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Tax Sale Atlas

Miller County, MO tax sales

How tax lien and tax deed sales work in Miller County, seat of Tuscumbia: 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
573-369-1925
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 22, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Miller County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Miller County Collector
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Monday, August 24, 2026 at 10:00:00 AM.
Sale list
Tax Sale Auction List
When it runs
The Collector's tax sale page sets the sale as "Monday, August 24, 2026 at 10:00:00 AM", the fourth Monday in August, at the Miller County Courthouse in Tuscumbia. Bidders are told to arrive at the courthouse by 8:30 a.m. and the page states in capitals that "BIDDERS MUST BE VERIFIED IN COLLECTOR'S OFFICE BY 9:00 AM" before the 10 a.m. start.
Registration and deposit

Register through the Collector's online "Register as New Bidder" form, which first requires acknowledging the buyer-beware notice, then downloads the bidder packet. Print it, sign the Tax Sale Bidder Certification and the Bidder Sheet, and bring both to the courthouse by 8:30 a.m. on sale day along with Missouri state-issued identification proving residency and identity. Registration is completed in the Collector's office before the sale, with verification closing at 9:00 a.m. Only Missouri residents may bid, and the winning bidder's own name goes on the certificate of purchase and the collector's deed. Anyone bidding for a company, corporation, lending institution or out-of-state individual must bring documentation authorizing them to act on that party's behalf. Cell phones may not be used during the sale. Winning bids are due in the Collector's office immediately after the sale ends or the purchase is invalidated, plus $54 per parcel in recording fees, $27 for the certificate of purchase and $27 for the collector's deed or for release of the certificate.

Sale format and venue
Miller County runs the standard Chapter 140 certificate sale, live at the courthouse with no online bidding platform. Parcels are listed by track number with the parcel number, owner name, each delinquent year, advertising and fees, and a total due, and the list is regenerated so tracts drop off as owners pay before sale day. Certificates of purchase are printed on blue paper and mailed out around the second week of September; the Collector keeps the recorded original, so ownership changes on a certificate go through the office and must be signed before a notary. Redemption runs one year from the sale date, and the Collector warns that failing to obtain a collector's deed within 18 months of the certificate date wipes out the lien. Before applying for a deed the holder must get a title search report from a licensed attorney or licensed title company and, at least 90 days before becoming eligible for the deed, notify the owners of record and every holder of a publicly recorded unreleased deed of trust, mortgage, lease, lien or judgment by both first class mail and first class certified mail with return receipt, with further attempts required if both come back undeliverable. Third-offering buyers instead have 45 days after purchase to send the same dual notice, and those owners get 90 days from the postmark to redeem. The office states there are no refunds and all sales are final, and that non-tax liens may survive the sale. Parcels left unsold after a third offering move to a separate fourth-sale list bought over the counter: register the same way, then call 573-369-1925 to set an appointment and bring the signed certification, Missouri ID and payment to the office. That fourth-sale list is often empty, so ask the office what is available before making the trip. In person at the Miller County Courthouse, Tuscumbia
Source: Tax Sale Information and Bidder Registration, Miller 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

Miller County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Miller 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 Tax Sale Auction List 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 Miller County

  1. Start with the live sale list

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

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Register through the Collector's online "Register as New Bidder" form, which first requires acknowledging the buyer-beware notice, then downloads the bidder packet. Print it, sign the Tax Sale Bidder Certification and the Bidder Sheet, and bring both to the courthouse by 8:30 a.m. on sale day along with Missouri state-issued identification proving residency and identity. Registration is completed in the Collector's office before the sale, with verification closing at 9:00 a.m. Only Missouri residents may bid, and the winning bidder's own name goes on the certificate of purchase and the collector's deed. Anyone bidding for a company, corporation, lending institution or out-of-state individual must bring documentation authorizing them to act on that party's behalf. Cell phones may not be used during the sale. Winning bids are due in the Collector's office immediately after the sale ends or the purchase is invalidated, plus $54 per parcel in recording fees, $27 for the certificate of purchase and $27 for the collector's deed or for release of the certificate.

  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)

Miller County Collector

573-369-1925

PO Box 217, 2001 Hwy 52, Tuscumbia, MO 65082

Official website

County notes

  • Bidding is limited to Missouri residents. An out-of-state investor cannot bid personally here and must send an authorized Missouri resident carrying documentation of the relationship, since the name on the winning bid is the name that goes on the certificate of purchase and the collector's deed.
  • Payment is due in the Collector's office immediately after the sale closes, so bring funds for every parcel you intend to win plus $54 per parcel in recording fees. Recording on a third-offering deed is $30.
  • The auction list is a plain-text roster of delinquent tracts with three years of taxes plus advertising and fees, and it is short. Many Miller County tracts are small subdivision and lake-area lots with totals in the low hundreds of dollars, so read the legal description and research access, easements and surviving liens before bidding.
  • Miller County offers the certificate sale under Chapter 140 rather than the Chapter 141 land trust route, so a winning bidder receives a certificate of purchase and takes on the title search and 90-day notice duties before any deed issues.

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 Miller County, Missouri sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Miller County follows Missouri's tax lien state system.

When is the Miller County tax certificate sale?

The Collector's tax sale page sets the sale as "Monday, August 24, 2026 at 10:00:00 AM", the fourth Monday in August, at the Miller County Courthouse in Tuscumbia. Bidders are told to arrive at the courthouse by 8:30 a.m. and the page states in capitals that "BIDDERS MUST BE VERIFIED IN COLLECTOR'S OFFICE BY 9:00 AM" before the 10 a.m. start. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.

How often does Miller County hold tax deed sales?

Miller 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 Miller County tax sale list?

Miller County posts its tax sale list at collector.millercountymo.gov. 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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