Davidson County, TN
Nashville Chancery Court tax sale at the Davidson County Courthouse, Nov 18 — registration 11 a.m. to noon
Nashville's delinquent property tax sales are run by the Chancery Court Clerk and Master, usually once a month from June to December. Two of this autumn's dates, September 14 and October 21, were cancelled, and the published schedule now lists November 18 and December 16, 2026, then January 20, 2027, each advertised in the Tennessee Ledger and Mainstreet Media a few weeks earlier (October 30 for the November sale). Sales are held in the Jury Assembly Room on the ground floor of the Metropolitan Davidson County Courthouse, One Public Square. Registration runs from 11:00 a.m. to noon on the day and the auction starts at noon. Everyone who will be named on the deed must be there and fill in the bidder form; a proxy needs a recorded power of attorney, and a company needs proof it's in good standing. There's no absentee bidding, no credit cards and no financing — the full bid is due by cashier's check, drawn on a U.S. bank, to the Clerk and Master (Suite 308) by noon on the Friday after the sale.
The opening bid is the delinquent taxes plus penalties, interest, attorneys' fees and court costs, and it can include other Metro liens and judgments; later years' taxes that haven't been sued on aren't included, and in most cases the buyer is liable for taxes from 2023 on. The sale isn't complete until the Chancellor signs a final decree confirming it, and the buyer then has to record a certified copy with the Register of Deeds — skip that and the property can end up in another tax sale. Tennessee then gives the former owner, heirs and lienholders a right to redeem (T.C.A. § 67-5-2701); if they do, the buyer gets the purchase price back plus interest at 1% a month. A bidder who doesn't pay can be barred from tax sales for two years and sued for the bid. When nobody else bids, Metro usually buys the parcel and holds it through the redemption period, and the Clerk and Master posts an excess proceeds list (last updated September 24, 2026).
Tennessee rules at a glance
Tennessee doesn't sell lien certificates. After a delinquent-tax lawsuit, the court orders the parcel itself sold to the highest bidder (T.C.A. § 67-5-2501). The owner can redeem within one year of the order confirming the sale (180 days if the taxes were more than five years delinquent, 90 days if eight or more, 30 days if the property is vacant) by paying 12% a year on the entire purchase price (§ 67-5-2701).
The statute, the bidding and what goes wrong for new buyers are on the Tennessee page; every sale date we have sourced for Davidson County is on the Davidson County page.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in Davidson County pays $2,506 a year in property tax — above the Tennessee median of $1,442 (U.S.: $3,119). That is roughly what a typical home here owes for each year it goes unpaid — the debt that the opening bid at a deed sale is usually built from, plus interest and costs. Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $2,486; homes owned outright, $2,543.
On a home with a mortgage, the lender has its own reason to pay a delinquent tax bill: the tax lien outranks the mortgage, and a tax deed can wipe out the loan. On a home owned outright, nobody but the owner — or the heirs — has that reason. In Davidson County, 31.3% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Tennessee: 42.1%, U.S.: 39.4%). That is less than the state as a whole: more of the delinquent bills here sit on mortgaged homes, where the lender often steps in.
9.0% of all housing units in Davidson County are vacant. The figure that matters for a buyer at the tax sale is the Census “other vacant” category — not for rent, not for sale, not a holiday home, but a catch-all that includes foreclosures, homes held up by legal proceedings or family reasons, homes needing repairs, and abandoned ones. Here it is 2.9% of all units (Tennessee: 5.0%, U.S.: 3.6%). That is below the state rate: fewer empty properties on the list than elsewhere in Tennessee.
Half of the homes in Davidson County were built in or before 1986 (Tennessee: in or before 1987). The typical tax bill is 3.2% of the median household income of $77,853 (Tennessee: 2.1%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25081, B25002, B25004, B25035, B19013) — see the figures on data.census.gov. Survey estimates with margins of error; anything too uncertain to state is left out.
Before you bid: Research each parcel before the auction — the Metropolitan Government gives no warranties, and vegetation or demolition liens can survive. Exact tax amounts come from the Trustee's Office (615-862-6330) and pending codes actions from the Codes Department (615-862-6592). Dates are subject to change, so confirm with the Clerk and Master first.
Official source: chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov — checked October 4, 2026
More sales: 38 other county sales are on the calendar in November 2026 — see them by date.
This page reflects publicly posted county auction notices as of publication and is general information, not financial or legal advice. Sale details can change — always confirm current terms with the county directly.