Unsold Certificates of Delinquency: how it works
Over the counter purchase of unsold certificates of delinquency from the county clerk
Any certificate of delinquency that goes unpaid at the annual sale may be paid to the county clerk at any time afterward by any person, provided it is not under a payment plan with the department or the county attorney and is not known to be in litigation. The buyer must hold a current Department of Revenue certificate of registration if KRS 134.129 requires one, and must register with the county clerk and pay that county's registration fee, up to the 250 dollar annual maximum, if not already registered there for the calendar year. There is a separate and earlier route into certificates the taxing jurisdictions still own: ninety days after the sheriff files the tax claims with the clerk, any person may pay the total amount due on such a certificate. Certificates that reach the clerk too late to make the annual sale are held until the next year's sale, and in the meantime only the KRS 134.127(1)(a) insiders may pay them.
Does Kentucky publish a lands-available list?
Kentucky maintains no lands available list. Where an action on a certificate of delinquency leaves the state, county, and taxing districts owning the land, the commissioner's designated agent may advertise and sell it at public sale, with notice posted at the courthouse door for fifteen days and published under KRS Chapter 424, and the taxpayer may redeem right up until the deed is delivered.
This route skips the live auction, which means these are the parcels nobody bid on, so the due diligence matters even more. Every state names this inventory differently, and the state-held and struck-off land table maps each local name to the same mechanism. The over-the-counter guide has the cross-state playbook.
Verified Aug 28, 2026 against Kentucky 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.