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Behind on Property Taxes in Oklahoma?

You can still sell your land. When we buy land with back taxes, the taxes are paid off at closing from the sale, and you pay no fees or commissions.

  • Cash offer in 24 hours
  • Back taxes paid at closing from the sale
  • We pay closing costs
  • Close in as few as 7 days

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Step 1 of 2: Property Details

Found on your tax bill or county assessor website

Choose the unit shown on your deed or tax record.

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How Oklahoma collects

Tax deed state: the county sells the property itself at a tax sale.

Time to redeem

Any time before the resale auction starts (68 O.S. 3113). Resales are held the week of the second Monday of June (68 O.S. 3125).

The delinquent taxes plus interest at 1.5 percent per month (capped at 100 percent of the tax) and the costs that have accrued, such as publication and mailing fees (68 O.S. 3113, 2913, 3106).

What Happens When Taxes Go Unpaid in Oklahoma

  1. November 1

    The year's property taxes are due. You can pay in full or in two halves (68 O.S. 2913).

  2. January 1

    If at least half is not paid before January 1, the whole year's tax becomes delinquent. If the first half was paid, the second half is due before April 1 (68 O.S. 2913).

  3. From the delinquency date

    Interest runs at 1.5 percent per month and stops growing once it equals the unpaid tax (68 O.S. 2913).

  4. April 1 to end of September after the taxes were due

    The county treasurer publishes the delinquent list once a week for two weeks and mails notice to the record owner (68 O.S. 3106).

  5. After 3 years unpaid

    Land with taxes unpaid three years or more from the first due date is set for the county tax resale (68 O.S. 3105).

  6. Second Monday of June

    The county holds the tax resale, in person or online during that week (68 O.S. 3125). The right to redeem ends when the resale auction starts (68 O.S. 3113).

Back Taxes in Oklahoma: Your Options

This page explains what happens in Oklahoma when property taxes on a lot or acreage go unpaid. It covers the due dates, the interest, the published notice, the county's June tax resale, and your right to redeem before it starts. It is written for owners of vacant land, including people who inherited land with back taxes.

Back taxes do not stop you from selling. Until the resale auction starts, you can redeem, or you can sell and have the taxes paid at closing from the sale. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice; for your own case, ask your county treasurer or an Oklahoma attorney.

When Oklahoma property taxes become delinquent

Oklahoma property taxes are due on November 1. You can pay in full, or pay at least half before January 1 and the rest before April 1. If less than half is paid before January 1, the whole year becomes delinquent on that date (68 O.S. 2913).

Taxes are a lien on the land until they are paid (68 O.S. 3101). The bill goes to the owner on record, so if you inherited the land or the address is old, the notices may never reach you.

Penalties and interest on late taxes

Delinquent taxes carry interest of 1.5 percent per month, or 18 percent a year. Interest stops once it reaches 100 percent of the unpaid tax, so a tax bill can at most double from interest alone (68 O.S. 2913).

The county also adds the cost of publishing and mailing the delinquent notice, plus a small fee (68 O.S. 3106). Ask the county treasurer for the payoff on the day you plan to pay.

What the county does next

Between April 1 and the end of September after the taxes were due, the county treasurer publishes the list of delinquent land in a local newspaper and mails a notice to the record owner. Not getting the mailed notice does not stop the process (68 O.S. 3106).

Once taxes are unpaid for three years or more from the date they were first due, the treasurer advertises the land for the county tax resale (68 O.S. 3105). The resale is held on the second Monday of June, or online during that week (68 O.S. 3125). Dates and auction formats differ by county, so confirm with your county treasurer.

Redemption: getting your land back

The owner, or anyone with a legal or equitable interest in the land, can redeem at any time before the resale auction starts. To redeem, you pay the delinquent taxes, the interest set by 68 O.S. 2913, and the costs that have built up (68 O.S. 3113). Oklahoma County notes that this rule took effect November 1, 2025.

After the auction starts, the right to redeem ends for that parcel. Owners under a legal disability, such as minors, have extra time under the same section.

Your options if you are behind

You have about three years before a resale, but interest adds up to 18 percent a year in the meantime.

  • Pay in full at the county treasurer's office.
  • Ask the county treasurer whether a partial payment or payment arrangement is possible. State law sets only the two regular installments for current taxes (68 O.S. 2913).
  • Redeem before the resale auction starts in June.
  • Sell the land. We make a cash offer within 24 hours, charge no fees or commissions, pay the closing costs, and can close in as few as 7 days. The back taxes are paid at closing from the sale. Get a cash offer for your Oklahoma land.

Selling land with back taxes in Oklahoma

You can sell land with delinquent taxes as long as you still own it. The title company or closing attorney gets the payoff from the county treasurer, and the taxes and interest are paid from the sale price at closing.

We buy land with back taxes, liens and title issues, land with no road access, and land owned by heirs and estates. Oklahoma is a non-disclosure state, so sale prices are not public. Ask several buyers for offers before you decide.

Where to check your tax status

The county treasurer collects property taxes and runs the resale. The county assessor sets values. The Oklahoma Tax Commission's ad valorem page links to county assessor contacts, and most county treasurers have an online tax lookup.

Ask the treasurer for the full payoff, how many years are unpaid, and whether the parcel is on the next resale list.

Sources

Rules and fees change; check with the county before you act on them.

Back Tax Questions in Oklahoma

When are Oklahoma property taxes delinquent?

Taxes are due November 1. If less than half is paid before January 1, the full year is delinquent on January 1. If half was paid, the rest is due before April 1 (68 O.S. 2913).

How long can you go without paying property taxes in Oklahoma?

Land goes to the county tax resale once taxes are unpaid three years or more from the first due date (68 O.S. 3105). Interest at 1.5 percent per month runs the whole time.

What is the interest rate on unpaid property taxes in Oklahoma?

1.5 percent per month, which is 18 percent a year. Interest stops growing once it equals the unpaid tax (68 O.S. 2913).

What is the Oklahoma tax sale redemption period?

You can redeem any time before the resale auction starts, by paying the taxes, interest and costs (68 O.S. 3113). The resale is held the week of the second Monday of June (68 O.S. 3125).

When is the Oklahoma tax resale?

On the second Monday of June each year, or online during that week (68 O.S. 3125). Your county treasurer posts the list and rules.

Can I sell Oklahoma land that has back taxes?

Yes. Until the resale, you still own it. The back taxes are paid from the sale at closing.