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Tax Sale Atlas

Jones County, MS tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Jones County, seat of Laurel, Ellisville: 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
The annual land sale falls on the last Monday in August.
Format
GovEase
County office
601-426-3248 (Laurel collecting department); 601-477-3261 (Ellisville collecting department)
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Jones 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
Jones County Tax Assessor-Collector (Tina Gatlin-Byrd)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
The annual land sale falls on the last Monday in August.
Next expected
on the last Monday in August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Jones County District 1 auction listings on GovEase (sign-in required)
When it runs
The annual land sale falls on the last Monday in August. GovEase lists both Jones Dist 1 and Jones Dist 2 on its roster headed "2026 Mississippi Fall Auctions (All auctions begin August 31st at 8:30 a.m. CDT)", which is the last Monday in August 2026. GovEase's Mississippi overview adds that state sales run "from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. until completed" and resume the next business day if parcels remain. The county's own pages publish no sale date, so confirm the current year's date with the Tax Assessor-Collector.
Registration and deposit

Registration runs online through GovEase, separately for each of the county's two districts. Create or sign in to a GovEase account, open Register/Add Auctions, click Register beside MS - Jones Dist 1 and MS - Jones Dist 2, electronically sign the pre-populated W-9, then e-sign or upload the documents listed on each county's registration page. GovEase states that registration for Mississippi fall counties opens August 3. For both Jones districts GovEase records the county approval requirement as a signed blank check and a bank letter of credit. Jones is not among the Mississippi counties for which GovEase takes online deposits and payments, so settlement runs through the county rather than the platform. Bidding is blocked until the My Registrations page shows the account as approved. GovEase bidder support is [email protected] and 769-208-5050, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm.

Sale format and venue
Jones County runs its land sale online through GovEase, split into two auctions because the county has two judicial districts. Both district auction pages resolve on the GovEase live portal and both districts are named on the vendor's 2026 Mississippi fall roster. The county's own website has no tax sale page: the Tax Assessor-Collector page lists "Tax sales, bankruptcy claims, civil suits, and judgments" among the collecting department's duties but publishes no sale date, no advertised delinquent list, and no link to the platform, so every sale specific here comes from GovEase and should be confirmed with the office before bidding. Investors buy a tax lien, not the property. GovEase describes Mississippi bidding as a premium bid where the highest bid wins over the face value of taxes, interest, fees and penalties, the overbid earns nothing, and redemption interest of 1.5% per month accrues on the face value only across the two-year redemption period. Parcel detail on the auction pages requires a signed-in and approved bidder account, so the list link is useful only after registration.
Register on GovEase
Source: GovEase Help - Participating Counties (2026 Mississippi Fall Auctions roster and start time)· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Jones County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Jones 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 Jones County District 1 auction listings on GovEase (sign-in required) 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

    The annual land sale falls on the last Monday in 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 Jones County Tax Assessor-Collector (Tina Gatlin-Byrd) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Jones County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Jones County District 1 auction listings on GovEase (sign-in required). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration runs online through GovEase, separately for each of the county's two districts. Create or sign in to a GovEase account, open Register/Add Auctions, click Register beside MS - Jones Dist 1 and MS - Jones Dist 2, electronically sign the pre-populated W-9, then e-sign or upload the documents listed on each county's registration page. GovEase states that registration for Mississippi fall counties opens August 3. For both Jones districts GovEase records the county approval requirement as a signed blank check and a bank letter of credit. Jones is not among the Mississippi counties for which GovEase takes online deposits and payments, so settlement runs through the county rather than the platform. Bidding is blocked until the My Registrations page shows the account as approved. GovEase bidder support is [email protected] and 769-208-5050, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm.

  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)

Jones County Tax Assessor-Collector

601-426-3248 (Laurel collecting department); 601-477-3261 (Ellisville collecting department)

Laurel office: 501 North 5th Ave, Laurel, MS 39441 (mailing: Post Office Box 511, Laurel, MS 39441). Ellisville office: 101 North Court Street Suite A, Ellisville, MS 39437 (physical and mailing).

Official website

County notes

  • Jones County has two judicial districts and two courthouse offices, so the sale is split. The Chancery Clerk page places the First Judicial District office in Ellisville and the Second Judicial District office in Laurel, and GovEase runs two separate auctions, MS - Jones Dist 1 and MS - Jones Dist 2. A bidder who wants parcels in both districts registers twice.
  • Chancery Clerk Concetta Brooks collects delinquent real property tax and, per the county page, accepts only cash or official bank checks. First Judicial District: 101 N. Court Street Suite D, Post Office Box 248, Ellisville, MS 39437, phone 601-477-3307, fax 601-477-1240. Second Judicial District: 415 N. 5th Avenue, Post Office Box 1468, Laurel, MS 39441, phone 601-428-0527, fax 601-428-3610.
  • The county FAQ answers "How do I pay my delinquent taxes?" with "At the Chancery Clerk's office via cash, money order, or check." That office is where redemption money goes and where the sale record sits after the Tax Assessor-Collector conducts the sale.
  • Tina Gatlin-Byrd is the Tax Assessor-Collector, email [email protected]. GovEase lists her as the county contact for both districts, at (601) 477-3042 for District 1 and (601) 428-3105 for District 2. The county page shows 601-477-3042 as the Ellisville collecting department fax line, so call the published voice numbers to reach the office.
  • GovEase records the bidder approval requirement for both Jones districts as a signed blank check and a bank letter of credit, and Jones does not appear on the vendor's list of Mississippi counties that accept online deposits and payments. Budget for county-side settlement rather than an online deposit through the platform.
  • The GovEase county identifiers are msjonesdis1 with auction id 1093 for District 1 and jonesdis2 with auction id 1034 for District 2. Both auction pages load, but they show no parcels to a signed-out visitor.
  • Property tax and appraisal lookups run through Delta Computer Systems under the Jones County code MS34. Judgment roll, real property tax, personal property tax and mobile home tax searches are free; the real property appraisal search is a paid subscription at $30 monthly or $330 annually.
  • The county website sits behind a bot-protection challenge that can block automated fetches. The pages load normally in a regular browser.
  • No county-published delinquent or advertised sale list was found online. Mississippi requires newspaper advertisement of the delinquent list, so request the advertised list directly from the Tax Assessor-Collector or check the county's legal-notice newspaper.

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 Jones 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 Jones County tax certificate sale?

The annual land sale falls on the last Monday in August. GovEase lists both Jones Dist 1 and Jones Dist 2 on its roster headed "2026 Mississippi Fall Auctions (All auctions begin August 31st at 8:30 a.m. CDT)", which is the last Monday in August 2026. GovEase's Mississippi overview adds that state sales run "from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. until completed" and resume the next business day if parcels remain. The county's own pages publish no sale date, so confirm the current year's date with the Tax Assessor-Collector. 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 Jones County Tax Assessor-Collector (Tina Gatlin-Byrd) 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 Jones County tax sale list?

Jones 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 Jones County Tax Assessor-CollectorOpen auction