The short answer
Up to 1 year from entry of the order confirming the sale, tiered by how long the taxes were delinquent
How the clock works
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.
Who can redeem
Any interested person as of the date of the sale or the date the motion to redeem is filed: the owner, anyone holding an interest in the parcel, and lienholders and their assignees. A transferee who bought the bare right of redemption faces the statute's anti-speculation rule: the court must deny the motion if the transfer looks like profiteering, presumed when the transferee paid less than the purchase price minus the redemption amount.
What the owner pays to redeem
The total delinquent taxes, penalty, interest, and court costs, plus interest at 12 percent per annum on the entire purchase price from the date the purchaser paid the clerk until the motion to redeem is filed, all paid to the clerk before filing. The purchaser may also be awarded additional sums: later taxes paid with 12 percent interest, reasonable insurance, costs to prevent waste, code compliance expenses ordered by an authority, homeowner association dues secured by the parcel, and recording costs. If the ordered additional funds are not paid by the deadline, the redemption fails.
How your interest accrues
Interest runs at 12 percent per annum on the entire purchase price, beginning the date the purchaser pays the purchase price to the clerk and continuing until the motion to redeem is filed. The same rate applies to later property taxes the purchaser pays on the parcel, from each payment date. The rate is a true annual rate, not a flat penalty tier, so the redemption premium grows with time and has no floor.
How the bidding works
There is no interest rate bidding in Tennessee, because there is no certificate to bid on. Bidders compete on price above the opening bid, and the buyer's return if the owner redeems is interest at 12 percent per annum on the entire purchase price, computed from the day the purchaser pays the clerk until the motion to redeem is filed. Tennessee sets no minimum return: a parcel redeemed quickly earns only the interest that has actually accrued.
What happens when it ends
The county trustee delivers the delinquent tax list to a delinquent tax attorney between February 1 and April 1, and the attorney files the collection suit by the last business day of March following publication of the delinquency notice. Suits may be filed in chancery or circuit court and follow chancery procedure either way. Once the court ascertains the total amount due, it orders the parcel sold, subject to the right of redemption.
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 Tennessee 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.