Knox 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 Knox County (Knoxville) actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.
C0. Identity
- County seat: Knoxville
- Population: ~478,971 (2020 U.S. Census, FIPS 47093)
- FIPS: 47093
- Recording unit: county
- Parent legal framework: tennessee
- Tax sale type: tax deed (judicial — chancery court in rem proceeding); see tennessee Module 1.
C1. Local Tax Sale
Conducts own sale? Yes. The Chancery Court Clerk and Master of Knox County administers the delinquent-tax auction pursuant to court decree. The Knox County 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, Knox County does NOT use RealAuction, GovEase, Bid4Assets, Zeus Auction, or any other third-party online bidding platform. The sale is conducted at an off-site event venue. (Source: trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
Sale location (Tax Sale 25): The Grande Event Center, 5441 Clinton Hwy., Knoxville, TN 37912. Doors open at 8:00 a.m.; auction begins at 10:00 a.m. If continued, the sale resumes on the continuance date at the City-County Building’s Main Assembly Room, 400 Main Street, Knoxville. (Source: trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
Sale calendar:
- Frequency: Annual (approximately once per year). Knox County has run annual auctions under the “Tax Sale ” naming convention (Tax Sale 23, Tax Sale 24, Tax Sale 25, etc.).
needs_verification— A dedicated multi-sale schedule page was not located; frequency of more than one sale per year was not confirmed. - Next known sale: Tax Sale 25 — June 2, 2026 (with a continuance date of June 16, 2026, if needed). (Source: trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
- Pre-registration deadline: May 29, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. (noon). Same-day registration opens at 8:00 a.m. on sale day.
- Property listing: Tax Sale 25 Website Listing PDF published at property.knoxcounty.org/assets/pdfs/TS25_Website Listing_6_1_26.pdf (linked from trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale).
Registration:
- Pre-registration available online via a JotForm link (provided at trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale); pre-registration closes May 29, 2026 at noon.
- Same-day registration also accepted beginning 8:00 a.m. on sale day.
- All bidders must be fully current on all Knox County property taxes. Delinquent taxpayers are ineligible to participate. (Source: trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
Deposit and payment terms:
- Option 1: Pay the full winning bid in full at the auction.
- Option 2: Pay a deposit equal to the minimum bid PLUS 30% of the winning bid, and sign a promissory note for the balance to be paid in full within 10 days.
- Accepted payment methods: cash, certified funds, cashier’s check, money order, or ACH transfer. Personal checks and wire transfers are NOT accepted. (Source: trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
Delinquent list location:
- Tax Sale 25 property listing published as PDF at property.knoxcounty.org (linked from the Trustee’s tax sale page). URL format:
property.knoxcounty.org/assets/pdfs/TS25_Website Listing_6_1_26.pdf. (Source: trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
Opening bid: Amount of delinquent taxes + penalties + interest + court costs + delinquent-tax attorney fees. See tennessee Module 1.
Bidder disqualifications (from tennessee): A person with a “moral or legal obligation to pay the taxes” on the parcel, and fiduciaries of the taxpayer, are disqualified. Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2501 et seq.
C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption
Where to redeem: Redemption is a chancery court proceeding in Knox County. The redeemer files a Motion to Redeem Property with, and pays the required funds to, the Chancery Court Clerk and Master’s Office (Suite 125, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902; phone: (865) 215-2555). The Knox County Trustee does NOT handle redemptions post-sale.
Redemption periods (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2701(a), applied in Knox County):
| Years delinquent | Redemption period from confirmation order |
|---|---|
| ≤ 5 years | 1 year |
| > 5 but < 8 years | 180 days |
| ≥ 8 years | 90 days |
| Vacant / abandoned | 30 days (purchaser must prove abandonment via 3 inspections over 2 months) |
Cost to redeem: Full minimum bid amount + 12% per annum on the purchaser’s entire purchase price from payment date to date the Motion to Redeem is filed + court costs + 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.
Local fees for redemption motion: needs_verification — The Chancery Court website and Trustee website do not publish a specific filing fee for a Motion to Redeem. Contact the Clerk and Master directly at (865) 215-2555 to confirm the current fee.
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 alongside the state redemption clock.
Deviations from state default: None identified. Knox County follows the standard Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2701 tiered schedule.
C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds
▸ For Investors / Operators — Knox County’s delinquent-tax auction (Tax Sale 25: June 2, 2026 at The Grande Event Center) is in-person only with no online platform; check-in is at 8:00 a.m. and bidding begins at 10:00 a.m. Deposits require either full payment at the auction or a deposit of the minimum bid plus 30% of the winning bid with a promissory note for the balance due within 10 days. All bidders must be current on Knox County property taxes; delinquent taxpayers are barred. The tiered post-sale redemption period (1 year for ≤5 years delinquent, down to 30 days for vacant/abandoned) runs from the confirmation order; the cost to redeem includes 12% per annum on the full purchase price. Chancery Court Local Rule 20 requires a title opinion to be filed with the Clerk and Master at the time of sale.
