Key Takeaways
- The next sale is listed for August 23, 2027: The Camden County Collector's page sets it for 10:00 AM at the courthouse in Camdenton. The 2026 sale fell on August 24, 2026, the fourth Monday in August.
- You can pay right up to the sale: Delinquent taxes, penalty, interest, and costs may be paid to the collector at any time before the parcel sells (RSMo 140.150).
- Redemption has three tiers: One year after a first or second offering, 90 days after a third, and none after a post-third sale (RSMo 140.340 and 140.250).
- Hundreds of parcels sit on the fourth-sale list: The collector's post-third list showed 513 parcels as of October 22, 2026.
- Out-of-area owners still owe on time: A notice that goes to an old address does not cancel the tax, so owners who live away from the lake should check the portal directly.
- A sale can settle it: Back taxes or a redemption amount can be paid from your proceeds at closing.
A Camden County tax sale starts with one missed date: real estate taxes that are still unpaid on January 1. At Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, the Camden County Collector bills Osage Beach, Camdenton, Sunrise Beach, Four Seasons, Horseshoe Bend, and the Camden County side of Lake Ozark. Delinquent parcels go to the collector's sale on the fourth Monday in August. The collector's site already lists the next one for Monday, August 23, 2027, at 10:00 AM (Camden County Collector, Tax Sale Information, read October 2026).
This guide covers the Camden County piece only: what the collector publishes, the mailed notices, the newspaper list, redemption, and the lake situations that trip owners up. Statewide rules, including the St. Louis and Kansas City systems, are in our Missouri property tax sale guide.
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Let's chatWhat happens when your real estate taxes go unpaid?
Camden County real estate taxes unpaid on January 1 are delinquent, and Missouri law directs the county collector to enforce the state's lien against the land (RSMo 140.010). Nothing is filed in court. The lien simply rides with the parcel until the debt is paid or the parcel is sold for it.
A penalty starts building right away. State law charges 18% of each year's delinquency, but on land redeemed before a sale the penalty is capped at 2% per month or fraction of a month (RSMo 140.100). The same section adds small per-tract charges for making and recording the delinquent list.
Camden County follows the Jones-Munger Act, the default system in RSMo Chapter 140. SB 973, in effect since August 28, 2026, now lets any county commission move chosen parcels into the court-based Chapter 141 process as a "partial opt-in county" (RSMo 140.010.2). The collector's current pages describe only the Chapter 140 sale, and nothing on them says Camden County has opted in.
The lake touches four counties
Lake of the Ozarks spreads across Camden, Miller, Morgan, and Benton counties, and Lake Ozark sits in both Miller and Camden. A parcel in another county follows the same statute through a different collector's office and list.
What the collector's tax sale page says
The Camden County Collector's tax sale page is detailed, but it is written for buyers rather than owners. Read from the owner's side, it shows what happens to your parcel after the sale.
The collector is Teresa Murray. The office is at 1 Court Circle NW, Suite 4, Camdenton, MO 65020, and the phone is (573) 346-4440 ext 1200 (Camden County Collector, Taxpayer Portal, read October 2026).
Date, time, and place
The page reads "Monday, August 23, 2027 at 10:00:00 AM." Buyers are told to "Arrive at Courthouse by 8:30 am" and register in the Collector's Office first. Buyers must be Missouri residents, and anyone acting for a company or an out-of-state person must bring proof of authority.
The two lists
The page links a list for the regular August sale and a "Fourth Sale List." When we read it in October 2026, the regular list was empty, dated October 7, 2026. That fits the calendar: the 2026 sale is over, and the 2027 list is built after January.
The fourth-sale list held 513 parcels as of October 22, 2026 (Camden County Collector, Fourth Sale List, October 2026). Each entry shows the parcel number, owner of record, subdivision and lot, and the tax owed for each year, plus advertising and mailing costs. Several are small Village of Four Seasons lots with a decade or more of unpaid years.
What the page says about certificates and deeds
The certificate of purchase, "printed on blue paper," goes out "around the second week of September." Buyers pay $54 per parcel in recording fees on top of the purchase price. The page confirms "a one (1) year redemption period starting from the day of the Tax Sale" and an 18-month deadline for the deed.
