Davidson County, Tennessee — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

Local operations layer. The legal framework (redemption periods, surplus rights, statutes, case law) lives on the parent page → tennessee. This page covers how Davidson County (Metropolitan Nashville) actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

• County seat: Nashville (also the state capital)
• Population: approximately 729,500 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate; source: tnsdc.utk.edu — Davidson County added 10,413 residents from July 2023 to July 2024, the most growth of any Tennessee county)
• FIPS: 47037
• Recording unit: county (consolidated metropolitan government — the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, established by charter in 1963, is the only full city-county consolidation in Tennessee)
• Parent legal framework: tennessee
• Tax sale type: tax deed (judicial — chancery court in rem proceeding); see tennessee Module 1.
• Governance note: Davidson County and the City of Nashville share a consolidated metropolitan government (“Metro Nashville”). Four small municipalities retain independent charters within county boundaries: Belle Meade, Berry Hill, Forest Hills, and Goodlettsville (the portion in Davidson County). This consolidation does not alter the Tennessee statutory tax-sale framework, but all Metro Nashville delinquent taxes are collected and litigated through the Metropolitan Government’s trustee and chancery court.

C1. Local Tax Sale

Conducts own sale? Yes. The Chancery Court Clerk and Master of Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County administers the delinquent-tax auction pursuant to court decree. The Metropolitan Trustee collects taxes and certifies delinquents; the delinquent-tax attorney files suit in chancery court; upon court order, the Clerk and Master conducts the public sale.

Platform: In-person public auction only. As of the date of this research, Davidson County does NOT use RealAuction, GovEase, Bid4Assets, Zeus Auction, or any other third-party online bidding platform. Absentee (remote) bidding is not permitted. Proxy bidding is permitted if an Authorization to Bid form is completed prior to registration (form available at the schedule page linked below).

• Sale location: Jury Assembly Room, Ground Floor, Metropolitan Davidson County Courthouse, One Public Square, Nashville, TN 37201. (Confirmed from primary source: property tax sale notice document retrieved directly from chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov, January 2025 sale listing.)
• Clerk & Master office / payment address: 1 Public Square, Suite 308, Nashville, TN 37201

Sale calendar:

• Frequency: Approximately monthly from June through January; typically 7–8 sales per year (June–December with a January sale). The office’s published schedule for 2026–2027 lists the following dates (all subject to change):

• Calendar source: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/fees/property-tax-schedule/
• “All dates are subject to change.” — Verify before attending.

Publication of delinquent list:

• Notices are published in the Tennessee Ledger (formerly Nashville Ledger) approximately 5–7 days before the publication cut-off date shown in the schedule above. After the ad proof is submitted, properties cannot be removed from the list.
• Each published notice includes the statutory mandate: sold “for delinquent real property taxes, penalties, interest, court costs, attorney’s fees, and other liens of the Metropolitan Government” (per Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2501, as recited verbatim in the county’s sale notices).
• Current sale lists (PDF and Word format) are linked from the schedule page as each sale approaches.
• Example prior-sale list: June 17, 2023 Tax Sale List (PDF)
• No advance delinquent list available: The official schedule page confirms no pre-publication downloadable inventory exists. The site states “A POTENTIAL PURCHASER IS STRONGLY URGED TO RESEARCH PARCELS BEFORE THE AUCTION” and directs buyers to conduct their own research. No CSV or advance list tool comparable to Shelby County’s was located. (Source: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/fees/property-tax-schedule/, retrieved 2026-06-02.)

Registration and deposit requirements:

• Registration opens at 11:00 a.m. and closes promptly at 12:00 noon on sale day (at the courthouse).
• All persons listed on any anticipated conveyance document must be present and complete the bidder registration form. No pre-registration before sale day.
• No pre-bid deposit required — full payment is due by the following Friday at 12:00 p.m. in cashier’s check only (drawn on U.S. banks or credit unions). Credit cards and foreign-bank checks are not accepted. No financing is available.
• Payment deadline applies regardless of sale day: The official page states verbatim: “THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER (PURCHASER) AT A TAX SALE HAS UNTIL FRIDAY BY 12:00pm” — this applies whether the sale occurs on a Monday, Wednesday, or other weekday. (Source: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/fees/delinquent-tax-sales/, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
• Source: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/fees/delinquent-tax-sales/

Proxy/corporate bidder requirements:

• Proxy: An Authorization to Bid form must be completed prior to registration (form available at chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/authorization-to-bid-form.pdf).
• Individual bidding for another individual: Recorded Power of Attorney required.
• Corporate bidder: Proof of corporate eligibility — one of the following: Secretary of State printout showing active/good standing, Certificate of Existence issued within the past year, corporate charter, or annual minutes.

