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Tax Sale Atlas

Floyd County, KY tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Floyd County, seat of Prestonsburg: 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 17, 2026.Thursday · 2026
Format
In person
Registration
Two registrations are required.
County office
(606) 886-3816
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Floyd 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
Floyd County Clerk
Frequency
annual
Next sale
Tax sale scheduled for September 17, 2026.
Registration
Two registrations are required.
Next expected
between mid July and late August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Kentucky third party purchaser registration and clerk sale dates
When it runs
September 17, 2026. Kentucky's statewide clerk schedule lists Floyd County's sale as 9/17/26. The county holds one certificate of delinquency sale each year, and the Clerk must advertise the date at least 30 days in advance.
Registration and deposit

Two registrations are required. Register first 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, purchases cannot begin until 60 days after the Department receives it, and the Department set May 15, 2026 as the deadline to be eligible for the sales that open in mid-July. Then register with the Floyd County Clerk by the advertised county deadline, which applies no matter how few certificates you want. The Clerk requires its own registration form, a copy of the state certificate of registration, a list of the priority certificates you intend to acquire with a deposit of 100 percent of their value, a separate list of current-year certificates with a 25 percent deposit, and registration fees of $5 per priority certificate and $10 per current-year certificate up to a $250 annual maximum. Call (606) 886-3816 for the county form and the exact cutoff.

Sale format and venue
Floyd County sells certificates of delinquency in person at the County Clerk's office in Prestonsburg, not through an online auction platform. The Sheriff collects current-year bills and transfers the uncollected ones to the Clerk at the close of business on April 15, when they become certificates of delinquency and a lien against the property. On sale day, registered purchasers report to the Clerk's office to be told where the sale is held. Priority claims from prior-year certificate holders are filled first, then the remaining certificates are offered in rounds, with the selection order set by a random drawing at the start and re-used each round. A purchaser may only take certificates from the list filed at registration, and the number of certificates per lot each round is capped by the size of the county's certificate pool, which limits how much any one buyer can accumulate. The Clerk publishes no online certificate list, so request the list and the county registration form from the office and watch the local newspaper for the advertisement that runs at least 30 days before the sale.

Floyd County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Floyd 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 Kentucky third party purchaser registration and clerk sale dates for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.
  2. Register to bid

    Two registrations are required. Full requirements are in the sale card above.
  3. Sale day

    Tax sale scheduled for September 17, 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 Floyd County Clerk as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Floyd County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Kentucky third party purchaser registration and clerk sale dates. 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. Register first 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, purchases cannot begin until 60 days after the Department receives it, and the Department set May 15, 2026 as the deadline to be eligible for the sales that open in mid-July. Then register with the Floyd County Clerk by the advertised county deadline, which applies no matter how few certificates you want. The Clerk requires its own registration form, a copy of the state certificate of registration, a list of the priority certificates you intend to acquire with a deposit of 100 percent of their value, a separate list of current-year certificates with a 25 percent deposit, and registration fees of $5 per priority certificate and $10 per current-year certificate up to a $250 annual maximum. Call (606) 886-3816 for the county form 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)

Floyd County Clerk

(606) 886-3816

149 South Central Avenue, Prestonsburg, KY 41653

County notes

  • The 2026 certificate of delinquency sale is scheduled for September 17, 2026, later than most Kentucky counties, whose sales run from mid-July through late August.
  • There is no online bidding. Registered purchasers appear at the Clerk's office in Prestonsburg on sale day and select certificates in rounds, in an order drawn at random.
  • A holder of a prior-year certificate on the same parcel has first claim on the current year's certificate, so a newcomer selects from what remains after those priority claims are filled.
  • The Clerk's office is the source for the certificate list and the county registration form, and the sale is also advertised in the local newspaper at least 30 days ahead.

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 Floyd 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 Floyd County tax certificate sale?

September 17, 2026. Kentucky's statewide clerk schedule lists Floyd County's sale as 9/17/26. The county holds one certificate of delinquency sale each year, and the Clerk must advertise the date 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 Floyd 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 Floyd County tax sale list?

Floyd County posts its tax sale list at revenue.ky.gov. 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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