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Tax Sale Atlas

Jefferson County, MS tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Jefferson County, seat of Fayette: 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
Late August.
Format
GovEase
Registration
Bidding runs through GovEase.
County office
601-786-3781
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Jefferson County sells delinquent taxes

From lien to deed

Mississippi holds no separate tax deed auction. The land is sold once, at the tax collector's annual land sale. When the two-year redemption period expires without redemption, the chancery clerk executes a deed of conveyance to the tax-sale purchaser on demand.

Tax certificate sale (lien)

GovEase
Run by
Jefferson County Tax Collector
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Late August.
Registration
Bidding runs through GovEase.
Next expected
on the last Monday in August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Jefferson County listing in the GovEase auction browser
When it runs
Late August. Jefferson County publishes no sale date of its own. The Tax Collector's page states only that the office "must advertise and hold a tax sale once a year for any unpaid taxes on real estate or any special assessments." The statewide schedule comes from the Mississippi Secretary of State's tax-forfeited lands rules: "These 'tax sales' occur annually in each county, beginning on the last Monday of August, and, at the option of the tax collector (infrequently exercised), on the first Monday of April." Confirm the current year's date and start time with the Tax Collector at 601-786-3781.
Registration and deposit

Bidding runs through GovEase. Create an account at govease.com using the Sign Up / Log In link, then register separately for the Jefferson County auction. GovEase tells bidders that an existing account does not have to be recreated but that they "do have to register for county/city auctions each year by completing all required documents": log in, open Register/Add Auctions under My Account, select the county, then electronically sign or upload the documents that auction requires and read its special instructions. A registration must show Approved on the My Registrations page before you can bid. Jefferson County posts no deposit amount and no registration cutoff of its own, so confirm both with the Tax Collector at 601-786-3781 well ahead of the sale.

Sale format and venue
Jefferson County has no dedicated tax sale page. A site search for "tax sale" returns only the Tax Collector's office page, and the county posts no advertised delinquent list, no bidder packet, no deposit terms and no registration deadline online. The platform comes from GovEase itself, which lists MS - Jefferson in its state and county selector, so the annual land sale appears to run online rather than on the courthouse steps. Verify the platform, the parcel list and the payment terms with the Tax Collector before you plan a bid. Redemption is handled by the Chancery Clerk, who holds the sale record: Serena King, 601-786-3021, P.O. Box 145, 1483 Main St., Fayette, MS 39069. Mississippi allows a two-year redemption period, and the Secretary of State's rules note that within thirty days of the expiration of that period each chancery clerk certifies to the Secretary of State a list of all lands "struck off to the state for taxes, which have not been redeemed" under Miss. Code Ann. 27-45-21, after which the parcels become tax-forfeited state land sold through the Public Lands Division.
Register on GovEase
Source: Jefferson County Tax Collector office page· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Jefferson County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Jefferson 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 Jefferson County listing in the GovEase auction browser for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Bidding runs through GovEase. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Late August. Bidding runs on GovEase; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Jefferson County Tax Collector as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Jefferson County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Jefferson County listing in the GovEase auction browser. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidding runs through GovEase. Create an account at govease.com using the Sign Up / Log In link, then register separately for the Jefferson County auction. GovEase tells bidders that an existing account does not have to be recreated but that they "do have to register for county/city auctions each year by completing all required documents": log in, open Register/Add Auctions under My Account, select the county, then electronically sign or upload the documents that auction requires and read its special instructions. A registration must show Approved on the My Registrations page before you can bid. Jefferson County posts no deposit amount and no registration cutoff of its own, so confirm both with the Tax Collector at 601-786-3781 well ahead of the sale.

  3. 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.

  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

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.

Mississippi Secretary of State tax-forfeited land inventory and application

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)

Jefferson County Tax Collector

601-786-3781

1483 Main Street, P.O. Box 357, Fayette, MS 39069

Official website

County notes

  • Tax Collector: Samantha Franklin-Jackson, MAE, at 1483 Main Street, P.O. Box 357, Fayette, MS 39069. Phone 601-786-3781, fax 601-786-3262, email [email protected], open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The same official is listed as Tax Assessor, with the same address, phone and email, so assessment and collection sit with one office here even though the county site gives each duty its own page.
  • Chancery Clerk: Serena King, P.O. Box 145, 1483 Main St., Fayette, MS 39069. Phone 601-786-3021, fax 601-786-6009, with deputy clerks Myrtis Collins and LaShonda Rankin. This is the office that holds the sale record and processes redemption. The clerk's page describes deed and mortgage recording and the property indexes but says nothing about tax sale records or redemption procedure, so redemption amounts have to be requested by phone.
  • The county lists an automated phone system at 866-558-0478 for paying taxes and buying auto license plates. It is a payment line for current taxes, not a bidder or redemption line.
  • No Jefferson County page confirms a sale date, a bidder deposit, an auction platform or an advertised delinquent list, so the timing shown rests on the statewide last-Monday-in-August rule rather than a county notice, and the platform rests on the county appearing in GovEase's own auction selector. Treat both as items to reconfirm with the Tax Collector each year.
  • The county's jeffersoncountyms.gov domain redirects to the live site at www.jeffersoncountyms.com, which is where every office page lives. Office email addresses still use the .gov domain.

Mississippi rules

Max interest rate
18% per year, set by statute (bidding is on price)
Minimum return
1.5% floor at redemption
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.
Governing statute
Miss. Code Ann. Title 27, Chapter 41

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 Mississippirules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Jefferson County, Mississippi sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In Mississippi investors buy the lien, not the property; the County Tax Collector runs the sale.

When is the Jefferson County tax certificate sale?

Late August. Jefferson County publishes no sale date of its own. The Tax Collector's page states only that the office "must advertise and hold a tax sale once a year for any unpaid taxes on real estate or any special assessments." The statewide schedule comes from the Mississippi Secretary of State's tax-forfeited lands rules: "These 'tax sales' occur annually in each county, beginning on the last Monday of August, and, at the option of the tax collector (infrequently exercised), on the first Monday of April." Confirm the current year's date and start time with the Tax Collector at 601-786-3781. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the County Tax Collector 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. Mississippi's redemption rule: 2 years from the day of the tax sale. Call the Jefferson County Tax Collector 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 Jefferson County tax sale list?

Jefferson County posts its tax sale list at liveauctions.govease.com. 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 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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Mississippi tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Jefferson County Tax CollectorOpen auction