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Tax Sale Atlas

Carlisle County, KY tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Carlisle County, seat of Bardwell: 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 separate registrations.
County office
(270) 628-3233
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
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How Carlisle 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)

In person
Run by
Carlisle County Clerk
Frequency
annual
Registration
Two separate registrations.
Next expected
between mid July and late August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Delinquent Property Tax Bill List
When it runs
Mid-August. The Kentucky Department of Revenue's 2026 clerk schedule lists Carlisle County's certificate of delinquency sale on August 13, 2026. Kentucky clerks may not sell earlier than July 14, and the Department describes the statewide pattern this way: "Beginning in mid-July, county clerks offer the certificates of delinquency for sale to third party purchasers. These sales run through the latter part of October with the majority of sales taking place from mid-July through the end of August." Carlisle advertises its exact date and its registration deadline at least 30 days in advance.
Registration and deposit

Two separate registrations. First, register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue if you plan to buy more than three certificates in one county, more than five statewide, or invest more than $10,000. That application carries a $250 fee and a 60 day waiting period before you may begin purchasing, and the certificate it issues expires December 31 of the year it was issued. Second, register directly with the Carlisle County Clerk by the deadline the Clerk advertises at least 30 days before the sale. The county-level registration applies even if you only want a single certificate. The Clerk's packet takes the Clerk's own registration form, a copy of the Department of Revenue certificate where one is required, a list of prior year certificates you hold a priority claim on, a separate list of current year certificates you intend to buy, the registration fees, and deposits of 100 percent on each priority certificate plus 25 percent of the total on the non-priority list. Fees at the sale run $5 per priority certificate and $10 per current year certificate, capped at $250 per year. Call the Clerk at (270) 628-3233 for the current form and the county's advertised deadline.

Sale format and venue
Kentucky sells certificates of delinquency, not deeds. The Sheriff collects current year bills and transfers the uncollected ones to the Clerk at the close of business on April 15, after which payoffs go to the Clerk, and the Clerk may offer them for sale 90 days later. Carlisle runs a live, in person sale with no online bidding platform, so plan to attend or send an agent. Registered bidders report to the Clerk's office on sale day for instructions on where the sale will be held, and the available list is refreshed the night before or the morning of the sale because owners can pay right up to sale time. Prior year certificate holders hold first claim on the current year certificate for the same property, and you forfeit that claim if you do not list it on your registration. Everything left over is allocated by a random drawing taken at the start of the sale, which fixes the selection order for every round. The advertised Carlisle list runs to roughly 110 bills, well under the 500 certificate mark, so certificates are offered in lots of up to five per round. In person at the Carlisle County Clerk's office in Bardwell

Carlisle County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Carlisle 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 Delinquent Property Tax Bill List for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.
  2. Register to bid

    Two separate registrations. Full requirements are in the sale card above.
  3. 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.
  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Carlisle County Clerk as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Carlisle County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent Property Tax Bill List. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.
  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Two separate registrations. First, register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue if you plan to buy more than three certificates in one county, more than five statewide, or invest more than $10,000. That application carries a $250 fee and a 60 day waiting period before you may begin purchasing, and the certificate it issues expires December 31 of the year it was issued. Second, register directly with the Carlisle County Clerk by the deadline the Clerk advertises at least 30 days before the sale. The county-level registration applies even if you only want a single certificate. The Clerk's packet takes the Clerk's own registration form, a copy of the Department of Revenue certificate where one is required, a list of prior year certificates you hold a priority claim on, a separate list of current year certificates you intend to buy, the registration fees, and deposits of 100 percent on each priority certificate plus 25 percent of the total on the non-priority list. Fees at the sale run $5 per priority certificate and $10 per current year certificate, capped at $250 per year. Call the Clerk at (270) 628-3233 for the current form and the county's advertised deadline.

  3. 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.
  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

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)

Carlisle County Clerk

(270) 628-3233

P.O. Box 176, Bardwell, KY 42023

Official website

County notes

  • The Carlisle County Clerk holds one annual sale of certificates of delinquency at the Clerk's office in Bardwell. Kentucky has no separate county tax deed auction, so a purchaser who is not redeemed enforces the certificate lien through foreclosure.
  • The Clerk advertises Carlisle's certificates through the statewide clerk delinquency listing site rather than a county page of its own, and in the local newspaper at least 30 days before the sale. Call the Clerk at (270) 628-3233 for the registration form and the county's advertised deadline.
  • Watch the two-step calendar. Department of Revenue registration carries a 60 day waiting period, so an investor aiming at an August sale needs the state application in by roughly mid-May. County-level registration with the Clerk closes on its own advertised deadline, at least 30 days ahead of the sale.
  • Prior year certificates on Carlisle property can be bought from the Clerk at any time once a purchaser is eligible. Only the current year certificates are restricted to the sale date and after.

Kentucky rules

Max interest rate
12% per year, fixed by statute (nothing is bid)
Minimum return
No statutory floor; every certificate earns the same statutory rate
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.
Governing statute
KRS Chapter 134

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 Kentuckyrules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Carlisle County, Kentucky sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In Kentucky investors buy the lien, not the property; the County Clerk runs the sale.

When is the Carlisle County tax certificate sale?

Mid-August. The Kentucky Department of Revenue's 2026 clerk schedule lists Carlisle County's certificate of delinquency sale on August 13, 2026. Kentucky clerks may not sell earlier than July 14, and the Department describes the statewide pattern this way: "Beginning in mid-July, county clerks offer the certificates of delinquency for sale to third party purchasers. These sales run through the latter part of October with the majority of sales taking place from mid-July through the end of August." Carlisle advertises its exact date and its registration deadline at least 30 days in advance. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Clerk before the sale.

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

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Kentucky's redemption rule: No fixed deadline while the certificate is outstanding. Six months after a judicial sale that brings less than two thirds of the appraised value, and none at all when it brings two thirds or more. Call the Carlisle County Clerk 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 Carlisle County tax sale list?

Carlisle County posts its tax sale list at kydtax.smllc.us. 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 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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