St. Louis County is getting ready to clean house on its long-overdue tax bills, putting hundreds of delinquent parcels up for a sealed-bid real property sale next month. On the line are everything from single-family homes to sizable commercial and industrial sites. The sale is set for Aug. 24–26, and the county’s published listings span multiple municipalities across the region. Homeowners and investors now have a short runway to register, dig into titles and get their sealed offers in.
How the sealed-bid process will run
According to a notice from St. Louis County, would-be buyers must first submit notarized registration forms, then deliver their sealed bids to a drop box in the Lawrence K. Roos Government Center at 41 S. Central Ave in Clayton beginning Friday, Aug. 21. The county sets a hard deadline of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26 for all sealed bids and says staff will not open any of them until that cutoff passes. Successful bidders will see an additional $27 recording fee added to each parcel at the time of sale.
What’s being offered
The St. Louis Business Journal reports that the sealed-bid sale runs Aug. 24–26 and that the inventory runs into the hundreds, covering retail, industrial and commercial parcels across the county. That coverage offers a broad snapshot, while the county’s official catalog supplies the parcel-by-parcel details that serious bidders will need to study.
Examples from the county catalog
The county’s posted catalog stretches more than a dozen pages and features some big-ticket commercial entries. One example: a CDE Realty parcel at 5546 St. Louis Mills Blvd in Hazelwood lists more than $151,000 in unpaid taxes, interest and fees. Mixed in with those larger holdings are smaller residential properties and neighborhood-scale business addresses in Florissant, Hazelwood, Bridgeton and unincorporated parts of the county, highlighting just how wide a swath of real estate could change hands.
Legal details and buyer risks
Missouri law lays out specific notice and redemption steps for tax sales. Buyers receive certificates of purchase and can obtain a collector’s deed only after following the statutory notice and redemption procedures. Recorded deeds of trust or mortgages can survive a tax sale, which means some liens may still be attached after the auction. The Missouri Revised Statutes spell out the rules for certificates, required notices and the issuance of deeds.
What owners and buyers should do next
Property owners who discover their address on the county list should contact the Collector of Revenue right away to confirm what they owe and what options they have for redemption. Paying off the delinquent amount before the sale will remove a parcel from the auction lineup. Prospective buyers, on the other hand, should run title searches, verify any encumbrances and consider consulting a title company or attorney, since a collector’s deed is not a guarantee of clear title.
The sealed-bid sale serves as the county’s annual tool for recovering long-delinquent taxes, and the published catalog is the definitive record of what is on the table. We will continue to watch the county’s postings for any changes to parcel lists or deadlines.
