The short answer
1 year from a first or second offering sale, 90 days from a third offering sale, and none after a post third offering sale
How the clock works
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.
Who can redeem
The owner, a lienholder, an occupant of the land, or any other person having an interest in it, along with the heirs, successors and assigns of those parties. Minors and incapacitated or disabled persons as defined in chapter 475 redeem under the same procedure within their longer window.
What the owner pays to redeem
The reasonable and customary costs of sale, determined by the collector. That means the full purchase money named in the certificate of purchase plus the costs of the sale, including the fee to record the certificate and the later release, the reasonable cost of the title search, and the postage for the required notices, together with interest at the rate on the certificate, capped at 10 percent per year. No interest is owed on any sum the purchaser paid above the delinquent taxes plus the collector's costs of sale. Subsequent taxes the purchaser paid are added with interest at 8 percent per year. Notice costs for the redemption rights notice are reimbursable only when incurred after the March 1 following a first or second offering purchase.
How your interest accrues
The certificate of purchase states its own rate of interest, and that rate may not exceed 10 percent per year. Interest runs on the purchase money named in the certificate together with the costs of sale. No interest is owed on any amount a purchaser paid above the delinquent taxes due plus the collector's costs of sale. Subsequent taxes the holder pays earn 8 percent per year. Missouri sets no minimum return, so a certificate redeemed early pays only the interest that actually accrued, and a deposit of the redemption amount with the collector stops any further interest or penalty. The statutes fix no compounding method or accrual start date beyond the terms written on the certificate, so confirm both with the collector.
How the bidding works
Missouri does not bid the interest rate down. The collector fixes the rate on the certificate of purchase, subject to a statutory ceiling of 10 percent per year, and bidders compete on price instead. A parcel at a first or second offering sells only when someone bids at least the delinquent taxes, interest, penalty and costs, and the parcel goes to the bidder who offers the most. Everything paid above the taxes and costs is surplus. The collector pays it into the county treasury, and no interest is owed on that excess to anyone, so a heavy premium is idle capital that dilutes the yield rather than a bid for a higher return.
What happens when it ends
Missouri runs no separate tax deed auction alongside the lien sale. The same August sale produces a deed instead of a certificate once a parcel has cycled far enough. A parcel offered without an adequate bid at a first offering goes to a second offering the next year, then to a third offering the year after. A purchaser at a third offering receives a certificate of purchase with a 90 day redemption period. A parcel that still does not sell is re-offered every 30 days, and a purchaser at any of those post third offering sales takes an immediate collector's deed with no redemption period at all. After a first or second offering, the certificate holder reaches the deed by obtaining a title search, serving the statutory 90 day notice on the owner and every recorded claimant, filing the affidavit with the collector, paying all subsequent taxes, and recording the deed within 18 months of the sale.
A redeemed certificate, plus your accrued interest, is what makes the wait profitable; see how redemption periods work across states. An unredeemed certificate is instead your path to the property through a tax deed sale, which still does not convey marketable title on its own, so budget for a quiet title action.
Verified Aug 18, 2026 against Missouri statutes.
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.