Hancock County, MS tax sales
How tax lien sales work in Hancock County, seat of Bay St. Louis: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Mississippi tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- on the last Monday in August, 2026
- Format
- GovEase
- County office
- 228-467-4425
On this page
How Hancock County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Hancock County Tax Assessor/Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Next expected
- on the last Monday in August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
When it runs
Registration and deposit
The sale is conducted online, so bidders register on GovEase rather than at the courthouse. The county page directs investors to visit the GovEase website to create an account. Create a bidder profile at liveauctions.govease.com/Bidder/UserProfile, then choose the MS - Hancock auction from the state and county list on the live auction portal. The county's own flyer opened registration about four weeks before the sale and pointed bidders to GovEase training at govease.com/bidderhelp, with GovEase support at [email protected] and (769) 208-5050 extension 2. Confirm the current year's registration cutoff and any deposit with the Tax Assessor/Collector at 228-467-4425 before the sale.
Sale format and venue
Hancock County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Hancock 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 GovEase auction portal, MS - Hancock parcel list (bidder account required) 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
on the last Monday in August, 2026 Bidding runs on GovEase; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Hancock County Tax Assessor/Collector as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Hancock County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from GovEase auction portal, MS - Hancock parcel list (bidder account required). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
The sale is conducted online, so bidders register on GovEase rather than at the courthouse. The county page directs investors to visit the GovEase website to create an account. Create a bidder profile at liveauctions.govease.com/Bidder/UserProfile, then choose the MS - Hancock auction from the state and county list on the live auction portal. The county's own flyer opened registration about four weeks before the sale and pointed bidders to GovEase training at govease.com/bidderhelp, with GovEase support at [email protected] and (769) 208-5050 extension 2. Confirm the current year's registration cutoff and any deposit with the Tax Assessor/Collector at 228-467-4425 before the sale.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Mississippi 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
Mississippi counties do not keep an over-the-counter list. A tract that draws no bid is struck off to the state, and if it is still unredeemed after two years the chancery clerk certifies it to the Secretary of State. Any person may then apply in writing to the Secretary of State's Public Lands Division to buy the parcel, and the office may also sell state-forfeited land by sealed bid after three weeks of newspaper advertisement, or by online auction.
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
- Hancock County runs its annual land sale online through GovEase, and the county page fixes the start at 8:30 am on the last Monday in August each year.
- The county posts no delinquent land list on its own website. The parcel list appears inside the GovEase auction once a bidder account is approved, so register early enough to review parcels before bidding opens.
- Two offices split the work. The Tax Assessor/Collector, headed by Jimmie Ladner, Jr., runs the August sale from P.O. Box 2428, Bay St. Louis, with a public counter at 854 Highway 90 Suite C and a satellite office at 18335 Highway 603 in Kiln. The Chancery Clerk, Tiffany Lee Cowman, at 854 Highway 90 Suite B, 228-467-5404, holds the sale record and processes redemptions.
- Redemption payments run through the Chancery Clerk portal at hancock.ibcpayments.com. That portal warns that it shows redemption amounts for only the two most recent tax sale years and that earlier sales may have already matured to the prior purchaser.
- The Tax Assessor/Collector page mixes the standing sale rule with older seasonal notices, so call 228-467-4425 to confirm the current year's registration window, start time and any deposit before bidding.
Mississippi rules
- Redemption
- Miss. Code Ann. 27-43-1 requires the chancery clerk to issue notice to the record owner within 180 days and not less than 60 days before the redemption period expires. Miss. Code Ann. 27-43-3 then requires the sheriff or a constable to serve a resident owner, the clerk to mail the notice by registered or certified mail, and the owner's name and the legal description to be published in a county newspaper at least 45 days before the period ends. Recorded lienors get their own notice. If the clerk inadvertently fails to send the notice, the sale is void. The clerk's fees for that work are taxed against the owner on redemption and against the purchaser if the land is not redeemed.
- Surplus proceeds
- Any amount bid above the taxes and costs is reported to the chancery clerk and paid into the county treasury. If the land is redeemed, or the purchaser's title is defeated or set aside, the county keeps the excess. If the land is not redeemed, the former owner may request the excess after the redemption period ends, and the county keeps it if no request comes within two years.
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 Hancock County, Mississippi sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Hancock County tax certificate sale?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Hancock County tax sale list?
Verified Aug 7, 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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