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Tax Sale Atlas

Dunklin County, MO tax sales

How tax lien and tax deed sales work in Dunklin County, seat of Kennett: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Missouri tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
There is no separate deed auction.
Format
In person
County office
(573) 888-2180
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 22, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Dunklin County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Dunklin County Collector
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
The collector states the sale "occurs on the 4th Monday in August of every year," and the posted sale notice sets bidding to begin at ten o'clock a.m.
Sale list
Delinquent Tax Sale Notice
Registration and deposit

Bidders register at the Collector's office in Room 203 of the Dunklin County Courthouse in Kennett and must hold an assigned bidding number before they can bid. The notice limits bidding to Missouri residents, so an out of state buyer bids through an appointed Missouri agent. Call (573) 888-2180 for the current year's registration paperwork.

Sale format and venue
Bidding is live oral bidding at or near the courthouse in Kennett, and the collector offers no online auction platform. Each parcel opens at the delinquent taxes, interest, penalty and costs, and the high bidder receives a certificate of purchase rather than immediate title. The sale notice states a redemption period of one year from the date of sale. The collector's posted notice shows a prior year's sale date and carries no current parcel list, so confirm this year's date and the parcels on offer with the office before traveling to Kennett. In person at the Dunklin County Courthouse in Kennett
Source: Delinquent Tax Sale Notice, Dunklin County Collector· Verified Aug 22, 2026

Tax deed sale

Run by
County Collector
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
There is no separate deed auction.
When it runs
There is no separate deed auction. Deeds come out of the same August sale once a parcel has cycled past the third offering, and unsold post third offering parcels are re-offered at least once every 30 days. A purchaser at a post third offering sale takes an immediate collector's deed with no redemption period.
Sale format and venue
A first or second offering buyer holds a certificate and must wait out the one year redemption period, obtain a title search, serve the 90 day notice of the right to redeem on the owner and every recorded claimant by both first class and certified mail, file the affidavit with the collector, pay all subsequent taxes and the recording fee, and get the deed executed and recorded within 18 months of the sale. Miss the 18 months and the amount due the purchaser stops being a lien. A third offering buyer follows a shorter version, with a 90 day redemption period and notice to recorded claimants within 45 days of the sale. Counties that have elected the Land Tax Collection Law in Chapter 141 pull those parcels out of the collector's offering lists entirely and foreclose in court, and the sheriff sells them there, so confirm which chapter this county runs.
Source: Missouri Revised Statutes 140.405 - Purchaser of property at delinquent land tax auction, deed issued to, when, notice of right of redemptionMo. Rev. Stat. 140.405· Verified Aug 18, 2026

Dunklin County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Dunklin 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 Tax Sale Notice 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

    There is no separate deed auction. 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 County Collector as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Dunklin County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent Tax Sale Notice. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidders register at the Collector's office in Room 203 of the Dunklin County Courthouse in Kennett and must hold an assigned bidding number before they can bid. The notice limits bidding to Missouri residents, so an out of state buyer bids through an appointed Missouri agent. Call (573) 888-2180 for the current year's registration paperwork.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Missouri 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

Missouri publishes no standing over the counter certificate list. The equivalent route is the post third offering sale. Parcels that draw no buyer at a third offering must be advertised or offered again once every 30 days, and where the county's appointed trustee declines to take a parcel the collector may sell it at any time and for any amount. A buyer at any of these sales gets an immediate collector's deed, no redemption period, and must first pay every tax that fell due after the taxes named in the advertisement. Parcels the trustee did take are held for the taxing funds and sold on order of the county commission. Ask the collector for the current post third offering list and its bidding terms, because the format varies by county.

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)

Dunklin County Collector

(573) 888-2180

Dunklin County Courthouse, 100 Courthouse Sq., Room 203, Kennett, MO 63857 (mailing: PO Box 445, Kennett, MO 63857)

Official website

County notes

  • Dunklin County runs the Chapter 140 August certificate sale, not the Chapter 141 court-supervised process, and the collector publishes the Missouri State Tax Commission's Chapter 140 procedure manual as its sale reference. There is no land trust or land reutilization authority in the path here.
  • Real estate taxes become delinquent after December 31, and parcels that stay unpaid roll toward the following August sale.
  • The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and stays open through lunch, so bidder registration and payoff questions can be handled in person at Room 203 of the courthouse.
  • Parcel and account lookups run through the collector's real estate tax search, which is the practical way to price a target before the sale since the county publishes no standing online list of sale parcels.

Missouri rules

Max interest rate
10% per year, set by statute (bidding is on price)
Minimum return
No statutory minimum return; what you earn is set by the price at the sale
Redemption
After a first or second offering sale, the owner and other interested parties hold an absolute right to redeem for one year, then a defeasible right that lasts until the purchaser actually acquires the deed. A purchaser must serve the 90 day notice of the right to redeem before the date on which the deed can be acquired, so the practical window usually runs past the one year mark. After a third offering sale, redemption runs 90 days, and the purchaser must give notice to recorded claimants within 45 days of the sale. After a post third offering sale, there is no redemption period and the deed issues immediately. Minors and incapacitated or disabled persons have a longer right, running five years from the last payment of taxes by that person or a predecessor. The right also ends if the certificate lapses because the purchaser failed to record the deed within 18 months.
Deed deposit
The winning bidder must pay the full amount of the bid to the collector immediately at the sale. Chapter 140 sets no advance bidder deposit and no balance due window. A bidder who fails to pay forfeits a penalty of 25 percent of the bid to the county school fund and the parcel is offered again at once as though no sale had been made. Counties running an online or registered sale may impose their own deposit and registration terms on top of the statute, so confirm them with the collector.
Surplus proceeds
Any amount above the taxes and costs is surplus. The collector pays it into the county treasury, where the treasurer holds it in trust for the lesser of three years or 90 days after the redemption period expires. It is distributed first to the former lienholders of record in the priority their liens held on the date of the sale, then to the former owner. No distribution other than through the redemption process may occur until 90 days after the redemption period ends, and a claimant must file a written claim with the county commission within those 90 days, referencing the recorded lien it rests on. The county pays no interest on the fund. Anything still unclaimed at three years becomes the permanent school fund of the county.
Governing statute
Mo. Rev. Stat. Chapter 140

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 Missourirules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Dunklin County, Missouri sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Dunklin County follows Missouri's tax lien state system.

When is the Dunklin County tax certificate sale?

The collector states the sale "occurs on the 4th Monday in August of every year," and the posted sale notice sets bidding to begin at ten o'clock a.m. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.

How often does Dunklin County hold tax deed sales?

Dunklin County holds its tax deed sale once a year. There is no separate deed auction. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Missouri's redemption rule: 1 year from a first or second offering sale, 90 days from a third offering sale, and none after a post third offering sale. Call the County 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 Dunklin County tax sale list?

Dunklin County posts its tax sale list at dunklincountycollector.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 22, 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.

Missouri tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Dunklin County Collector