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Tax Sale Atlas

Clinton County, KY tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Clinton County, seat of Albany: 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
Tax sale scheduled for September 8, 2026.Tuesday · 2026
Format
In person
Registration
Two registrations are required, and they run on different clocks.
County office
606-387-5943
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Clinton 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
Clinton County Clerk
Frequency
annual
Next sale
Tax sale scheduled for September 8, 2026.
Registration
Two registrations are required, and they run on different clocks.
Next expected
between mid July and late August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Clinton County Clerk advertised delinquent tax bills
When it runs
The Kentucky Department of Revenue's 2026 statewide calendar, titled "COUNTY CLERK DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX SALE DATES 2026", lists Clinton at "9/8/26", meaning Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Clinton holds one certificate sale a year. The Department describes the statewide window 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." Clinton falls in September because counties that also advertise oil and gas certificates may schedule up to 195 days after the sheriff turns the bills over. Confirm the hour and the room with the Clerk before travelling.
Registration and deposit

Two registrations are required, and they run on different clocks. Register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue first if you plan to buy more than three certificates in one county, more than five statewide, or invest more than $10,000 in a calendar year. That application is Form 62A370A, carries a $250 fee payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer, and no purchases may begin until 60 days after the Department receives it. The Department asks for applications by May 15 so a purchaser clears every sale that opens in mid-July. Then register with the Clinton County Clerk. The purchase thresholds do not apply at the county level, so even a bidder buying a single certificate must register, and Kentucky requires all participants to register with the clerk at least one week before the sale. 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 claim, a separate list of current-year certificates on which you hold no priority, the county registration fees, and the deposits: 100 percent of the value of each priority certificate and 25 percent of the total on the non-priority list. County registration fees run $5 for each priority certificate and $10 for each current-year certificate, capped at $250 per county per year. Call the Clerk at 606-387-5943 for the county form, the accepted forms of payment, and the exact cutoff.

Sale format and venue
Clinton sells certificates of delinquency, which are tax liens against the property rather than deeds, so a purchase conveys no title and no possession. The sale is conducted in person by the Clinton County Clerk with no online bidding platform: registered purchasers report to the Clerk's office at 100 South Cross Street in Albany on sale day for instructions on where the sale is held. The Clinton County Sheriff collects the current-year bills and turns the uncollected ones over to the Clerk at the close of business on April 15, and the Clerk may sell them 90 days later. Prior-year certificate holders claim their parcels first through a priority list, and the taxing districts also rank ahead of third-party purchasers, so what reaches open selection is the remainder. Those remaining certificates are sold in lots, with the selection order set by a random drawing at the start of the sale; a registered purchaser who arrives after the drawing is placed at the bottom of the order. Clinton advertises a separate oil and gas certificate list alongside its standard list. Taxpayers can pay right up to sale time, so the pool shrinks: ask the Clerk for the updated list the morning of the sale.

Clinton County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Clinton 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 Clinton County Clerk advertised delinquent tax bills for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.
  2. Register to bid

    Two registrations are required, and they run on different clocks. Full requirements are in the sale card above.
  3. Sale day

    Tax sale scheduled for September 8, 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 Clinton County Clerk as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Clinton County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Clinton County Clerk advertised delinquent tax bills. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.
  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Two registrations are required, and they run on different clocks. Register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue first if you plan to buy more than three certificates in one county, more than five statewide, or invest more than $10,000 in a calendar year. That application is Form 62A370A, carries a $250 fee payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer, and no purchases may begin until 60 days after the Department receives it. The Department asks for applications by May 15 so a purchaser clears every sale that opens in mid-July. Then register with the Clinton County Clerk. The purchase thresholds do not apply at the county level, so even a bidder buying a single certificate must register, and Kentucky requires all participants to register with the clerk at least one week before the sale. 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 claim, a separate list of current-year certificates on which you hold no priority, the county registration fees, and the deposits: 100 percent of the value of each priority certificate and 25 percent of the total on the non-priority list. County registration fees run $5 for each priority certificate and $10 for each current-year certificate, capped at $250 per county per year. Call the Clerk at 606-387-5943 for the county form, the accepted forms of payment, and the exact cutoff.

  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)

Clinton County Clerk

606-387-5943

100 South Cross Street, Suite 103, Albany, KY 42602

Official website

County notes

  • The county clerk is Nathan Collins.
  • Clerk's office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., plus the first and third Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
  • The Clerk publishes the advertised delinquent bill list through American Land Records, with separate tabs for standard bills and for oil and gas bills. Each row shows the bill number, owner, amount due, map or parcel number and a short property description.
  • Kentucky requires the Clerk to publish the sale notice between 30 and 45 days before the sale date, listing every certificate by owner and parcel along with the date, time and location, so the newspaper advertisement is the firmest confirmation of the sale hour and venue.
  • The Department of Revenue publishes the statewide sale calendar and the roster of registered third-party purchasers, so check both before committing funds to a Clinton sale.
  • A third-party purchaser is capped at what it may buy in one county, and related entities may not register separately to work around the selection rules.

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 Clinton 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 Clinton County tax certificate sale?

The Kentucky Department of Revenue's 2026 statewide calendar, titled "COUNTY CLERK DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX SALE DATES 2026", lists Clinton at "9/8/26", meaning Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Clinton holds one certificate sale a year. The Department describes the statewide window 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." Clinton falls in September because counties that also advertise oil and gas certificates may schedule up to 195 days after the sheriff turns the bills over. Confirm the hour and the room with the Clerk before travelling. 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County tax sale list?

Clinton County posts its tax sale list at americanlandrecords.com. 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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