Crawford County, Arkansas

Tax Deed62,258 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Deed

Redemption periodstate default

None after the sale — the owner's right ends at 4:00 p.m. the last business day before it (A.C.A. § 26-37-202)

Investor returnstate default

N/A — outright deed transfer

Governing statutestate default

Arkansas Code Title 26, Ch. 37 (§§ 26-37-202 sale and conveyance, 26-37-203 contest window)

Notes

Arkansas tax-deed system administered statewide by COSL — not a county-run auction. Crawford County (Van Buren / Alma / Fort Smith MSA east bank of the Arkansas River) certified delinquents are sold at regional public auctions (historically grouped with Sebastian/Logan/Franklin at Fort Smith Convention Center — e.g. July 21, 2026 class regional sales) and then post-auction / online residuals. Confirm live Crawford dates on cosl.org catalog. Effective July 1, 2023, parcels sold through COSL cannot be redeemed after sale — redemption deadline is 4:00 p.m. the last business day prior to the sale. Sold AS IS.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person public auction (statewide COSL) + post-auction / online residuals

Frequency

Statewide regional auction calendar; Crawford parcels in River Valley / Fort Smith regional sale dates plus post-auction online residuals

Platform

Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands — Public Auction Catalog (Crawford) ↗

Deposit rules

Register per COSL auction rules (registration often morning-of). Cash not accepted. Review Buyers Guide and Rules on cosl.org. Post-auction unsold list at cosl.org. No post-sale owner redemption on sold COSL parcels after July 1, 2023.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Tax deed from COSL process; federal liens and certain interests can survive. Search county records for municipal liens and flood flags. No post-sale owner redemption on COSL sales after July 1, 2023.

Quiet title

Commonly required by Arkansas title underwriters before insuring free-and-clear marketable title after a tax deed.

Deal maths for Arkansas

Assessment ratio: 0.2× of market value
Typical quiet title: $2,500–$5,000 · 5 mo
Recording and transfer: $38

Arkansas assesses real property at 20% of true, actual or market value (A.C.A. § 26-26-303(c)); § 26-26-304 fails a county whose ratio study falls outside 18–22% of full fair market value. Measured across 1,669 Arkansas parcels carrying both figures, assessed/market was exactly 0.2000 on every one.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Crawford County Collector (current taxes) / COSL (certified delinquent land sales) ↗

501-324-9422

Clerk of court

Crawford County Circuit Clerk / Recorder ↗

Property appraiser

Crawford County Assessor ↗

GIS / parcel map

Crawford County Assessor / parcel research (ARCountyData) ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Van Buren / I-40–downtown edge

County-seat and Fort Smith MSA employment with more liquid SF than rural Ozark tracts

Alma / I-40 east corridor

Highway retail and workforce housing with school-district demand

Mountainburg–Cedarville north fringe

Entry-priced SF and land; underwrite access and utilities carefully