▸ For Former Owners — Surplus proceeds are a chancery court matter filed as a “Verified Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds” (citing Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2702) in the same Knox County Chancery Court case that produced the sale — Clerk and Master J. Scott Griswold, Suite 125, City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902; (865) 215-2555. The motion must be verified under oath, and a Certificate of Service to all other interested persons is required. There is no fixed filing deadline at the clerk level; funds remain claimable until forwarded to the State under the Unclaimed Property Act, after which they are recoverable from the Tennessee Department of Treasury (treasury.tn.gov/unclaim/).
BUSINESS-CRITICAL: Surplus/excess proceeds in Knox 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 Knox County, Tennessee
- Filing office: Knox County Chancery Court Clerk and Master’s Office
- Address: City-County Building, Suite 125, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
- Phone: (865) 215-2555
- Fax: (865) 215-2920
- Clerk and Master: J. Scott Griswold
- Official website: www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/
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: Verified Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds
- URL: https://www.knoxcounty.org/trustee/taxsale23/MotionClaimExcessSaleProceedsWithStatute.pdf
- Form content (extracted via pdftotext, 2026-06-02): Filed in the Chancery Court for Knox County, Tennessee; captions the specific docket/tax sale/tax ID/parcel number; movant cites Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2702; movant states it is an “interested person” as defined in § 67-5-2502(c)(1)(B) and sets forth basis of claim; must be verified under oath (notarized); Certificate of Service required — a copy of the motion must be served on all other interested persons under Tenn. R. Civ. P. Rule 5 (for pleadings not asserting new claims). (Source: PDF extracted directly from knoxcounty.org/trustee/taxsale23/MotionClaimExcessSaleProceedsWithStatute.pdf, retrieved 2026-06-02. PDF created October 10, 2024.)
- Note: The form has been produced by the Knox County delinquent-tax attorneys and is the official county form. The URL references “taxsale23” but the form text is facially generic and applies to any sale.
Who may file: Any “interested person” — owner-interest holder, lienholder, or lienholder’s assignee — as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2502(c). A tax-sale purchaser may not claim excess proceeds. See tennessee Module 3.
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 unclaimed property division.
Unclaimed-funds list published by county? needs_verification — No running list of pending or unclaimed excess proceeds was located on the official Knox County Chancery Court or Trustee website.
Motion filing fee: needs_verification — No specific filing fee for the Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds was published on the Knox County Chancery Court website (contrast: Davidson County publishes a $75 fee). Contact (865) 215-2555 to confirm.
Contact: Knox County Chancery Court Clerk and Master, (865) 215-2555; chancery.records@knoxcounty.org (for records requests).
C4. Offices & Contacts
| Office | Name | Address | Phone | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trustee (Tax Collector) | Justin Biggs | City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Suite 427, Knoxville, TN 37902; Mail: P.O. Box 70, Knoxville, TN 37901 | (865) 215-2305; Email: trustee@knoxcounty.org | trustee.knoxcounty.org |
| Chancery Court Clerk & Master (Tax Sale + Redemption + Surplus) | J. Scott Griswold | City-County Building, Suite 125, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 | (865) 215-2555; Fax: (865) 215-2920 | www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/ |
| Register of Deeds | Nick McBride | City-County Building, Suite 225, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 | (865) 215-2330; Records: (865) 215-2329 | rod.knoxcounty.org |
| Property Assessor | Phil Ballard | City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 | (865) 215-2360; Personal Property: (865) 215-2362 | property.knoxcounty.org |
| Sheriff | needs_verification | needs_verification | needs_verification | knoxsheriff.org |
Note on Sheriff’s role: Tennessee delinquent property tax sales are conducted by the Chancery Court Clerk and Master — not the Sheriff. Knox County mortgage foreclosures are primarily non-judicial (power-of-sale under deed of trust, administered by the trustee named in the deed of trust). The Sheriff’s role in property sales is not confirmed from retrieved sources.
Trustee satellite offices: The Knox County Trustee operates six locations: downtown (Suite 427, 400 Main St.), East Town Crossing (4734 Centerline Drive, Knoxville, 37917; (865) 258-3516), North Knoxville/Crossroads Centre (7328 Norris Freeway, Knoxville TN 37918; (865) 215-3461), Cedar Bluff (9000 Executive Park Drive, Building/Suite A301; (865) 215-8555), Chapman Plaza (7339 Chapman Highway; (865) 577-3680; seasonal Oct–Apr), Farragut Towne Hall (11408 Municipal Center Drive, 1st Floor; (865) 966-6611). Source: trustee.knoxcounty.org/about/locations, retrieved 2026-06-02.
