewide, or to invest more than $10,000. That is Form 62A370A with a $250 fee, and the Department states an application "needs to be received no later than May 15, 2026, to ensure you will be able to participate in every county's tax sale," followed by a 60 day waiting period before purchases may begin. Second, register directly with the Ballard County Clerk by the deadline the Clerk advertises at least 30 days before the sale. The state thresholds do not apply at the county level, so even a single certificate requires county registration. The Clerk's packet takes the county registration form, a copy of the state certificate of registration where one is required, a list of the priority certificates you intend to acquire, a separate list of current year certificates on which you hold no priority, the registration fees, and deposits of 100% of the value of each priority certificate plus 25% of the total on the non-priority list. County fees run $5 for each certificate on the priority list and $10 for each certificate on the current year list, subject to a $250 yearly maximum.
Sale format and venue
Ballard County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Ballard 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
A county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the office and platform details on this page before relying on a copied list.Register to bid
Sale day
between mid July and late August, 2026 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 Ballard County Clerk as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Ballard County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
The county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the county office contacts below and confirm the advertised parcels directly before you price a bid.Confirm registration and deposit
Two registrations, and both are required. First, register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue if you plan to buy more than three certificates of delinquency in one county, more than five statewide, or to invest more than $10,000. That is Form 62A370A with a $250 fee, and the Department states an application "needs to be received no later than May 15, 2026, to ensure you will be able to participate in every county's tax sale," followed by a 60 day waiting period before purchases may begin. Second, register directly with the Ballard County Clerk by the deadline the Clerk advertises at least 30 days before the sale. The state thresholds do not apply at the county level, so even a single certificate requires county registration. The Clerk's packet takes the county registration form, a copy of the state certificate of registration where one is required, a list of the priority certificates you intend to acquire, a separate list of current year certificates on which you hold no priority, the registration fees, and deposits of 100% of the value of each priority certificate plus 25% of the total on the non-priority list. County fees run $5 for each certificate on the priority list and $10 for each certificate on the current year list, subject to a $250 yearly maximum.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Kentucky 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 certificates
A certificate that goes unpaid at the annual sale may be paid to the county clerk at any time afterward by any person, unless it is under a payment plan with the Department of Revenue or the county attorney or is known to be in litigation. You need a current Department of Revenue certificate of registration if you will hold more than three certificates in this county, more than five statewide, or invest more than 10,000 dollars statewide in the calendar year, and you register with the county clerk and pay the county fee if you have not already done so that year. Separately, 90 days after the sheriff files the tax claims, any person may pay a certificate the taxing jurisdictions still own. Certificates that arrive too late for one year's sale are held for the next one.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
County notes
- The County Clerk is Katie Mercer. The office is in the Ballard County Courthouse at 132 North 4th Street in Wickliffe, and the phone number is (270) 335-5168.
- The Sheriff, not the Clerk, collects current year property taxes. Uncollected bills transfer to the Clerk at the close of business on April 15 and become certificates of delinquency at that point. Ballard County Sheriff Ronnie Giles is at 437 Ohio Street, Wickliffe, (270) 335-3561.
- Certificates become eligible for sale to third party purchasers 90 days after the Clerk receives them from the Sheriff, which is why Kentucky clerk sales cluster in July and August and cannot begin before July 14.
- The county government site carries no tax sale page and no online delinquent list, and links to no separate Clerk website. The certificate roster for Ballard is the newspaper advertisement that runs at least 30 days before the sale, plus the updated list the Clerk provides on or just before sale day. Call the Clerk at (270) 335-5168 for it.
- Prior year certificate holders are allocated their parcels before open selection begins, so the pool actually available to a new purchaser can be much smaller than the advertised delinquent list.
- Most first time buyers miss an August sale on the state clock rather than the county one. The Department of Revenue asks for applications by May 15 to be eligible for every county's sale, and imposes a 60 day waiting period from receipt before purchases may begin, so a summer application will not clear in time for an August 11 sale.
- Certificates that go unsold at the annual sale can be bought from the Clerk at any time afterward, with a $10 per bill registration fee applying until the $250 yearly maximum is reached.
Kentucky rules
- Redemption
- Kentucky's redemption window is a property of where the parcel is in the process, not a single statewide clock, and it runs in four tracks. Track one, and by far the most common, is an outstanding certificate of delinquency: the delinquent taxpayer or anyone holding a legal or equitable estate in the property may pay the third-party purchaser the total amount due at any time, and the purchaser may accept payment from anyone at any time. No statute closes that window, so it stays open until a court forecloses. Track two is a foreclosure sale that brought less than two thirds of the property's appraised value, where the defendant and the defendant's representatives may redeem within six months of the day of sale. Track three is a foreclosure sale that brought two thirds or more of the appraised value, where no right of redemption exists at all; the purchaser takes the property outright. Track four is land the state, county, and taxing districts acquired through a KRS 134.546 action, which the taxpayer may redeem at any time before the commissioner delivers a deed to a purchaser. A third-party purchaser must also offer a monthly installment plan on written request for certificates bought after June 1, 2012, if the purchaser is one who has to register with the department.
- Surplus proceeds
- If nobody bids at the foreclosure sale, the master commissioner deeds the property to the person or persons the record shows own the certificate or certificates of delinquency, each taking a pro rata interest matching the size of their certificate. Where the state, county, or a taxing district ends up owning the land, the commissioner's designated agent may advertise and sell it at public sale after posting notice at the courthouse door for fifteen days and publishing under KRS Chapter 424, the department keeps an administration fee of 15 percent of the sale price, and the balance is paid to the county and taxing districts within thirty days.
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 Ballard County, Kentucky sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Ballard County tax certificate sale?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Verified Aug 23, 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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