Washington County, Arkansas

Tax Deed266,184 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 COSL tax-deed county (NWA). Washington County Collector certifies delinquencies to the Commissioner of State Lands; auctions are state-run, not county-run. Live public auction by COSL schedule (Washington grouped with Benton historically — e.g. 8/20/2025), then online post-auction at auction.cosl.org for unsold inventory. Limited warranty deed; quiet title expected for marketable title.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (COSL public auction); online post-auction (auction.cosl.org)

Frequency

Annual COSL public auction per published county date (Washington 8/20/2025 on cosl.org schedule; confirm live catalog). Post-auction online sales begin ~30 days after live sale.

Platform

Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands — tax-delinquent real estate auctions ↗

Deposit rules

Per COSL Buyers Guide: no cash at live auctions; check, card, cashier’s check, or money order accepted. Online: $100 initial card charge per parcel; full balance within 10 days. Minimum bid = taxes due through sale date. Independent county research strongly recommended.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Limited warranty tax deed; municipal and improvement-district liens frequently survive. Notice defects to interested parties can cloud title. Federal liens and access issues require full DD. COSL disclaims clear title warranty.

Quiet title

Standard investor path to marketable title after COSL deed; 15-year statutory marketability alternative is usually impractical.

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

Washington County Collector (certifies to COSL) / COSL Real Estate ↗

501-324-9422

Clerk of court

Washington County Circuit Clerk (deed records) ↗

Property appraiser

Washington County Assessor / parcel records ↗

GIS / parcel map

Washington County GIS / assessor map resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

Fayetteville / University of Arkansas core

Student and professional housing demand with strong rental absorption

Springdale / I-49 industrial corridor

Logistics and food-processing employment supporting workforce housing turns

Farmington / west Fayetteville fringe

Suburban growth with relative value versus core campus neighborhoods