Each step below is drawn from Nevada statute, not general advice. The exact sale dates, platform, and deposit amounts are set county by county, so confirm the specifics on your county page before you register.
New here? Most beginners start with a certificate (the lien path). The deed steps below apply once you hold a certificate long enough to force a sale, or you bid directly at a tax deed auction. Not sure which is for you? Start with tax lien vs tax deed.
Learn the timeline and lien priority
Nevada property taxes are due on the third Monday of August and may be paid in four installments (third Monday of August, first Monday of October, first Monday of January, first Monday of March) when the parcel's taxes exceed $100. Missing an installment by more than 10 days adds escalating penalties: 4 percent on one missed installment, 5 percent on two, 6 percent on three, and 7 percent on the full amount after the March installment. Interest on delinquent taxes runs at 10 percent per annum, assessed monthly, from the date due until paid. The tax lien attaches on July 1 of the levy year and is superior to all other liens, claims, encumbrances and titles on the property regardless of recording order, which is why a Nevada trustee sale clears most junior interests. Understand this before you commit any money.
Collect interest or wait out redemption
Not applicable to investors. The 10 percent per annum interest on delinquent taxes, assessed monthly from the date due, is paid to the county on redemption, not to a certificate holder. Under an owner-authorized tax lien assignment, the owner-assignee agreement may charge interest at a rate not to exceed 15 percent per annum. The trustee's certificate is dated the first Monday in June, and the county treasurer holds the property subject to redemption for 2 years after that date, or 1 year for property determined abandoned under NRS 361.567. Even after the unredeemed parcel is deeded to the county treasurer as trustee, the owner and other interested persons can still have the property reconveyed by paying everything owed, up to the close of business on the third business day before the day of the sale. On the separate local-government acquisition track under NRS 361.603, the last known owner instead gets a 90-day window after the notice of intent to sell, and no reconveyance is allowed after that window expires. To redeem, the owner pays The delinquent taxes and all accruing taxes, penalties and costs, together with interest on the taxes at 10 percent per annum, assessed monthly, from the date due until paid. After the deed to the treasurer, a reconveyance takes payment of the taxes accrued plus any costs, penalties and interest legally chargeable against the property. If they redeem, that payoff is your return; if they never do, the certificate becomes your path to the property.
Apply for a tax deed
Delinquent parcels are struck to the county treasurer by a trustee's certificate issued at the close of business on the first Monday in June. If no one redeems within 2 years after the certificate date, or within 1 year for property determined abandoned under NRS 361.567, the tax receiver executes a deed to the county treasurer as trustee. The board of county commissioners may then order the treasurer to sell the trust property after notice of sale. The board's order sets the floor: the property must sell for a total amount not less than the taxes, costs, penalties and interest legally chargeable against it. The statute fixes only that minimum; counties sell to the highest bidder above it, and the treasurer delivers a quitclaim deed to the purchaser who pays at least the amount specified in the order.
Bid at the tax deed auction
The County Treasurer, as trustee for the State and county, on the order of the board of county commissioners sells the property at public auction to the highest bidder. NRS Chapter 361 sets no statutory bidder deposit for trustee sales. Registration, deposit and payment deadlines are set county by county in each auction's terms, so confirm them on the county treasurer's page before bidding.
One more step: clear the title
Winning a tax deed does not hand you marketable title. Before you can resell to a normal buyer or insure the parcel, you will usually need a quiet title action, which takes months and costs money. Fold that cost into your maximum bid and read what you actually own after a tax deed before you bid. A tax deed also does not wipe out everything: select governmental and municipal liens can survive, and a federal tax lien carries a 120-day IRS redemption right, so check what survives a tax deed too.
New to this? Start with tax lien vs tax deed and the full Nevada walkthrough, then value a parcel with the due diligence guide.
Steps verified Aug 16, 2026 against Nevada 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.