Selling a Tulsa County house with back property taxes
Tulsa County property taxes go delinquent on January 1 if at least half of the bill has not been paid, and delinquent taxes add 1.5 percent interest a month until the interest equals the tax. Once taxes have gone unpaid for three years, the County Treasurer offers the house at the June resale auction, and since November 2025 the owner can redeem only until that auction starts. Selling before then lets the title company pay every delinquent year out of the sale proceeds at closing, and what is left after the mortgage and other liens goes to you.
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Does this sound familiar?
If one of these fits, this guide is written for you.
- A tax bill went unpaid during a job loss or a family emergency, and the interest keeps adding up.
- The mortgage was paid off, the escrow account closed, and nobody started paying the taxes directly.
- A notice of tax resale arrived, and the June auction is on the calendar.
- City mowing, cleaning or abatement charges were added to the tax bill.
Step by step
What to do, in order
Before you accept any offer.
Get the exact amount owed
Look up the parcel on the Tulsa County Treasurer's View/Pay page, or call 918-596-5071 with the parcel number, owner name or address. Ask for every delinquent year plus any special assessments, such as city mowing or nuisance abatement charges, because the Treasurer collects those too.
Understand how fast it grows
Delinquent taxes accrue interest at 1.5 percent a month, about 18 percent a year, and stop growing once the interest equals the unpaid tax. Publication and mailing costs are added when the delinquency is advertised. Not receiving a bill does not move the due date, though the Treasurer can waive interest that was no fault of the taxpayer.
Know the resale calendar
Real estate with taxes unpaid for three years or more goes to the resale auction that starts on the second Monday in June; the next one is set for June 14, 2027. The Treasurer mails an early notice in July, a second notice with the November tax statements and a final notice in March, then publishes the list in May. Mortgage holders get certified-mail notice at least 30 days before the sale.
Sell or redeem before the auction starts
Since November 1, 2025, the owner or anyone with an interest in the property can redeem by paying the delinquent taxes, interest and costs any time before the resale auction starts. Before that change the deadline ran until the Treasurer issued the deed, so do not rely on older guides. A sale that closes first pays the Treasurer from your proceeds.
Let the title company pay it at closing
Unpaid taxes are a lien on the house for seven years from their due date, so the closing agent pays them from the sale money, just like a mortgage payoff. Tulsa County does not prorate taxes itself; under the standard state contract, current-year taxes are prorated through the closing date, and the seller pays city special assessments in full.
Paperwork
Documents to gather
A title company or attorney will ask for most of these. Having them ready shortens the closing.
- The latest Tulsa County tax statement and any delinquent notices
- Any notice of tax resale from the Treasurer
- The parcel number or tax roll item number
- Mortgage statements showing whether taxes are escrowed
- City notices for mowing, cleaning or abatement charges
What we do
How Tulsa Cash Offers can help
- Tell buyer partners what is owed and whether a resale date is set, so offers can be timed ahead of the auction.
- Each written offer can be compared by what you would net after back taxes, interest and the mortgage are paid at closing.
- A cash purchase skips the mortgage approval step, which matters when June is close.
- Requesting offers is free, and paying the taxes yourself remains an option.
Caution
Watch out for
- Once the resale auction starts, the right to redeem ends. The opening bid only has to reach the amount owed or two thirds of the assessed value, whichever is less, and 12 months after the Treasurer's deed is recorded no lawsuit can be filed to set it aside.
- If a house sells at resale for more than the debt, the extra is held for the owner of record for one year, after any Oklahoma Tax Commission debts are paid from it. The Treasurer prepares the claim and pays only the owner, and a transfer of that right signed after the auction starts is not valid, so be wary of paid offers to collect it for you.
- Back taxes stay attached to the house through a sale. Check that the closing statement shows every delinquent year and special assessment paid in full.
Questions
Questions about this situation
When do Tulsa County property taxes become delinquent?
Taxes are due November 1. If at least half is not paid before January 1, the whole year becomes delinquent on January 1. If you paid the first half, the second half becomes delinquent if it is not paid before April 1. Mortgage servicers must pay escrowed taxes in one payment before January 1. Delinquent taxes add 1.5 percent interest a month, capped at the amount of the tax.
How long before Tulsa County sells a house for unpaid taxes?
Once taxes have gone unpaid for three years or more, the Treasurer offers the property at the resale auction that starts each year on the second Monday in June. The minimum bid is two thirds of the assessed value or the total taxes, interest and costs, whichever is less. If nobody bids that much, the county takes the property. Since November 1, 2025, the owner can redeem only until the auction starts.
Can I sell my Tulsa house if I owe back property taxes?
Yes. The title search shows the delinquent taxes, and the closing agent pays them from the sale proceeds at closing along with any mortgage. You do not have to pay them before you request offers, but the sale has to close before the June resale auction starts.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from, with the date each source was read.
- 68 O.S. §§ 2912, 2913, 2915 (due dates, interest, waivers) and §§ 3101-3131 (tax lien, notices, redemption, resale), read October 9, 2026
- HB 1663 (2025): redemption ends when the resale auction starts, effective November 1, 2025, read October 9, 2026
- Tulsa County Treasurer: tax information and payments, read October 9, 2026
- Tulsa County Treasurer: calendar of events (resale notices), read October 9, 2026
- Tulsa County Treasurer: FAQ (delinquent taxes, closings), read October 9, 2026
- Tulsa County Treasurer: June Real Estate Auction, read October 9, 2026
- Tulsa County Treasurer: June Real Estate Auction FAQ, read October 9, 2026
- Tulsa County Treasurer: excess resale claim procedures, read October 9, 2026
- Oklahoma Real Estate Commission 2026 residential sale contract (tax prorations, special assessments), read October 9, 2026
Keep reading
Related guides
- Behind on paymentsFalling behind on a Tulsa mortgage does not mean the house is already gone. Oklahoma lenders usually foreclose through court, and even after a judgment the house goes to a sheriff's sale that the judge still has to confirm. Until that confirmation you can pay off the loan, and a cash sale is one way to do it: the buyer's money pays the lender at closing, and what is left after costs goes to you.Read the guide
- Title problemsA Tulsa house with a title problem can still be sold, but the problem has to be cleared, or paid off at closing, before the buyer's title examiner will approve it. In Oklahoma the seller supplies a certified abstract, the buyer's attorney or title insurer lists what must be fixed, and the standard state contract gives the seller extra time to fix it. Paid-off mortgages and old judgments usually clear with recorded releases or affidavits. Missing heirs or an estate that was never probated usually take a court order, which means a lawyer.Read the guide
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