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Tax Sale Atlas

Morgan County, MO tax sales

How tax lien and tax deed sales work in Morgan County, seat of Versailles: 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
Registration
There is no advance or online registration.
County office
573-378-5370
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 22, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Morgan County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Morgan County Collector
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Held annually on the fourth Monday in August.
Registration
There is no advance or online registration.
Sale list
2026 Delinquent Tax Sale List
When it runs
Held annually on the fourth Monday in August. The county states the sale "is held annually, on the fourth Monday in August, commencing at 10:00 a.m. on the North Entrance of the Morgan County Courthouse." That sets the 2026 sale for Monday, August 24, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.
Registration and deposit

There is no advance or online registration. Buyers must be present at the courthouse to bid, and each buyer signs an affidavit stating that he or she is not currently delinquent on any tax payments on any property; failing to sign that affidavit, or signing a false one, may invalidate the purchase. Non-residents of Missouri may not bid unless special arrangements have been made with the Morgan County Collector before the sale. The total purchase price is due at the collector's office immediately at the close of the sale, and the office accepts cashier's check, personal check or cash. If a winning bid goes unpaid, a penalty of 25 percent of the bid amount plus a prosecuting attorney's fee may be assessed against the bidder.

Sale format and venue
Any real estate carrying three years of delinquent taxes is offered to discharge the tax lien, and bidding opens at the amount of taxes, penalties and advertising cost. The winning bidder receives a certificate of purchase sheet identifying the parcel and the bid price, and the collector holds the certificate for one year or until the parcel is redeemed. Liens are not extinguished at the sale or during the redemption period, and future tax bills go out in care of the purchaser while staying in the previous owner's name until a collector's deed issues. Redemption costs the owner, lienholder or occupant the tax and fee amounts due at the time of the sale plus 10 percent interest, any later years' taxes the holder paid plus 8 percent interest, and the title search, certified mailing and certificate release recording costs. To take a deed after the one year redemption period, the holder orders a title search from a licensed attorney or title company, sends notice of the right to redeem to the owner of record and to every holder of a recorded unreleased deed of trust, mortgage, lease, lien, judgment or other claim by both first class and certified mail at least ninety days before becoming eligible, files the notice affidavit with attachments at the collector's office, pays all taxes accrued since the certificate issued, and pays a 27 dollar recording fee per deed. A holder who does not get the deed executed and recorded within eighteen months of the sale loses the right to assign it.
Source: Delinquent Tax Sale, Morgan 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

Morgan County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Morgan 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 2026 Delinquent Tax Sale List for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    There is no advance or online registration. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  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 Morgan County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from 2026 Delinquent Tax Sale List. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    There is no advance or online registration. Buyers must be present at the courthouse to bid, and each buyer signs an affidavit stating that he or she is not currently delinquent on any tax payments on any property; failing to sign that affidavit, or signing a false one, may invalidate the purchase. Non-residents of Missouri may not bid unless special arrangements have been made with the Morgan County Collector before the sale. The total purchase price is due at the collector's office immediately at the close of the sale, and the office accepts cashier's check, personal check or cash. If a winning bid goes unpaid, a penalty of 25 percent of the bid amount plus a prosecuting attorney's fee may be assessed against the bidder.

  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)

Morgan County Collector

573-378-5370

100 E Newton, Versailles, MO 65084

Official website

County notes

  • Morgan County runs the standard Chapter 140 Jones-Munger certificate sale, and it is a live courthouse auction at the north entrance of the Morgan County Courthouse in Versailles. Bidding happens in the room, so plan to attend in person; the county uses no online bidding platform.
  • The list of parcels subject to sale runs in The Morgan County Statesman for three consecutive weeks before the sale, and the collector posts the same list on the county Delinquent Tax Sale page once the first ad appears. The current posting carries 159 numbered items, each with parcel number, owner of record, section, township, range, acreage, legal description and the three years of tax due.
  • Bidding is limited to Missouri residents unless you arrange otherwise with the collector ahead of the sale, so out of state buyers should call the office well before sale day rather than showing up to register.
  • Bring funds to the courthouse. Payment is due in the collector's office immediately at the close of the sale, and an unpaid bid draws a 25 percent penalty plus a prosecuting attorney's fee. Cashier's check, personal check and cash are accepted.
  • Owners can pay delinquent taxes right up to the sale, so parcels drop off the published list as sale day approaches. Confirm the current list with the collector before you travel.
  • The steps for converting a certificate into a collector's deed are date specific and the collector's office keeps the exact deadlines for each certificate, so call before the ninety day notice window opens rather than working from the sale date alone.

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 Morgan County, Missouri sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Morgan County follows Missouri's tax lien state system.

When is the Morgan County tax certificate sale?

Held annually on the fourth Monday in August. The county states the sale "is held annually, on the fourth Monday in August, commencing at 10:00 a.m. on the North Entrance of the Morgan County Courthouse." That sets the 2026 sale for Monday, August 24, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.

How often does Morgan County hold tax deed sales?

Morgan 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 Morgan County tax sale list?

Morgan County posts its tax sale list at morgancountymo.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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Call Morgan County Collector