The Camden County tax sale timeline, step by step
The Camden County tax sale timeline runs about two years from a missed December payment to a collector's deed. The fourth-Monday sale date is set by statute (RSMo 140.150). The table uses the 2026 tax year as the example, so confirm exact dates with the collector.
| Date or trigger | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2027 | Unpaid 2026 real estate taxes become delinquent; penalty begins | RSMo 140.010, 140.100 |
| Before the list is published | Collector mails notice to the owner of record; certified mail too if assessed value tops $1,000 | RSMo 140.150.2 |
| Three straight weeks, ending 15+ days before the sale | Delinquent list printed in a county newspaper, once a week | RSMo 140.170 |
| Any time before the parcel sells | Owner may pay taxes, penalty, interest, and costs to the collector | RSMo 140.150.2 |
| August 23, 2027, 10:00 AM | Tax sale at the courthouse in Camdenton | Collector page; RSMo 140.150 |
| About the second week of September 2027 | Certificate of purchase issued to the buyer | Collector notice |
| One year after the sale | Absolute redemption right ends (first or second offering); a defeasible right lasts until the deed issues | RSMo 140.340 |
| At least 90 days before the buyer takes the deed | Buyer mails redemption notice by first class and certified mail to the owner and lienholders | RSMo 140.405 |
| 18 months after the sale | Buyer's lien ends if no collector's deed has been recorded | RSMo 140.410 |
| Third offering (third August with no qualifying sale) | Sold for at least the taxes, interest, penalties, and costs; 90 days to redeem from the notice postmark | RSMo 140.250, 140.405.6 |
| After the third offering | Re-offered every 30 days; no statutory redemption; parcel appears on the fourth-sale list | RSMo 140.250.3-4; collector page |
| 90 days after redemption expires | Deadline for a written surplus claim to the county commission | RSMo 140.230 |
Mailed notices and the newspaper list
Camden County owners get two warnings before a sale: a letter from the collector and a printed list in a county newspaper. Neither one is a condition of owing the tax.
The collector's letters
Before the delinquent list is published, the collector mails a notice to the owner of record by first class mail (RSMo 140.150.2). A second notice goes by certified mail only when the assessed valuation is more than $1,000. If the certified letter comes back unsigned, the collector mails another notice to both the owner and the occupant.
The statute closes with a sentence lake owners should read twice. Failure "to receive the notice provided for in this section shall not relieve the taxpayer or publicly recorded owner of any tax liability imposed by law." A letter sent to an address you left in 2019 still counts.
The newspaper list
State law requires the collector to print the delinquent list "for three consecutive weeks" in a county newspaper. The last printing must come at least 15 days before the sale (RSMo 140.170).
The collector's web pages do not name the newspaper that carries the Camden County list, and we could not confirm it from a primary source. Two records will tell you. The collector must certify the newspaper's name and the print dates on the official list (RSMo 140.170.4). The publisher's affidavit, with the list attached, is recorded with the Camden County Recorder of Deeds at no charge (RSMo 140.170.6).
The collector may print a shorter list, without legal descriptions or owner names, for low-value parcels. That covers a lot in a development of 20 or more lots with an assessed value of $1,500 or less, or a parcel already advertised once (RSMo 140.170.7). The full details are then posted at the courthouse and the collector's office. Owners of vacant lake-subdivision lots should not rely on spotting their name in print.
How long can you redeem after a Camden County collector tax sale?
After a Camden County collector tax sale, an owner usually has one year to redeem, but the window depends on how many times the parcel has been offered. "Redeem" means paying the collector enough to cancel the buyer's certificate. Missouri sets three tiers.
First or second offering: one year, then a defeasible right
The owner, a lienholder, an occupant, or anyone else with an interest has "the absolute right to redeem the same at any time during the one year next ensuing" (RSMo 140.340). After that year, a defeasible right to redeem continues until the buyer actually acquires the deed. If the buyer's lien expires under the 18-month rule, no redemption is needed at all.
