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Tax Sale Atlas

Metcalfe County, KY tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Metcalfe County, seat of Edmonton: 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 15, 2026.Tuesday · 2026
Format
In person
County office
270-432-4821
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Metcalfe 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
Metcalfe County Clerk's Office
Frequency
annual
Next sale
Tax sale scheduled for September 15, 2026.
Next expected
between mid July and late August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Delinquent Taxes and Certificate of Delinquency Sale
When it runs
Mid-September, at the Metcalfe County Clerk's office in Edmonton. The clerk states the sale is held "in or around mid September each year" at 9:00 a.m. Central Time, and the 2025 sale was advertised for September 16 at 10:00 a.m. Confirm the exact date and start time with the clerk before registering.
Registration and deposit

Third-party purchasers register directly with the Metcalfe County Clerk on Department of Revenue form 62A374. All registration materials, lists, fees and deposits must be submitted no later than ten calendar days before the sale and must reach the office by close of business on the deadline date; late or incomplete submissions are not accepted. Forms require original signatures and must be mailed or hand delivered to Metcalfe County Clerk, 201 N. Main St. (P.O. Box 25), Edmonton, KY 42129. The clerk does not accept them by email or fax. Registration must include an alphabetical list of the current-year certificates sought showing the tax bill number, taxpayer name, property address or map/parcel number, amount due for each certificate and a total for the list. Fees are $5 registration plus $30 per bill for priority certificates, or $250 registration plus $10 per bill for lists of 25 or more, and a $30 recording fee is added to each bill purchased. Buyers planning to take more than three certificates in Metcalfe County or more than five statewide must also register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue and file a copy of that registration certificate with the clerk. Call 270-432-4821 for the current deposit amount.

Sale format and venue
Metcalfe County sells certificates of delinquency in person at the County Clerk's office, 201 N. Main St. in Edmonton. There is no online bidding platform for this sale. The clerk publishes the list of certificates of delinquency on the office website and advertises it in the Edmonton Herald-News no less than 30 and no more than 45 days before the sale date; the clerk's page says lists are typically available from May 1. Prior-year certificate holders and the taxing districts take their priority certificates ahead of new third-party purchasers, so a buyer should file a separate priority list and a general current-year list with registration. The sale is conducted under KRS 134.128 and KRS 424.330.

Metcalfe County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Metcalfe 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 Taxes and Certificate of Delinquency Sale for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.
  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.
  3. Sale day

    Tax sale scheduled for September 15, 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 Metcalfe County Clerk's Office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Metcalfe County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent Taxes and Certificate of Delinquency Sale. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.
  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Third-party purchasers register directly with the Metcalfe County Clerk on Department of Revenue form 62A374. All registration materials, lists, fees and deposits must be submitted no later than ten calendar days before the sale and must reach the office by close of business on the deadline date; late or incomplete submissions are not accepted. Forms require original signatures and must be mailed or hand delivered to Metcalfe County Clerk, 201 N. Main St. (P.O. Box 25), Edmonton, KY 42129. The clerk does not accept them by email or fax. Registration must include an alphabetical list of the current-year certificates sought showing the tax bill number, taxpayer name, property address or map/parcel number, amount due for each certificate and a total for the list. Fees are $5 registration plus $30 per bill for priority certificates, or $250 registration plus $10 per bill for lists of 25 or more, and a $30 recording fee is added to each bill purchased. Buyers planning to take more than three certificates in Metcalfe County or more than five statewide must also register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue and file a copy of that registration certificate with the clerk. Call 270-432-4821 for the current deposit amount.

  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)

Metcalfe County Clerk's Office

270-432-4821

201 N. Main St., P.O. Box 25, Edmonton, KY 42129

Official website

County notes

  • The County Clerk, not the sheriff, sells and assigns certificates of delinquency in Metcalfe County. The sheriff collects current-year bills and turns the uncollected ones over to the clerk, which is why the sale list first appears in the spring.
  • Bidding happens at the clerk's counter in Edmonton, so a purchaser or an agent has to appear in person on sale day after filing the registration package by mail or by hand.
  • Registration cost depends on volume: $5 plus $30 per bill for priority certificates, or $250 plus $10 per bill for a list of 25 or more. Decide which tier applies before filing, because the lists and fees are submitted together.
  • Clerk office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to noon, and the delinquent list can be inspected in person during those hours.

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 Metcalfe 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 Metcalfe County tax certificate sale?

Mid-September, at the Metcalfe County Clerk's office in Edmonton. The clerk states the sale is held "in or around mid September each year" at 9:00 a.m. Central Time, and the 2025 sale was advertised for September 16 at 10:00 a.m. Confirm the exact date and start time with the clerk before registering. 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 Metcalfe County Clerk's Office 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 Metcalfe County tax sale list?

Metcalfe County posts its tax sale list at metcalfecountyclerk.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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Call Metcalfe County Clerk's Office