Shelby County, Tennessee

Redeemable Deed910,530 residents

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

Sale typestate default

Redeemable Deed

Redemption periodstate default

1 year from the court's confirmation of sale (courts have discretion to extend)

Investor returnstate default

10% per annum statutory penalty on redemption

Governing statutestate default

Tennessee Code Title 67, Ch. 5

Notes

Tennessee tax-deed sales for Shelby County and City of Memphis via Chancery Court Clerk & Master. Effective April 2024, sales are online through SRI ZeusAuction.com (no counter sales of certificates). Multiple multi-day online sales per year (sale books posted through 2026 cycles). Sale not complete until Chancellor enters Order Confirming Sale; Clerk records order (transfer tax/recording included post-2017). Redemption rights under TCA apply after confirmation.

Auction logistics

Format

Online

Frequency

Multiple online sales per year (often multi-day blocks; see Trustee schedule and sale books)

Platform

ZeusAuction — Shelby County Chancery Tax Sales ↗

Deposit rules

Register on ZeusAuction with bank account ACH capability (can register ~4 weeks before opening). Properties viewable ~30 days prior; advertised in Memphis Daily News. Payment via platform ACH/settlement rules; failure to fund can bar future sales and trigger contempt. Confirm current bidder packet on shelbycountytn.gov Tax Sale Information.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Order Confirming Sale / tax conveyance is strong under TCA 67-5-2504, but federal liens and some interests can survive; subsequent taxes and occupancy risk remain. Unsold parcels may go to County then Land Bank after redemption.

Quiet title

Still commonly used for resale/refinance comfort despite statutory assurance language; underwrite redemption risk carefully.

Deal maths for Tennessee

Assessment ratio: 0.25× of market value
Typical quiet title: $1,800–$5,000 · 5 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

T.C.A. § 67-5-801 and Tenn. Const. art. II, § 28: residential and farm property is assessed at 25% of value, industrial and commercial at 40%, public utility at 55%. This entry uses the 25% residential rate.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Shelby County Trustee — Tax Sale ↗

Clerk of court

Shelby County Chancery Court Clerk & Master — Tax Sales ↗

Property appraiser

Shelby County Assessor of Property ↗

GIS / parcel map

Shelby Assessor / GIS parcel tools ↗

Areas trending up

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

Downtown Memphis / South Main

Urban redevelopment and tourism/employment adjacency supporting selective multifamily

Midtown / Cooper-Young edge

Renter demand and relative value vs. eastern suburbs

East Memphis / Cordova edge

Owner-occupant liquidity and employment access with stronger resale depth