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Tax Sale Atlas

Davidson County, TN tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Davidson County, seat of Nashville: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Tennessee tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Monthly through the second half of the year.
Format
In person
Registration
Open public outcry auction with in-person registration only.
County office
(615) 862-5710
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 18, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Davidson County sells delinquent taxes

No tax lien certificate sale

Tennessee counties enforce the tax lien through a delinquent tax suit and sell the property itself; no tax lien certificates are auctioned.

Tax deed sale

In person
Run by
Chancery Court Clerk and Master of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Monthly through the second half of the year.
Registration
Open public outcry auction with in-person registration only.
Sale list
Property Tax Sale Lists and Schedule
When it runs
Monthly through the second half of the year. The Clerk and Master states: "There is usually one sale per month from June to December." The office's published 2026-2027 sale dates are June 17, 2026; July 13, 2026; August 17, 2026; September 14, 2026; October 21, 2026; November 18, 2026; December 16, 2026; and January 20, 2027. Each sale runs on the same clock: "Registration for the sales start at 11:00am and tax sale will start on time at 12:00pm." The schedule page warns "ALL DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE", so confirm the date before travelling.
Registration and deposit

Open public outcry auction with in-person registration only. "To participate in the auction, all prospective bidders must register by completing an informational form before the sale. Registration begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends promptly at 12:00 noon." Everyone who will be named on the conveyance must be present at the sale and complete the bidder registration form, because purchases are conveyed in the names shown on that form. Bidding for another individual requires a copy of a recorded power of attorney attached to the registration form; bidding for a corporation requires proof of authority such as a Secretary of State printout showing good standing, a certificate of existence issued within the last year, the corporate charter, or annual minutes naming the officers. "Absentee bidding is not permitted; however, another individual can bid on your behalf in proxy, provided the appropriate form is completed prior to registration" (Authorization to Bid form, https://chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/authorization-to-bid-form.pdf). The successful bidder has until Friday at 12:00pm to pay the full bid amount by cashier's check to the Chancery Court Clerk and Master, Suite 308, 1 Public Square, Nashville TN 37201. Credit cards are not accepted, the office does not finance purchases, and any payment must be drawn on a United States bank or credit union. A bidder who fails to comply may be barred from tax sales for two years and sued for the deficiency.

Sale format and venue
Davidson County sells in person, not online. There is no auction platform: properties are cried in the Jury Assembly Room on the ground floor of the Metropolitan Davidson County Courthouse, One Public Square, Nashville TN 37201, under Tenn. Code Ann. 67-5-2501. The county also sells nothing over the counter and issues no certificates: "Delinquent tax properties are sold only by public auction and will not be sold over the counter. The Clerk & Master's Office does not issue Tax Certificates." The opening bid is the delinquent taxes due plus accrued penalties, interest, attorney fees and court costs, and it may also include other Metropolitan Government liens and judgments; later tax years whose suits have not been filed are not in the opening bid. Terms are "CASH TO THE HIGHEST AND BEST BIDDER, SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF EQUITY OF REDEMPTION," and the purchaser is liable for taxes assessed from 2023 forward in most cases. The sale is complete when the Chancellor signs a Final Decree Confirming Sale; roughly 14 days later the purchaser should collect a certified copy from the Clerk and Master and record it with the Register of Deeds, because failure to record can put the parcel into a later tax sale. On redemption the purchaser is refunded the purchase price plus interest at 1% per month, running from the date of compliance until the Motion to Redeem is filed, and may file a claim for recording fees, later-year taxes and other preservation costs, which the redeeming party either pays or contests at a hearing. The Metropolitan Government typically buys the property when no other bidder appears and holds it through the redemption period. Sales are advertised in the TN Ledger and Mainstream Media before each auction, and a parcel cannot be pulled from the advertisement once the ad proof goes to the newspaper 5 to 7 days before publication. The posted list and the excess proceeds list are both linked from the schedule page; the real property delinquent tax clerk is Jeff Stafford at (615) 862-5710 ext. 25712.
Source: Chancery Clerk and Master of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Delinquent Tax Sale Information· Verified Aug 18, 2026

Davidson County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Davidson 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 Property Tax Sale Lists and Schedule for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Open public outcry auction with in-person registration only. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Monthly through the second half of the year. 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 Chancery Court Clerk and Master of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Davidson County

