Putnam County, TN tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Putnam County, seat of Cookeville: 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
- Not published online.
- County office
- (931) 526-6321
On this page
How Putnam County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Putnam County Clerk and Master, Chancery Court, Thirteenth Judicial District
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Not published online.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Bidders register with the clerk that runs the sale under its published terms, either at the clerk and master's office for an in-person auction or on the county's online platform. The court orders the sale for cash, certified funds, cashier's check, money order, or ACH transfer, and Tennessee sets no statewide deposit percentage, so confirm the county's payment deadline and accepted funds before bidding.
Sale format and venue
Putnam County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Putnam 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.
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.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
Not published online. The auction platform is still being verified. Confirm the next sale date and registration window with the county before you bid.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Putnam County Clerk and Master, Chancery Court, Thirteenth Judicial District as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Putnam County
4 checks
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.Confirm registration and deposit
Bidders register with the clerk that runs the sale under its published terms, either at the clerk and master's office for an in-person auction or on the county's online platform. The court orders the sale for cash, certified funds, cashier's check, money order, or ACH transfer, and Tennessee sets no statewide deposit percentage, so confirm the county's payment deadline and accepted funds before bidding.
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.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
unsold properties
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.
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
County notes
- Putnam County runs the delinquent tax suit through the Chancery Court Clerk and Master, not the Circuit Court Clerk. The Circuit Court Clerk's separate site (putnamtncourtclerk.gov, 421 East Spring Street, Room 1C, Suite 49A, Cookeville, TN 38501, (931) 528-1508) covers dockets, jury duty, and passports and makes no mention of tax sales.
- The Clerk and Master is Brandi Ashburn. The presiding Chancellor is Ronald Thurman, Chancery Court, Thirteenth Judicial District. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Fax is (931) 526-1914.
- Current-year taxes are collected by the Putnam County Trustee at 300 E. Spring St., Room 2, Cookeville, TN 38501, (931) 526-8845. Delinquencies stay with the Trustee until March 31 of the following year, then move to Chancery Court.
- No auction platform verified. Putnam County does not appear in GovEase's Tennessee jurisdiction list, so neither an online platform nor an in-person courthouse venue is asserted here.
- The Clerk and Master page links a Chancellor's session and docket-call calendar PDF (/sites/default/files/Chancellor's updated calendar.pdf), but it is a scanned document and it does not name a tax sale 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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Does Putnam County, Tennessee sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Putnam County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
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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