Bidder disqualifications (inherited from tennessee): A person with a “moral or legal obligation to pay the taxes” on the parcel and fiduciaries of the taxpayer are disqualified from bidding. Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2501 et seq.

Opening bid: Amount of delinquent taxes due + accrued penalties + interest + attorney’s fees + court costs. If no third party bids higher, the Metropolitan Government takes the property.

Purchaser liability for subsequent taxes: A purchaser becomes liable for ad valorem taxes assessed beginning with the year of purchase and for subsequent years so long as they own the property (per sale notice terms). This aligns with the state-law “lawful charges” framework at Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2701(e).

Delinquent interest/penalty rate: Metropolitan Nashville does not set a local delinquent-interest or penalty rate separate from the state statutory default. The Metropolitan Trustee’s website states delinquent taxes are “subject to interest under the law of the State of Tennessee.” The state rate is set annually by the Tennessee Commissioner of Revenue under Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-1-801; the rate for 7/1/2025–6/30/2026 is 11.50% per annum. No local ordinance deviation was found. (Sources: nashville.gov/departments/trustee/real-property-taxes retrieved 2026-06-02; mtas.tennessee.edu/reference/interest-rate-delinquent-taxes retrieved 2026-06-02.)

C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption

Where to redeem: Redemption is a chancery court proceeding. The redeemer must file a Motion to Redeem Property with and pay the required funds to the Chancery Court Clerk and Master’s Office, 1 Public Square, Suite 308, Nashville, TN 37201. The Metropolitan Trustee does NOT handle redemptions.

Redemption periods (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2701(a), applicable in Davidson County):

Cost to redeem: Full minimum bid amount + 12% per annum on the purchaser’s entire purchase price from payment date to the date the Motion to Redeem is filed + court costs and any court-ordered lawful charges (additional taxes paid, reasonable improvements, HOA dues, etc.) asserted by the purchaser within 30 days of notice of redemption. Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2701(b),(d),(e). See tennessee Module 2 for the complete lawful-charges list.

Local filing fee for Motion to Redeem: needs_verification — The Chancery Clerk and Master’s website does not publish a specific dollar amount for the redemption motion filing fee (the $75 fee is confirmed for the Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds, but the redemption motion fee is not stated online). Contact the Clerk and Master’s office at (615) 862-5712 (Jeff Stafford, Delinquent Tax – Real Property) to confirm the current fee.

Procedure (as described on official Chancery Clerk website):

1. Contact the Chancery Clerk and Master’s office to obtain the calculation of the required redemption amount.
2. Complete the Motion to Redeem Property form (available at chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/Motion-to-Redeem-Property-a.pdf).
3. File the motion and pay the required amount to the Clerk and Master.
4. The office sends notice of the redemption proceeding to the purchaser.
5. Purchaser may protest redemption or file a claim for lawful charges within 30 days.
6. On an order declaring redemption complete, a Decree of Redemption is issued; the redeemer picks up a certified copy approximately 14 days later and records it with the Register of Deeds.

Contact for redemption: Chancery Clerk and Master, Delinquent Tax (Real Property): Jeff Stafford, (615) 862-5712. Main office: (615) 862-5710.

Federal IRS redemption overlay: If the IRS holds a lien, the federal government retains a 120-day right of redemption from the sale date (26 U.S.C. § 7425). This runs independently of and alongside the state redemption clock.

Deviations from state default: None identified. Davidson County follows the standard Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2701 tiered schedule without local modification.

C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds

BUSINESS-CRITICAL: Surplus/excess proceeds in Davidson County are a chancery court matter. Claims are filed as motions in the same court case that produced the sale — not with the Trustee, Sheriff, or any administrative office.