C5. Local Procedure Notes
In-person-only sale: Knox County conducts its delinquent-tax auction as an in-person public event at a dedicated event venue (The Grande Event Center for Tax Sale 25). No online bidding platform was identified.
Annual cadence, numbered series: Knox County uses a numbered “Tax Sale” designation (Tax Sale 23, 24, 25…) suggesting at least annual sales. The pace and frequency of more than one sale per year is needs_verification.
Deposit / promissory note option: Unlike Davidson County (which requires full payment by the following Friday), Knox County allows a 10-day payment window with a promissory note, secured by a deposit of minimum bid + 30% of the winning bid.
Delinquent taxpayer ineligibility: Knox County explicitly requires that all bidders be fully current on property taxes — delinquent taxpayers are ineligible. This is a local application of the state statutory principle (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2501 et seq.).
Court records not online: Knox County Chancery Court records are not currently available online. Records requests must be submitted in writing with proof of Tennessee residency to chancery.records@knoxcounty.org. (Source: www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/records_gen_info.php, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
Local Rule 21 — judicial sales: Knox County Chancery Local Rule 21 provides that when the court orders a sale “according to law,” the Clerk and Master shall conduct proceedings per Tenn. Code Ann. § 35-5-101 et seq., with sales at the City-County Building and requiring cash payment (10% down, balance within 30 days). needs_verification — Whether Rule 21 applies to delinquent-tax sales specifically or only to other judicial sales (such as partition/mortgage) is not confirmed; the delinquent-tax framework is primarily governed by Title 67, Chapter 5, not Title 35 Chapter 5. (Source: www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/local_rules.php, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
Title opinion required: Knox County Chancery Local Rule 20 requires that upon any order directing real property sale, “the Clerk and Master shall cause to be filed a title opinion issued by an attorney,” with examination costs taxed as court costs. (Source: www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/local_rules.php, retrieved 2026-06-02.)
C6. Records Access
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Parcel / property records search (Assessor) | propertyinfo.knoxcountytn.gov/search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=realprop |
| GIS map / parcel viewer (KGIS — City of Knoxville, Knox County, KUB joint) | www.kgis.org/kgismaps/map.htm |
| Tax payment portal (Trustee) | propertytax.knoxcountytn.gov/lookup/property-tax |
| Register of Deeds — deed search (legacy) | rod.knoxcounty.org |
| Register of Deeds — Fraud Alert subscription | alertme.knoxrod.org |
| Tax sale property listing (Tax Sale 25, PDF) | property.knoxcounty.org/assets/pdfs/TS25_Website%20Listing_6_1_26.pdf |
| Tax sale page (Trustee) | trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale |
| Excess proceeds form | www.knoxcounty.org/trustee/taxsale23/MotionClaimExcessSaleProceedsWithStatute.pdf |
| State unclaimed property (post-escheat) | treasury.tn.gov/unclaim/ |
C7. Meta
Parent state: tennessee Last verified: 2026-06-02 Confidence: 0.88 Completeness score: 0.82 Gap score: 8
Sources retrieved:
| Type | URL | Retrieved | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| official | https://trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/tax-sale | 2026-06-02 | Tax Sale 25 details: date (June 2, 2026), location (The Grande Event Center), registration, deposit, payment methods, bidder eligibility, property listing link |
| official | https://trustee.knoxcounty.org/ | 2026-06-02 | Trustee Justin Biggs; main office 400 Main St Suite 427; phone (865) 215-2305; satellite locations overview |
| official | https://trustee.knoxcounty.org/about/locations | 2026-06-02 | All six Trustee satellite office addresses and phone numbers |
| official | https://trustee.knoxcounty.org/services/pay-taxes/ | 2026-06-02 | Tax payment portal propertytax.knoxcountytn.gov/lookup/property-tax confirmed; payment methods; P.O. Box 70 Knoxville TN 37901 |
| official | https://www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/ | 2026-06-02 | Chancery Court overview; Suite 125, (865) 215-2555 confirmed; links to forms, rules, records |
| official | https://www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/clerk_master.php | 2026-06-02 | Clerk and Master J. Scott Griswold; address Suite 125, (865) 215-2555 confirmed |
| official | https://www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/departments.php | 2026-06-02 | Detailed department contacts for Chancery and Probate; “Delinquent Tax Sale” listed as contact category but no direct number published |
| official | https://www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/local_rules.php | 2026-06-02 | Local Rule 20 (title opinion required), Rule 21 (judicial sales per § 35-5-101) extracted |
