Kenton County, Kentucky

Tax Lien174,862 residents

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

Sale typestate default

Tax Lien

Redemption periodstate default

1 year from sale (certificate of delinquency)

Investor returnstate default

12% per annum statutory

Governing statutestate default

Kentucky Revised Statutes Ch. 134

Notes

Kentucky certificates of delinquency (tax liens), not deeds at sale. Kenton County Clerk offers 2025 certificates via automated sale July 15, 2026 @ 10:00 a.m. at 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Covington (no room designation — automated processing). Registration deadline July 6, 2026 4:00 p.m.; fee $10/bill or $250 if exceeding volume thresholds (state DOR registration also required for large purchasers). Priority and lottery lists via single Excel to Clerk by July 13, 2026 4:00 p.m. Certificates bear 12% simple interest (KRS 134.125). Prior-year certificates available year-round. County Attorney-flagged bills excluded.

Auction logistics

Format

Automated / administrative sale (list-based, not open outcry auction)

Frequency

Annually mid-July (2026 automated sale July 15); prior-year certificates year-round OTC

Platform

Kenton County Clerk — Delinquent Property Tax / Certificate Sale ↗

Deposit rules

Register with completed affidavit/ACH form + registration fee by deadline (mail/delivery to 1840 Simon Kenton Way Suite 1300). Payment options: ACH preferred, check, money order, card (2.5% fee), cash. Submit priority/current-year Excel list with payment by July 13, 2026 unless ACH. You buy a certificate lien, not the property.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Certificate of delinquency is a lien; owner may redeem. After foreclosure of certificate, most junior private liens may be cut off but federal liens can survive. County Attorney foreclosure/bankruptcy flags remove parcels from sale pool.

Quiet title

After certificate foreclosure and deed, quiet title often needed for insurable title in KY practice.

Deal maths for Kentucky

Assessment ratio: 1× of market value
Typical quiet title: $3,000–$7,000 · 9 mo
Recording and transfer: $200

Section 172 of the Kentucky Constitution requires all non-exempt property to be assessed at 100% of fair cash value — the price it would bring at a fair voluntary sale — as of 1 January (see also KRS 132.190).

Offices and records

Tax collector

Kenton County Clerk — Delinquent Property Tax ↗

859-392-1650

Clerk of court

Kenton County Clerk (certificates & land records) ↗

Property appraiser

Kenton County PVA (Property Valuation Administrator) ↗

GIS / parcel map

Kenton PVA / GIS parcel resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

Covington / riverfront CBD edge

Cincinnati metro adjacency and urban revitalization supporting condo/SF liquidity

Independence / south Kenton suburbs

School-driven SF absorption with family buyer pool

Erlanger / airport corridor

CVG logistics employment and relative entry pricing vs Ohio-side core