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Tax Sale Atlas

Howell County, MO tax sales

How tax lien and tax deed sales work in Howell County, seat of West Plains: 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
(417) 256-4001
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 22, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Howell County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Howell County Collector
Frequency
annual
When it runs
Fourth Monday in August at 10:00 a.m. The Collector's office states that it "Conducts delinquent tax sale on the 4th Monday in August of each year," and its tax information page adds that "The County Delinquent Land Tax Sale is held on the 4th Monday in August of every year for any real estate parcel subject to this sale." The Collector's sale notice sets the hour at 10:00 a.m. and runs the auction until every tract has been offered.
Registration and deposit

Register in person at the Collector's office, 35 Court Square, Room 201, West Plains, before the sale hour. The Collector's sale notice requires that "All bidders must have a bidding number and be properly registered in the Collector's office," and that a bidder who is not a Missouri resident appoint a Missouri agent. Missouri also requires a notarized affidavit that you owe no delinquent property tax anywhere in the state. Call (417) 256-4001 for this year's registration cutoff and the forms the office wants in hand.

Sale format and venue
Howell County runs the standard Missouri Chapter 140 sale, so the August auction sells a certificate of purchase rather than a deed. The Collector offers the tracts at public auction in or near the courthouse in West Plains and publishes no online bidding platform, so plan to attend or send an agent. Bidding opens at the taxes, interest, penalty and costs due on the tract and goes to the highest bidder, and no interest is paid on any surplus above that amount. A first or second offering carries a one year redemption period. The Collector's notice cautions that tracts may hold hazardous waste, razed or condemned improvements, or other liens, and that the office guarantees nothing about title, liens or encumbrances. The notice posted on the site still carries an earlier sale year, so treat the office itself as the authority and confirm the current date, the tract list and the bidder paperwork by phone. Ask how many tracts will actually be offered before you book travel, because a rural offering can shrink to a handful once owners clear their delinquency ahead of sale day. In person at the courthouse in West Plains
Source: Tax Information, Howell 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

Howell County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Howell 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

    A county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the office and platform details on this page before relying on a copied list.

  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 Howell County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    The county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the county office contacts below and confirm the advertised parcels directly before you price a bid.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Register in person at the Collector's office, 35 Court Square, Room 201, West Plains, before the sale hour. The Collector's sale notice requires that "All bidders must have a bidding number and be properly registered in the Collector's office," and that a bidder who is not a Missouri resident appoint a Missouri agent. Missouri also requires a notarized affidavit that you owe no delinquent property tax anywhere in the state. Call (417) 256-4001 for this year's registration cutoff and the forms the office wants in hand.

  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)

Howell County Collector

(417) 256-4001

Howell County Office Building, 35 Court Square, Room 201, West Plains, MO 65775

Official website

County notes

  • The Collector's office is in the Howell County Office Building at 35 Court Square, Room 201, West Plains, and is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, including the noon hour. The fax line is (417) 257-0090.
  • Howell County follows the Chapter 140 route: the Collector runs the August certificate sale, and the county publishes no Chapter 141 land trust or land reutilization inventory, so unsold tracts stay in the annual offering cycle rather than passing to a land bank.
  • Missouri collectors advertise the sale tracts in a newspaper of general circulation. The Collector's notice adds that lots and lands assessed at one thousand dollars or less are posted at the courthouse instead of being advertised, so ask the office for the published list and read the courthouse postings for the low value tracts.
  • Look each tract up in the Collector's Real Estate Tax Search by parcel number, owner name or tax ID before you bid, then confirm the legal description and any recorded liens with the Recorder of Deeds. The county attaches a disclaimer that its online tax data is provided as is, with no warranty of accuracy, timeliness or completeness.
  • Real estate statements go out in November and turn delinquent after December 31, so the tracts that reach the August auction have carried a delinquency since at least the prior winter.

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 Howell County, Missouri sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Howell County follows Missouri's tax lien state system.

When is the Howell County tax certificate sale?

Fourth Monday in August at 10:00 a.m. The Collector's office states that it "Conducts delinquent tax sale on the 4th Monday in August of each year," and its tax information page adds that "The County Delinquent Land Tax Sale is held on the 4th Monday in August of every year for any real estate parcel subject to this sale." The Collector's sale notice sets the hour at 10:00 a.m. and runs the auction until every tract has been offered. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.

How often does Howell County hold tax deed sales?

Howell 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.

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 Howell County Collector