The collector sets the redemption amount. It covers the certificate price, sale costs, the buyer's title search and postage, and interest of up to 10% a year. Any later taxes the buyer paid are added with 8% interest.
Third offering: 90 days from the notice
A parcel offered for two straight years without a sale covering the taxes goes to a third offering at the next August sale (RSMo 140.250). The 90-day redemption period after a third offering is older than SB 973. What SB 973 added, effective August 28, 2026, is threefold:
- A floor: the third-offering price cannot be less than the taxes, interest, penalties, and costs.
- A certificate of purchase for third-offering buyers, where the old text issued none.
- Re-offers of unsold parcels "once every thirty days," replacing the old five-year rule.
The third-offering buyer must mail notice within 45 days after the sale to anyone with a recorded claim (RSMo 140.405.6). Those people then have 90 days "from the postmark date on the notice" to redeem.
After the third offering: no statutory redemption
A buyer at any sale after the third offering "shall be entitled to the immediate issuance and delivery of a collector's deed," with no redemption period (RSMo 140.250.4). That buyer must also pay any later taxes before the deed issues.
The Camden County Collector runs these sales through the fourth-sale list. Its notice says a buyer places a parcel on hold, pays "between 120 and 150 days following the request to purchase," and must mail notice within 30 days. The page describes "a 120 day redemption period starting from the day you request to purchase." That is the collector's stated practice, which differs from the statute's no-redemption text. Ask the collector directly if your parcel is on that list.
Lake of the Ozarks back taxes: weekend houses, condos, and docks
Lake of the Ozarks back taxes follow the same Chapter 140 steps as any other Camden County parcel, but lake ownership creates a few predictable gaps. Weekend houses, condo units, and waterfront parcels each have one.
The weekend house whose bill goes somewhere else
A lake house owned from Kansas City, St. Louis, or out of state depends on a mailing address the county has on file. If that address is old, the fall bill and every later notice can miss you. RSMo 140.150 puts the risk on the owner either way.
The fix is simple and free. The collector's portal searches by name, parcel number, or statement number, and it has an "Unpaid Only" filter. Real estate statements start with "R" and personal property statements start with "P." Check each parcel every fall, and ask the county to update your mailing address.
Heirs face the same gap when bills keep going to a late parent's mailbox. Our guide to selling an inherited lake house at Lake of the Ozarks covers probate and out-of-town heirs.
The condo: county taxes and HOA liens are separate
A condo unit at the lake carries two debts on different tracks. County taxes run through the collector and Chapter 140, while association dues run through the condo declaration and the association's own lien. Paying one does nothing for the other. The collector's notice warns that "Non-tax liens or other obligations on the property may not be extinguished" at the sale or during redemption. It also flags parcels "considered common areas." A seller with both debts needs a payoff letter from the collector and a separate statement from the association.
A dock or seawall does not change the process
A dock, boat lift, or seawall can matter a great deal to the value of a lake house, but it does not change the tax sale steps. The collector lists and sells by parcel number. The dates, notices, and redemption periods are the same for a cove-front A-frame and an off-water lot.
A dock permit from Ameren Missouri is separate from county taxes, and so is a boat billed on a "P" personal property statement. Ask the collector how any unpaid personal property tax is handled when you sell.
Surplus money and the collector's deed
If a Camden County parcel sells for more than the taxes and costs, the extra money belongs first to former lienholders and then to the former owner (RSMo 140.230). No one is paid outside a redemption until 90 days after the redemption period ends.
A written claim, citing the recorded lien or deed, must reach the county commission within 90 days after redemption expires. Money no one claims within three years becomes a permanent county school fund.
When the buyer can take the deed
A buyer cannot take the deed just by waiting. RSMo 140.405 requires a title search, notice by first class and certified mail at least 90 days before the deed date, and an affidavit with proof. A buyer who skips a step loses "all interest in the real estate."
The buyer must also pay all later taxes and record the deed within 18 months of the sale (RSMo 140.410). Miss that deadline, and the amount owed to the buyer "shall cease to be a lien." The collector then records a cancellation of the certificate.
Can you sell a lake house with back taxes owed?
