The List of Lands: County-direct Sales & Lien Survival

Some of the more common questions we receive from tax deed investors involve the list of lands and escheatment tax deeds. In this post we breakdown what the investor needs to know about purchasing tax deeds from the list of lands.

What is the List of Lands?

If there are no bidders at the public sale for the tax deed, the certificate holder is given the option to pay the remaining balance and take ownership of the property or pay the costs to re-list the property at a subsequent auction.

If the certificate holder neglects to do either within 30 days after the original public auction, the Clerk will add the property to a list entitled “lands available for taxes.” These properties can be purchased ‘over the counter’ for the minimum bid advertised by the Clerk.

What about the liens?

If a property is purchased off the list of lands, the same rules apply as if the property had been sold at auction, as far as lien survival. In general, the majority of liens and interests such as mortgages and judgments are extinguished by the tax deed sale, but the county and municipal liens remain. Any easement and covenants that run with the land also stay attached, just as if the property was purchased at auction.

What is an Escheatment tax deed?

After the property has sat on the list of lands for at least three years from the date of the original public auction, the land will escheat to the county free and clear. The Clerk will execute an escheatment tax deed to the Board of County Commissioners and liens of any nature will be deemed canceled as matter of law. Easements and covenants that run with the land will still remain attached.

Purchasing the escheatment tax deed is the only way we have seen to extinguish the existing governmental interests by operation of the sale itself.

Visit our YouTube channel to see our principal attorney address this topic in an episode of our educational video series: Tax Deed Law Made Simple