Claim filing venue:

• Court: Chancery Court for Davidson County, Tennessee
• Filing office: Chancery Court Clerk and Master’s Office — Tax Sale Department
• Address: 1 Public Square, Suite 308, Nashville, TN 37201
• Phone: (615) 862-5710; Delinquent Tax (Real Property) direct: Jeff Stafford, (615) 862-5712
• Fax: (615) 862-5722
• Clerk and Master: Maria M. Salas (reappointed to a second term December 1, 2021)
• Official website: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov

Statutory authority: Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2702(a) — “any interested person” may file a motion in the chancery court in which the delinquent-tax proceeding is pending. See tennessee Module 3 for the full waterfall.

Claim form:

• Name: Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds
• URL: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/Motion-to-Claim-Excess-Sale-Proceeds-a.pdf
• The form is a court pleading (not a simple administrative form); it was created by the Clerk and Master’s office. Text of the form (retrieved directly): movant cites Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2702 and requests disbursement from the specific case (identified by case number, map/parcel number, and name under which the property was sold). Movant states the basis of claim (taxpayer/owner, lienholder, heir, etc.) and attaches supporting documentation.
• The form is signed by the movant; a certificate of service on all parties to the underlying tax sale is required.

Excess Sale Proceeds Information Sheet:

• URL: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/excess-sale-proceeds-information-sheet-revised-12.30.25.pdf
• Revised: December 31, 2025 (by Christy Daniel, Clerk & Master’s office). This is the most current guidance document as of this research.
• Key content extracted from this document (retrieved directly):
  • The procedure is set forth in Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2702 and requires filing a motion with the Court.
  • Filing fee: $75.00 (must be paid when the motion is filed).
  • The motion must be signed and provide a mailing address, daytime phone number, and email address.
  • A copy of the motion must be served on all parties to the tax sale action no later than 30 days prior to the hearing date.
  • The motion must identify all persons/entities claiming an interest and specify the basis of claim.
  • Supporting documentation should be attached; examples previously filed: deed, property tax receipt, mortgage record, driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID.
  • The Clerk and Master’s Office cannot confirm what documentation is sufficient; it recommends seeking an attorney.

Who may file: Any “interested person” — owner-interest holder, lienholder, or lienholder’s assignee — at the time of the tax sale (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2502(c)). A tax-sale purchaser may not claim excess proceeds.

Local deadline: A motion may be filed until the funds are forwarded to the State under the Unclaimed Property Act. The abandonment presumption does not arise until the final determination of all redemption/excess-proceeds motions or one year after the redemption period expires, whichever is later (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2702(c)(5)). After escheat, funds are reclaimable from the Tennessee Department of Treasury (state unclaimed property division) at treasury.tn.gov/unclaim/ or (866) 370-9429.

Additional forms related to excess proceeds / redemption:

• Redemption Response Seeking Additional Funds (for purchasers asserting lawful charges): chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/Redemption-Response-Seeking-Additional-Funds-05102019-a.pdf

Unclaimed-list published by county? No standalone surplus/excess-proceeds list is published by Davidson County or its Chancery Court. needs_verification — No running list of pending or unclaimed excess proceeds was located on the official Chancery Court website. Metro Nashville’s Finance Department maintains a separate Metro unclaimed property program (covering uncashed Metro vendor/payroll checks — not tax-sale surplus). For state-level unclaimed property (where escheated excess proceeds ultimately land): treasury.tn.gov/unclaim/ or (866) 370-9429.

Contact for excess proceeds: Chancery Court Clerk and Master, Jeff Stafford (Delinquent Tax – Real Property), (615) 862-5712; main line (615) 862-5710.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Davidson County holds in-person chancery court tax auctions approximately monthly from June through January at the Jury Assembly Room, Ground Floor, One Public Square, Nashville. Registration opens at 11:00 a.m. and closes at 12:00 noon on sale day; full payment by cashier’s check is due by the following Friday at 12:00 p.m. with no exceptions. Proxy bidding requires a completed Authorization to Bid form; corporate bidders must produce Secretary of State proof of good standing. The opening bid is all delinquent taxes plus accrued penalties, interest, attorney’s fees, and court costs. The tiered redemption period (1 year if ≤5 years delinquent; 180 days if >5 but <8 years; 90 days if ≥8 years; 30 days for vacant/abandoned) runs from the confirmation order and accrues 12% per annum on the purchaser’s full purchase price.

