McLean County, KY tax sales
How tax lien sales work in McLean County, seat of Calhoun: 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 August 24, 2026.Monday · 2026
- Format
- In person
- County office
- (270) 273-3082
On this page
How McLean 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
- McLean County Clerk
- Frequency
- annual
- Next expected
- between mid July and late August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue first, then file the county packet with the McLean County Clerk. The Clerk's registration form, together with all certificate lists, the registration fee and the deposit, must reach the office at least 10 calendar days before the sale date, and each year's form prints the exact cutoff. Buyers who already hold a prior-year certificate on the same parcel submit a separate list labeled Priority Certificates of Delinquency, with the current bill number, taxpayer name, amount due, the prior certificate's bill number and tax year, its recorded book and page, the parcel number, and a copy of the prior certificate. All other bills go on a second list showing bill number, taxpayer name, amount due and a total. The deposit is the full amount due on every priority certificate plus 25 percent of the amount due on the remaining certificates requested. The registration fee is $5 per priority certificate plus $10 per other certificate, capped at $250 and paid separately from the deposit. Payment is by company check, cash, cashier's or certified check, or credit or debit card with vendor fees, payable to McLean County Clerk. A $30 filing fee per certificate purchased is due after the sale.
Sale format and venue
McLean County tax sale list and auction calendar
For McLean 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
Use McLean current-year delinquent property tax bills (Kentucky DTax portal) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
Tax sale scheduled for August 24, 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 McLean County Clerk as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in McLean County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from McLean current-year delinquent property tax bills (Kentucky DTax portal). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue first, then file the county packet with the McLean County Clerk. The Clerk's registration form, together with all certificate lists, the registration fee and the deposit, must reach the office at least 10 calendar days before the sale date, and each year's form prints the exact cutoff. Buyers who already hold a prior-year certificate on the same parcel submit a separate list labeled Priority Certificates of Delinquency, with the current bill number, taxpayer name, amount due, the prior certificate's bill number and tax year, its recorded book and page, the parcel number, and a copy of the prior certificate. All other bills go on a second list showing bill number, taxpayer name, amount due and a total. The deposit is the full amount due on every priority certificate plus 25 percent of the amount due on the remaining certificates requested. The registration fee is $5 per priority certificate plus $10 per other certificate, capped at $250 and paid separately from the deposit. Payment is by company check, cash, cashier's or certified check, or credit or debit card with vendor fees, payable to McLean County Clerk. A $30 filing fee per certificate purchased is due after the sale.
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)
210 Main St, Calhoun, KY 42327 (mailing: PO Box 57, Calhoun, KY 42327)
Official websiteCounty notes
- The certificate of delinquency sale runs at the McLean County Clerk's office at 210 Main St in Calhoun, at 8:00 a.m. on the scheduled sale day. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Two deadlines govern entry. The state application to the Kentucky Department of Revenue is due by mid-May to be cleared for the July and August sales, and it takes 60 days from receipt for a purchaser to become eligible. The county packet is then due to the McLean County Clerk at least 10 calendar days before the sale.
- State registration with the Department of Revenue is required for anyone buying more than three certificates in one county, more than five statewide, or investing more than $10,000, and carries a $250 state fee separate from the county registration fee.
- Prior-year certificate holders get first claim on the current-year bill for the same parcel, so the certificates actually available to a new bidder are the ones with no outstanding prior-year claim.
- The current-year delinquent bill list for McLean County is published as a PDF on the statewide Kentucky DTax portal, which the Clerk links from its Delinquent Taxes page. Only the property tax list is published for this county; there is no separate oil and gas or unmined coal list.
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 McLean County, Kentucky sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the McLean County tax certificate sale?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the McLean County tax sale list?
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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