Mercer County, KY tax sales
How tax lien sales work in Mercer County, seat of Harrodsburg: 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 26, 2026.Wednesday · 2026
- Format
- In person
- County office
- (859) 734-6312
On this page
How Mercer 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
- Mercer County Clerk
- Frequency
- annual
- Next expected
- between mid July and late August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
- Sale list
- Delinquent Tax Bill Listings
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Register with the clerk and, for most investors, separately with the Kentucky Department of Revenue. State registration is required if you plan to buy more than three certificates in one county, more than five statewide, or invest more than $10,000; eligibility begins 60 days after the Department receives the application, so file by May 15 to clear every county sale, with a $250 fee payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer. At the county level, give the clerk the purchaser's name, physical and P.O. Box mailing address, telephone number and a contact person's name, and sign an affidavit that you are not related to or affiliated with any other participant. County registration costs $10.00 per certificate, or $5.00 per certificate for a prior year match, capped at $250.00, paid by a separate certified or company check. Third party purchasers holding a prior year certificate on the same property file that list by August 12 with a copy of the prior certificate and a certified or company check for the full purchase amount plus $30.00 per certificate filed. All other purchasers file their wanted list by August 17 with a certified or company check for 25% of the total plus $30.00 per certificate filed.
Sale format and venue
Mercer County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Mercer 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 Delinquent Tax Bill Listings 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 26, 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 Mercer County Clerk as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Mercer County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent Tax Bill Listings. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Register with the clerk and, for most investors, separately with the Kentucky Department of Revenue. State registration is required if you plan to buy more than three certificates in one county, more than five statewide, or invest more than $10,000; eligibility begins 60 days after the Department receives the application, so file by May 15 to clear every county sale, with a $250 fee payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer. At the county level, give the clerk the purchaser's name, physical and P.O. Box mailing address, telephone number and a contact person's name, and sign an affidavit that you are not related to or affiliated with any other participant. County registration costs $10.00 per certificate, or $5.00 per certificate for a prior year match, capped at $250.00, paid by a separate certified or company check. Third party purchasers holding a prior year certificate on the same property file that list by August 12 with a copy of the prior certificate and a certified or company check for the full purchase amount plus $30.00 per certificate filed. All other purchasers file their wanted list by August 17 with a certified or company check for 25% of the total plus $30.00 per certificate filed.
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
- Chris Horn is the Mercer County Clerk. Direct questions about the annual sale to Robin Freeman or Chris Horn at (859) 734-6312. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the delinquent list is available for public inspection there.
- Kentucky sells certificates of delinquency, not deeds. The Mercer County Sheriff collects current year bills and turns the uncollected ones over to the clerk at the close of business on April 15, when they become certificates of delinquency and a lien against the property. A 10% county clerk fee and a 20% county attorney fee are added, and interest accrues at 1% per month.
- Mercer County's list is posted alongside the other Kentucky counties on the Software Management delinquent tax listing page, and the newspaper of record for the advertisement is the Harrodsburg Herald.
- The Department of Revenue's statewide county clerk sale calendar shows Mercer at August 26, 2026, matching the clerk's own advertisement.
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 Mercer County, Kentucky sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Mercer County tax certificate sale?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Mercer 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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