▸ For Former Owners — Excess proceeds from a Davidson County tax sale are a chancery court matter — file a “Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds” ($75 filing fee) with the Chancery Court Clerk and Master, 1 Public Square, Suite 308, Nashville, TN 37201 ((615) 862-5710; Jeff Stafford direct (615) 862-5712). The motion must be served on all parties to the tax sale no later than 30 days before the hearing and must identify the basis of claim with supporting documentation. Funds not claimed before the abandonment presumption date — the later of one year after the redemption period expires or final determination of all motions — transfer to the Tennessee Department of Treasury unclaimed property division (treasury.tn.gov/unclaim/).

C4. Offices & Contacts

Note on Sheriff’s role: The Sheriff does not conduct the delinquent property tax sale — that is entirely the Chancery Court Clerk and Master’s function. The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office Civil Division conducts court-ordered civil judgment sales (seized personal property). Mortgage foreclosures in Tennessee are primarily non-judicial (power-of-sale under deed of trust, administered by the trustee named in the deed of trust) and generally do not involve the Sheriff in Davidson County.

Sheriff name source: Daron Hall has served as Davidson County Sheriff since 2002; elected to his sixth term in 2022 and running unopposed for a seventh term in 2026. (Source: sheriff.nashville.gov/meet-sheriff-hall/, retrieved 2026-06-02.)

C5. Local Procedure Notes

In-person-only sale: Unlike Shelby County (which moved to Zeus Auction / SRI online platform in 2024), Davidson County continues to hold all tax sales as in-person public auctions at the courthouse. No online bidding platform has been adopted as of this research.

Monthly cadence June–January: Davidson County holds approximately 7–8 sales per year (roughly monthly, June through January). This is higher frequency than most smaller Tennessee counties. The volume reflects Nashville’s large and growing tax roll and ongoing gentrification producing significant surplus bids.

No standard excess-proceeds form beyond the model motion: The office’s published “Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds” is a model legal pleading, not a simple fill-in form. The Information Sheet (revised December 31, 2025) states the office cannot advise on sufficiency of documentation and recommends using an attorney.

Payment deadline is Friday by noon: Winning bidders must deliver full payment (cashier’s check) to Suite 308 by Friday at 12:00 p.m. following the sale. The official page states verbatim: “THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER (PURCHASER) AT A TAX SALE HAS UNTIL FRIDAY BY 12:00pm.” This deadline applies universally regardless of which day of the week the auction is held. (Source: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/fees/delinquent-tax-sales/, retrieved 2026-06-02.)

New Local Rules effective June 1, 2026: New Local Rules for the Trial Courts of the Twentieth Judicial District — including companion Davidson County Chancery Court Electronic Filing Rules — became effective June 1, 2026. The announcements section of chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov confirms adoption and the June 1, 2026 effective date. An e-filing transaction fee of $5.00 per filing applies (capped at$50.00 per party per case under T.C.A. § 8-21-401(o)). needs_verification — The full text of the new Local Rules and Electronic Filing Rules was not retrieved; it is not confirmed whether e-filing is now mandatory or optional for surplus/redemption motions specifically. Contact the Clerk’s office or download from chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov to confirm.

Metropolitan Government consolidation: Because Nashville and Davidson County merged their governments in 1963, the “Metropolitan Government” is both the tax-collecting entity and the nominal governmental lienholder in the tax suit. All references to “the county” and “the city” in the statutory framework apply to Metro Nashville as a single entity.

Delinquent taxes → Chancery handoff: Per the Metropolitan Trustee’s own website, delinquent real property taxes unpaid by the last day of February accrue interest; the Trustee’s Collections division processes delinquent accounts “from March through the following February,” after which “delinquent taxes are then collected by the Clerk and Master’s office.” Source: nashville.gov/departments/trustee/real-property-taxes.

