Van Buren County, TN tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Van Buren County, seat of Spencer: 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
- No sale date or sale calendar is published online.
- Registration
- Bidder registration terms are not published online.
- County office
- (931) 946-7175
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 18, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Van Buren County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Van Buren County Clerk and Master (Chancery Court)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No sale date or sale calendar is published online.
- Registration
- Bidder registration terms are not published online.
When it runs
No sale date or sale calendar is published online. The county does publish the delinquency timeline that feeds the suit: the Trustee's page states that "On March 1st, county taxes become delinquent and begin to accrue 1.5% penalty and interest and will increase each month thereafter" and that "delinquent taxes are turned over to Chancery Court on April 1st." The Clerk and Master sets the sale date after the delinquent tax suit is filed, and that date is not posted on the county website. Call the office to confirm the next sale.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Van Buren County is a small county that maintains no tax sale page. Its official website carries no delinquent tax sale notice, no bidder list, and no auction platform reference; the News and Bid Notices sections were checked and neither carried a tax sale item. The office is confirmed, however: the Trustee's own page on the county site states that delinquent taxes are turned over to Chancery Court on April 1st, which places the delinquent tax suit with the Clerk and Master rather than the Circuit Court Clerk. Tina Shockley is listed as Clerk and Master in the county's Departments and Services directory. The auction venue is not verified. No online bidding platform was confirmed for this county, so no platform or platform URL is recorded here, and an in person courthouse sale is not confirmed either. Under Tennessee law the successful bidder receives a redeemable deed: the clerk bids the ascertained debt as the minimum, a purchaser bidding above it takes the property subject to redemption, and the redemption period runs from entry of the order confirming the sale, with the redeemer repaying the purchase price plus 12 percent per annum interest under Tenn. Code Ann. 67-5-2701. Verify every figure and the sale date directly with the Clerk and Master before bidding.
Source: Van Buren County Elected Officials, Trustee delinquent tax information and Circuit Court Clerk listing· Verified Aug 18, 2026
Van Buren County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Van Buren 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
Sale day
No sale date or sale calendar is 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 Van Buren County Clerk and Master (Chancery Court) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Van Buren 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.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.
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
County notes
- Delinquent taxes are turned over to Chancery Court on April 1st, per the Van Buren County Trustee's page, which confirms the Clerk and Master handles the delinquent tax suit here rather than the Circuit Court Clerk.
- County taxes become delinquent on March 1st and accrue 1.5 percent penalty and interest each month thereafter.
- Property tax notices are mailed in October; the penalty free payment window runs from the first Monday of October through the last day of February of the following year.
- The Clerk and Master office is Tina Shockley, 121 Taft Drive, P.O. Box 153, Spencer, TN 38585, phone (931) 946-7175, open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Current year taxes are collected by the Trustee, Beth Simmons, at 121 Taft Drive, Spencer, TN 38585, phone (931) 946-2263, with mailed payments to Van Buren Co. Trustee, PO Box 176, Spencer, TN 38585. The Trustee does not accept partial payments.
- Van Buren County also has a separately elected Circuit Court Clerk, Lavetta Simmons, (931) 946-2153, but the county describes that office as serving the Sessions, Circuit and Juvenile courts, not the delinquent tax docket.
- The county website has no tax sale page, no sale list, and no auction platform link. The News and Bid Notices pages were both checked and carried no tax sale notice. Treat the sale venue as unconfirmed and call the Clerk and Master.
- The Tennessee state courts directory at tncourts.gov could not be read because it sits behind a JavaScript browser challenge, so no court directory fact is recorded here.
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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County hold tax deed sales?
Van Buren County holds its tax deed sale once a year. No sale date or sale calendar is published online. 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 Van Buren County Clerk and Master (Chancery Court) 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.
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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