St. Louis city, Missouri Tax Sales

Counties / Missouri counties / St. Louis city

Quick answerSt. Louis city, Missouri follows Missouri tax sale law: the state sells tax lien certificates for delinquent property taxes. Rate / penalty: Interest at the rate specified in the certificate of purchase, not to exceed 10% per annum, on the purchase money up to the delinquent taxes plus costs of sale (no intere… Redemption: 1 year from the date of sale for first- and second-offering parcels (RSMo 140.340), with a defeasible right to redeem thereafter until the purchaser a… LienToDeed is verifying this county's own sale-list source; the state rules below are the law that governs its sales.

How tax sales work in St. Louis city, Missouri

Missouri law controls every tax sale in St. Louis city — the county runs the sale, but what is sold, what it pays and how long the owner can redeem are all set by the state:

What Missouri sells	Tax lien certificates
Interest / penalty	Interest at the rate specified in the certificate of purchase, not to exceed 10% per annum, on the purchase money up to the delinquent taxes plus costs of sale (no interest is owed on any amount bid in excess of taxes plus costs); subsequent taxes paid by the purchaser earn 8% per annum (RSMo 140.340). Bidding is by premium (highest bid), not by bidding the rate down.
Redemption period	1 year from the date of sale for first- and second-offering parcels (RSMo 140.340), with a defeasible right to redeem thereafter until the purchaser actually acquires the collector's deed; parcels sold at a third offering are sold with no right of redemption.
When sales happen	Annual county collector's sale on the fourth Monday in August (RSMo 140.170). Jackson County and the City of St. Louis instead use judicial delinquent land tax sales under RSMo ch. 141 on court-set schedules.
Governing law	Revised Statutes of Missouri ch. 140 (esp. 140.170, 140.190, 140.340); ch. 141 for Jackson County / City of St. Louis judicial sales
County (Census)	St. Louis city — independent city, Missouri · FIPS 29510

Non-Missouri residents must appoint a Missouri resident agent and all buyers must file an affidavit that they are not delinquent on taxes. A purchaser who fails to take a tax deed within 6 months after the 1-year redemption period stops earning interest against a later redeemer (RSMo 140.340.4).

The process, step by step

1 · The list publishes. Missouri sales run on this rhythm: Annual county collector's sale on the fourth Monday in August (RSMo 140.170). Jackson County and the City of St. Louis instead use judicial delinquent land tax sales under RSMo ch. The county's sale list — the parcels actually being sold — is published ahead of the sale by the county office that runs it, and in many Missouri counties also through the state's sale channels (Mostly in-person at the county courthouse; some counties run the sale online via GovEase (e.g., Clay County), St. Louis County takes sealed bids through its Collector of Revenue, and ch. 141 sales are sheriff / land-tax sale proceedings. No single statewide platform.).

2 · Register and fund — before sale day. Registration and bidder deposits are handled by the county or its sale platform and close before the sale, in most counties the day before. The amount and ID requirements are set in the county's own sale notice, not in state law — confirm them on the current published notice before you rely on them.

3 · Research every parcel. Compare the taxes owed against assessed value and recorded sales, check property type and occupancy signals, and price in the state's redemption rule above: it decides whether your money comes back with the statutory return, or your path runs to the property itself.

4 · Bid the number you wrote down. Set your max bid (deeds) or floor rate (liens) from the research, before the sale opens. The state's return is paid on the tax obligation — not on whatever extra a bidding war adds on top of it.

5 · After the sale. Owners redeem inside the window above; lists change as they do. Track the parcels you care about, because a watched property redeeming or withdrawing is information you want before — not after — you wire a deposit for the next sale.

What St. Louis city publishes — and our verification status

Under Missouri law, the county publishes its sale list as a public record ahead of each sale. What we have not done is guess at this county's exact channel: which office posts the list, in what format, and on what posting schedule are being verified county by county against the county's own publications. Until that check is complete, this page carries the verified state rules — not a live St. Louis city sale list — and says so plainly.

Coverage status: St. Louis city — verification in progress

Alerts activate county by county as each county's published list is verified. Join the Missouri watchlist and you are first in line when St. Louis city alerts switch on — plus you get the free Missouri sale calendar and law guide today.

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County facts (name, state, FIPS 29510) from the US Census Bureau county list; state rules verified 2026-10-30 — sources on the Missouri law page. Educational only, not investment advice.