  1. Start with the live sale list

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

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Open public outcry auction with in-person registration only. "To participate in the auction, all prospective bidders must register by completing an informational form before the sale. Registration begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends promptly at 12:00 noon." Everyone who will be named on the conveyance must be present at the sale and complete the bidder registration form, because purchases are conveyed in the names shown on that form. Bidding for another individual requires a copy of a recorded power of attorney attached to the registration form; bidding for a corporation requires proof of authority such as a Secretary of State printout showing good standing, a certificate of existence issued within the last year, the corporate charter, or annual minutes naming the officers. "Absentee bidding is not permitted; however, another individual can bid on your behalf in proxy, provided the appropriate form is completed prior to registration" (Authorization to Bid form, https://chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/authorization-to-bid-form.pdf). The successful bidder has until Friday at 12:00pm to pay the full bid amount by cashier's check to the Chancery Court Clerk and Master, Suite 308, 1 Public Square, Nashville TN 37201. Credit cards are not accepted, the office does not finance purchases, and any payment must be drawn on a United States bank or credit union. A bidder who fails to comply may be barred from tax sales for two years and sued for the deficiency.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Tennessee 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

Parcels struck to the county at the tax sale can be bought from the county afterward. Each county mayor must publish a list of county-held parcels by July 1 every year, and any person may file a written offer for one. The county advertises the offer, competing bidders have ten days to raise it by 10 percent or more, and the highest offer wins, sometimes through an online resale. A parcel bought before the redemption period expires stays subject to redemption. Ask the county mayor's office or the clerk and master where the current list is posted.

County-held parcel listings are published per county under Tenn. Code Ann. 67-5-2511; find the current list on the county's website or newspaper of record

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter purchases work.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax sale office

Chancery Court Clerk and Master of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County

(615) 862-5710

1 Public Square, Suite 308, Nashville, TN 37201

Official website

County notes

  • Davidson County is coextensive with the consolidated Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, so the sale is run by the Metro Chancery Court Clerk and Master rather than a separate county office.
  • No online auction platform. Bidding is live at the Metropolitan Davidson County Courthouse and absentee bidding is barred, though a documented proxy may bid.
  • Redemption is calculated by the Clerk and Master. The redeeming party files a Motion to Redeem and pays funds into the Clerk and Master's office, and the purchaser is then noticed with a claim form.
  • The published list PDF on the schedule page is replaced sale by sale, so pull it fresh in the days before each auction date.

Tennessee rules

Redemption
The right to redeem vests when the court enters the order confirming the sale and never runs longer than one year from that date. The court sets each parcel's period before the sale on a statutory scale: one year when the taxes were delinquent 5 years or less, 180 days when delinquent more than 5 but less than 8 years, 90 days when delinquent 8 years or more, and 30 days when the court finds the property vacant and abandoned. To redeem, an interested person files a motion in the same lawsuit and must first pay the clerk the full redemption amount; the purchaser then has 30 days after notice to ask the court for additional reimbursements. When the court declares the redemption complete, title divests from the purchaser and the clerk refunds the purchase money plus everything owed. During the redemption period the purchaser owes no duty to insure the parcel and is not liable for damage to it except from the purchaser's own intentional acts. Separately, a suit attacking the validity of the sale itself must normally be filed within one year of the confirmation order, with an absolute three-year outer limit.
Deed deposit
No statewide deposit percentage exists. The statute fixes the form of payment (cash, certified funds, cashier's check, money order, or ACH transfer) and each court sets its own payment terms. Davidson County takes cashier's checks only, Rutherford County requires payment by close of business the day after the sale, and counties selling through GovEase collect payment through the platform. Confirm the terms with the clerk and master that runs the sale before bidding.
Surplus proceeds
Sale proceeds pay the delinquent tax attorney, then court costs, then the taxing entities. Any excess is claimed by motion in the same case: remaining taxes are paid first, then lienholders in order of priority (pre-sale liens before post-sale liens), then the former owner. Filing the motion ends any remaining redemption period as to the movant. Excess proceeds nobody claims pass to the state under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act.
Governing statute
Tenn. Code Ann. Title 67, Chapter 5, Parts 25-27

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 Tennesseerules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Davidson County, Tennessee sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax deeds. Tennessee sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the county sells the property itself at a public tax sale.

How often does Davidson County hold tax deed sales?

Davidson County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Monthly through the second half of the year. 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. Tennessee's redemption rule: Up to 1 year from entry of the order confirming the sale, tiered by how long the taxes were delinquent. Call the Chancery Court Clerk and Master of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County 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 Davidson County tax sale list?

Davidson County posts its tax sale list at chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.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 18, 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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