“In rem” proceeding: All properties are sold pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2501 (cited verbatim on every sale notice), for “delinquent real property taxes, interest, court costs, attorney’s fees, and other liens of the Metropolitan Government,” subject to the equity of redemption.

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

Parent state: tennessee Last verified: 2026-06-02 Confidence: 0.94 Completeness score: 0.93 Gap score: 3

Sources retrieved:

needs_verification (3 remaining — all Row 2):

• Exact dollar amount of the filing fee for a Motion to Redeem Property (the $75 fee is confirmed for excess proceeds; redemption motion fee not published online — contact Jeff Stafford at (615) 862-5712)
• Whether the new Davidson County Chancery Court Electronic Filing Rules effective June 1, 2026 make e-filing mandatory or merely optional for excess-proceeds and redemption motions specifically (new rules confirmed adopted; full text not retrieved)
• Whether the Chancery Court maintains a running public list of pending unclaimed excess proceeds (no such published list was located on the official website)

Cross-links: tennessee, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, tyler-v-hennepin-county, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, scra-protections, federal-tax-lien-redemption, heirs-property, third-party-recovery-rules

Changelog:

• 2026-06-02: Page created. Research conducted against official Metropolitan Nashville Chancery Clerk and Master, Metropolitan Trustee, Register of Deeds, Property Assessor, and Sheriff websites. Excess-proceeds information sheet (revised 12/30/2025) retrieved and text extracted directly — $75 filing fee confirmed. Sale location (Jury Assembly Room, Ground Floor, One Public Square) confirmed from primary tax sale notice PDF. 2026–2027 sale calendar confirmed from official schedule page.
• 2026-06-02 (gap-close pass): Sheriff name confirmed as Daron Hall from sheriff.nashville.gov/meet-sheriff-hall/ (removes 1 needs_verification). Friday-noon payment deadline confirmed verbatim from official delinquent-tax-sales page — applies regardless of sale day (removes 1 needs_verification). No local interest/penalty rate deviation confirmed from Metropolitan Trustee and MTAS sources — state T.C.A. § 67-1-801 rate applies (11.50% for 7/1/2025–6/30/2026) (removes 1 needs_verification). No advance delinquent list confirmed from schedule page (resolves 1 needs_verification). New local rules effective June 1, 2026 confirmed from main Chancery site (resolves needs_verification — detail of mandatory vs. optional e-filing for motions remains needs_verification). Broken unclaimed-property wiki-link removed from cross-links (no concept page exists in wiki; plain text references retained) (removes 2 Row-7 points). Net: gap_score reduced from 9 to 3 (all remaining points are Row 2).

▸ For Investors / Operators — Davidson County holds in-person chancery court tax auctions approximately monthly from June through January at the Jury Assembly Room, Ground Floor, One Public Square, Nashville. Registration opens at 11:00 a.m. and closes at 12:00 noon on sale day; full payment by cashier’s check is due by the following Friday at 12:00 p.m. with no exceptions. Proxy bidding requires a completed Authorization to Bid form; corporate bidders must produce Secretary of State proof of good standing. The opening bid is all delinquent taxes plus accrued penalties, interest, attorney’s fees, and court costs. The tiered redemption period (1 year if ≤5 years delinquent; 180 days if >5 but <8 years; 90 days if ≥8 years; 30 days for vacant/abandoned) runs from the confirmation order and accrues 12% per annum on the purchaser’s full purchase price.

▸ For Former Owners — Excess proceeds from a Davidson County tax sale are a chancery court matter — file a “Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds” ($75 filing fee) with the Chancery Court Clerk and Master, 1 Public Square, Suite 308, Nashville, TN 37201 ((615) 862-5710; Jeff Stafford direct (615) 862-5712). The motion must be served on all parties to the tax sale no later than 30 days before the hearing and must identify the basis of claim with supporting documentation. Funds not claimed before the abandonment presumption date — the later of one year after the redemption period expires or final determination of all motions — transfer to the Tennessee Department of Treasury unclaimed property division (treasury.tn.gov/unclaim/).

Disclaimer: This page contains legal information, not legal advice. Laws, procedures, deadlines, and contact details change. Verify all information against current official sources before acting. Consult a licensed Tennessee attorney for advice specific to your situation. The authors of this wiki assume no liability for errors or omissions.