You can sell a Camden County house with delinquent property taxes, and the back taxes are usually paid from the sale proceeds at closing. The title company asks the collector for a payoff, pays it from the buyer's funds, and the lien is released. You do not need to clear the taxes out of pocket first.
Before the August sale
Up to the moment the parcel sells, the payoff is the taxes, penalty, interest, and costs (RSMo 140.150). A closing set before the fourth Monday in August keeps the parcel off the sale entirely. Delinquent taxes do not block a cash buyer, and an older house sold as-is goes through the same payoff.
During the redemption period
After a sale, Missouri law requires an owner who plans to transfer ownership to redeem first (RSMo 140.405.3). The redemption amount becomes one more line on the settlement statement. The buyer then receives title free of the certificate of purchase.
Choices besides selling
Paying the collector in full, with savings, a refinance, or family help, is always an option before the sale. Owners 65 or older may also want to read our guide to Camden County's senior property tax freeze before deciding.
If a mortgage payment is also behind, that runs on a separate clock from the tax sale. Our page on selling a house facing foreclosure explains how the two interact. For local options around Camden County, see the Lake of the Ozarks cash home buyer page.
How a cash sale to Propcash works
Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer. We make one transparent, data-backed offer and show how we got to the number. Sellers pay no fees or commissions, and you pick the closing date. A closing can happen in as few as 7 days after the contract is signed, which may leave time before a Camden County sale.
If paying the collector or listing the house would serve you better, we'll tell you so. To see a number, request a cash offer for your Camden County house; the offer stands while you compare it with your other options.
Propcash is a cash homebuyer, not a law firm or tax advisor. Confirm your payoff, sale status, and redemption deadline with the Camden County Collector, or with the Miller, Morgan, or Benton County collector if your parcel is billed there. A Missouri attorney can advise on your own situation.
Why wait? Sell your house “as is” for cash today
Tell us about your house. We'll make you a cash offer based on local market data.
Let's chatFrequently Asked Questions
When is the next Camden County tax sale?
The Camden County Collector's tax sale page lists the next sale for Monday, August 23, 2027, at 10:00 AM at the courthouse in Camdenton. State law sets every Jones-Munger sale on the fourth Monday in August (RSMo 140.150), so the 2026 sale fell on August 24, 2026. Confirm the date with the collector at (573) 346-4440 ext 1200 before you plan around it.
How do I check whether my Camden County taxes are delinquent?
The Camden County Collector's online portal lets you search by owner name, parcel number, or statement number, with an "Unpaid Only" filter. Real estate statements start with R and personal property statements start with P. If you live away from the lake, search the parcel yourself instead of waiting for mail, because a missed notice does not cancel the tax (RSMo 140.150).
How long do I have to redeem after a Camden County tax sale?
After a first or second offering, the owner has an absolute right to redeem for one year after the sale, and a weaker right continues until the purchaser actually takes the collector's deed (RSMo 140.340). After a third offering, the window is 90 days from the postmark on the purchaser's notice (RSMo 140.250 and 140.405). Parcels sold after a third offering carry no statutory redemption at all.
Does a condo HOA lien get paid off by the county tax sale?
The tax sale deals with county real estate taxes, not association dues. The Camden County Collector warns that non-tax liens and other obligations may not be extinguished by the sale or during redemption, and it names common areas as something buyers must research. Unpaid HOA dues and county taxes are two separate debts, and each one needs its own payoff at closing.
Can I sell my Lake of the Ozarks house during the redemption period?
You can, but Missouri law says an owner who plans to transfer ownership must first redeem under RSMo 140.340 (RSMo 140.405). In practice, the title company can get the redemption figure from the Camden County Collector and pay it out of the sale proceeds at closing. The buyer then takes title free of the tax sale certificate.
What happens to the extra money if my parcel sells for more than the taxes?
The surplus goes into the Camden County treasury and is held for former lienholders of record first, then the former owner (RSMo 140.230). A written claim must be filed with the county commission within 90 days after the redemption period expires, citing the recorded lien or deed. The county pays no interest, and money left unclaimed after three years goes to the county school fund.