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Tax Sale Atlas

Osage County, MO tax sales

How tax lien and tax deed sales work in Osage County, seat of Linn: 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) 897-2135
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 22, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Osage County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Osage County Collector of Revenue
Frequency
annual
When it runs
The Collector's office states that the delinquent tax sale "is held annually, on the fourth Monday in August, commencing at 10:00 a.m. on the North Entrance of the Osage County Courthouse." The fourth Monday lands on August 24 in 2026. Bidding runs live that morning, so plan to be at the courthouse in person.
Registration and deposit

Buyers must be present to bid and must register in the Collector's Office, signing an affidavit that they are not currently delinquent on any tax payments and that they are a Missouri resident. The Collector's page states that non-residents of Missouri "may not bid unless special arrangements have been made with the Osage County Collector prior to the sale (RSMo 140.190)," so contact the office well ahead of sale day if you live out of state. Failing to sign the affidavit, or signing a false one, may invalidate the purchase. The total purchase price is due at the Collector's office immediately at the close of the sale, and cashier's check, personal check and cash are accepted. An unpaid bid can draw a penalty of 25 percent of the bid amount plus a Prosecuting Attorney's fee.

Sale format and venue
Osage County runs a live Chapter 140 certificate sale at the courthouse and uses no online auction platform. The Collector's page states that real estate with three years of delinquent taxes must be offered to discharge the lien, and that the Collector conducts the auction "in a public auction style with an opening bid of the amount to cover all taxes, penalties, and charges thereon." The winning bidder receives a certificate of purchase identifying the parcel and the bid price, held for one year or until the property is redeemed. A redeeming owner pays the tax and fee amounts due at the sale plus 10 percent interest, any subsequent years' taxes the holder paid plus 8 percent, and the costs of the title search, certified mailing and recording the release of the certificate. The county warns that liens are not extinguished at the sale or during redemption, that future tax bills go out in care of the purchaser while title stays in the former owner's name until a Collector's Deed issues, and that no compensation for improvements is paid if the property is redeemed, citing RSMo 140.360. To take a deed the certificate holder needs a title search report from a licensed attorney or title company, must send the 90 day right to redeem notice to the owner of record and every recorded claimant by both first class and certified mail, file the affidavit and mailing evidence with the Collector, pay every tax accrued since the certificate issued, and pay a $27.00 recording fee. The county cites RSMo 140.410 for the rule that a holder who fails to execute and record the deed within eighteen months of the sale may not assign it.
Source: Delinquent Tax Sale, Osage County Collector of Revenue· 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

Osage County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Osage 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 Osage 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

    Buyers must be present to bid and must register in the Collector's Office, signing an affidavit that they are not currently delinquent on any tax payments and that they are a Missouri resident. The Collector's page states that non-residents of Missouri "may not bid unless special arrangements have been made with the Osage County Collector prior to the sale (RSMo 140.190)," so contact the office well ahead of sale day if you live out of state. Failing to sign the affidavit, or signing a false one, may invalidate the purchase. The total purchase price is due at the Collector's office immediately at the close of the sale, and cashier's check, personal check and cash are accepted. An unpaid bid can draw a penalty of 25 percent of the bid amount plus a Prosecuting Attorney's fee.

  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)

Osage County Collector of Revenue

(573) 897-2135

205 E. Main Street, P.O. Box 616, Linn, MO 65051

Official website

County notes

  • The auction is held at the north entrance of the Osage County Courthouse at 106 E. Main Street in Linn, while registration and payment run through the Collector's office in the county Administration Building at 205 E. Main Street. Budget time for both stops on sale day.
  • The offering list is not posted on the county website. It runs in the Unterrified Democrat newspaper for three consecutive weeks before the sale, and owners may pay in full right up to sale day, which shrinks the final list. Call the Collector at (573) 897-2135 for the current offerings.
  • Missouri residency is a bidding requirement here, not a formality. Non-resident investors need special arrangements agreed with the Osage County Collector before the sale, so start that conversation weeks ahead of the fourth Monday in August.

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 Osage County, Missouri sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Osage County follows Missouri's tax lien state system.

When is the Osage County tax certificate sale?

The Collector's office states that the delinquent tax sale "is held annually, on the fourth Monday in August, commencing at 10:00 a.m. on the North Entrance of the Osage County Courthouse." The fourth Monday lands on August 24 in 2026. Bidding runs live that morning, so plan to be at the courthouse in person. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.

How often does Osage County hold tax deed sales?

Osage 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 Osage County Collector of Revenue