| official | https://www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/records_gen_info.php | 2026-06-02 | Records not online; chancery.records@knoxcounty.org confirmed |
| official | https://www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/filing_information.php | 2026-06-02 | Filing by hand delivery, mail, or fax; fee schedules separate |
| official | https://www.knoxcounty.org/chancery/forms.php | 2026-06-02 | General court forms listed; no tax sale-specific forms on this page |
| official_pdf | https://www.knoxcounty.org/trustee/taxsale23/MotionClaimExcessSaleProceedsWithStatute.pdf | 2026-06-02 | Full text extracted via pdftotext; “Verified Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds” form citing § 67-5-2702; notarization required; Certificate of Service required; created October 10, 2024 |
| official | https://rod.knoxcounty.org/ | 2026-06-02 | Register of Deeds Nick McBride; Suite 225, 400 Main St; (865) 215-2330; legacy deed search; alertme.knoxrod.org fraud alert |
| official | https://property.knoxcounty.org/ | 2026-06-02 | Assessor Phil Ballard; (865) 215-2360; propertyinfo.knoxcountytn.gov confirmed |
| official | https://propertyinfo.knoxcountytn.gov/search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=realprop | 2026-06-02 | Parcel search portal confirmed (under maintenance at time of retrieval but URL confirmed from assessor site) |
| official | https://www.kgis.org/kgismaps/map.htm | 2026-06-02 | KGIS Maps — joint City of Knoxville / Knox County / KUB GIS tool; parcel search and aerial imagery confirmed |
needs_verification (8 remaining — all Row 2):
- Sale frequency: whether Knox County holds more than one delinquent-tax auction per year (only annual sales confirmed from retrieved sources)
- Filing fee for Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds (no fee amount published on official website — confirmed by failed search of fee schedules page; contrast Davidson County’s published $75)
- Filing fee for Motion to Redeem (not published online)
- Knox County Sheriff’s full name, address, and phone (knoxsheriff.org returned 403; name not extracted)
- Whether a running public list of pending unclaimed excess proceeds is maintained and published by Knox County
- Whether Knox County Chancery Court Local Rule 21 (sales per § 35-5-101) applies to delinquent-tax sales specifically or only other judicial sales
- Tax Sale 25 Terms and Conditions PDF (URL returned 404 on the version from trustee site; document exists but not successfully retrieved for full deposit/payment terms verification)
- Whether the excess-proceeds form at the taxsale23 URL is still the current operative form for Tax Sale 25 (URL includes “taxsale23” but form text appears generic; confirm with Chancery Court)
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, davidson-tn, shelby-tn
Changelog:
- 2026-06-02: Page created. Research conducted against official Knox County Trustee, Chancery Court, Register of Deeds, and Assessor websites. Tax Sale 25 confirmed: June 2, 2026, in-person at The Grande Event Center, with 10-day promissory note payment option. Excess-proceeds form (“Verified Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds”) extracted in full from the official PDF at knoxcounty.org/trustee/taxsale23/ — form cites § 67-5-2702, requires notarization and certificate of service. Clerk and Master (J. Scott Griswold), Register of Deeds (Nick McBride), Trustee (Justin Biggs), and Assessor (Phil Ballard) contact details confirmed from primary sources. GIS portal (KGIS) and parcel search (propertyinfo.knoxcountytn.gov) confirmed. Eight remaining gaps are Row 2 (needs_verification) only.
▸ For Investors / Operators — Knox County’s delinquent-tax auction (Tax Sale 25: June 2, 2026 at The Grande Event Center) is in-person only with no online platform; check-in is at 8:00 a.m. and bidding begins at 10:00 a.m. Deposits require either full payment at the auction or a deposit of the minimum bid plus 30% of the winning bid with a promissory note for the balance due within 10 days. All bidders must be current on Knox County property taxes; delinquent taxpayers are barred. The tiered post-sale redemption period (1 year for ≤5 years delinquent, down to 30 days for vacant/abandoned) runs from the confirmation order; the cost to redeem includes 12% per annum on the full purchase price. Chancery Court Local Rule 20 requires a title opinion to be filed with the Clerk and Master at the time of sale.
▸ For Former Owners — Surplus proceeds are a chancery court matter filed as a “Verified Motion to Claim Excess Sale Proceeds” (citing Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2702) in the same Knox County Chancery Court case that produced the sale — Clerk and Master J. Scott Griswold, Suite 125, City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902; (865) 215-2555. The motion must be verified under oath, and a Certificate of Service to all other interested persons is required. There is no fixed filing deadline at the clerk level; funds remain claimable until forwarded to the State under the Unclaimed Property Act, after which they are recoverable from the Tennessee Department of Treasury (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.