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Tax Sale Atlas

Lee County, MS tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Lee County, seat of Tupelo: 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
Annually on the last Monday in August.
Format
GovEase
Registration
Bidders register online through GovEase.
County office
(662) 432-2200
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 7, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Lee 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
Lee County Tax Collector
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Annually on the last Monday in August.
Registration
Bidders register online through GovEase.
Next expected
on the last Monday in August, 2026 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Lee County delinquent tax list (Tax Collector)
When it runs
Annually on the last Monday in August. The Tax Collector's tax sale page states the sale is "always the last Monday in August, beginning promptly at 9:00 a.m." and that it "usually takes between 3 and 5 days to complete."
Registration and deposit

Bidders register online through GovEase. The Tax Collector's page states "Registration for the online Tax Sale starts August 1st" and that bidders may contact the office at (662) 432-2200 for instructions on how to register and how to submit payment, or register online at GovEase. GovEase runs bidder registration and login at liveauctions.govease.com, where Lee County appears in its Mississippi county list.

Sale format and venue
The sale is conducted online. The Tax Collector states plainly: "The Tax Sale is conducted online at www.govease.com." Bidding opens at the delinquent taxes plus penalty. The county describes a large sale, roughly 3,000 parcels with substantial overbidding and more than 100 bidders. The office warns that overbids earn no interest and are not returned to the purchaser when the parcel is redeemed, so an aggressive overbid can lose money on an early redemption. On redemption the purchaser receives the base taxes and penalty, excluding the overbid, plus 1.5 percent interest. The office does not publish its own sale list: "No lists of property to be sold will be provided by this office. There will be a list available on the Govease website." Delinquent parcels are also advertised in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal once a week for two consecutive weeks after August 5. The Tax Collector's own delinquency page notes the current year list is still being added. Redemption and payback to tax sale purchasers run through the Lee County Chancery Clerk at (662) 432-2100 over the two year redemption period, after which the purchaser may apply to the Chancery Clerk for a tax deed. Parcels that draw no bidder are struck off to the state and appear on the Mississippi Secretary of State tax-forfeited land search. One inconsistency to confirm with the office: the same Tax Collector page gives the start time as 8:30 a.m. in its opening paragraph and 9:00 a.m. in the tax sale detail section.
Register on GovEase
Source: Lee County Tax Sales - Lee County Tax Collector· Verified Aug 7, 2026

Lee County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Lee 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 Lee County delinquent tax list (Tax Collector) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Bidders register online through GovEase. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Annually 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 Lee County Tax Collector as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Lee County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Lee County delinquent tax list (Tax Collector). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidders register online through GovEase. The Tax Collector's page states "Registration for the online Tax Sale starts August 1st" and that bidders may contact the office at (662) 432-2200 for instructions on how to register and how to submit payment, or register online at GovEase. GovEase runs bidder registration and login at liveauctions.govease.com, where Lee County appears in its Mississippi county list.

  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)

Lee County Tax Collector

(662) 432-2200

201 W Jefferson St, Suite B, Tupelo, MS 38804. Mailing address: PO Box 271, Tupelo, MS 38802.

Official website

County notes

  • Lee County's Tax Collector runs the annual land sale online through GovEase, not as a live courthouse auction. The Tax Collector's page says directly that the sale is conducted online at govease.com, and Lee County appears among the Mississippi counties in the GovEase live auction site's county list.
  • Registration opens August 1 for a sale held on the last Monday in August, so the window between registration and bidding is short. Investors should register and fund before the first week of August.
  • Bidding starts at the taxes plus penalty. Lee County reports heavy competition, around 3,000 parcels and more than 100 bidders, with substantial overbidding.
  • Overbid economics matter here. The Tax Collector states the overbid earns no interest and is not returned when the owner redeems, so premium paid above taxes and penalty is at risk on any early redemption.
  • The Tax Collector publishes no sale list of its own and points bidders to the GovEase list. Delinquent parcels are also advertised in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal weekly for two consecutive weeks after August 5.
  • Redemption is handled by the Lee County Chancery Clerk, Bill Benson, at (662) 432-2100, 300 W Main St, Tupelo, MS 38804, mailing PO Box 7127, Tupelo, MS 38802. The Chancery Clerk sends registered notice to owners and recorded lienholders during the two year redemption period and issues the tax deed afterward. A parcel-level redemption lookup for Lee County is hosted on Delta Computer Systems.
  • Parcels not sold at the auction are struck off to the state and listed on the Mississippi Secretary of State tax-forfeited land search. The Tax Collector notes this is now rare in Lee County because bidder demand absorbs the offering.
  • The Tax Collector's office is at 201 W Jefferson St, Suite B, Tupelo, and is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.

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 Lee 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 Lee County tax certificate sale?

Annually on the last Monday in August. The Tax Collector's tax sale page states the sale is "always the last Monday in August, beginning promptly at 9:00 a.m." and that it "usually takes between 3 and 5 days to complete." 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 Lee 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 Lee County tax sale list?

Lee County posts its tax sale list at leecotaxcollector.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 Lee County Tax CollectorOpen auction