Can a neighbor buy a tax-forfeited house from the State of Mississippi?
Yes. The Secretary of State's Public Lands Division sells land forfeited for unpaid property taxes, and individuals can apply to buy it. The owner of the land next door gets priority, ranking after a government agency asking for a transfer and after the original owner, the owner's heirs or the mortgage holder.
The neighbor has to find the parcel and apply before the State makes an offer to someone else. The Secretary of State does not have to tell the neighbor before selling the parcel.
For applications in the first three years after the land matures to the State, an adjoining owner's price is a quarter of fair market value, and most other buyers pay half.
After land is certified to the State, the Secretary of State mails the last assessed owner a notice that it has forfeited and can be bought from the State, and that not responding within fifteen days may let it go to another buyer. A valid application from the original owner, the owner's heirs or the mortgage holder takes priority.
The Secretary of State calls a property blighted when its own field inspection confirms a complaint that the property is run down and a hazard to public health, safety or welfare. The office's buyer FAQ says a blighted parcel sells for the highest of a quarter of its market value, the back taxes and fees, or the buyer's offer.
On a blighted parcel, the Secretary of State may also credit some or all of the cost of cleanup, repair or remediation against the price. Tearing down a dilapidated building or hauling off rubbish can count toward that credit, but mowing, pruning and picking up litter do not.
Corporations and state agencies can apply too, and the office says its goal is to put the land back into productive use on the local tax rolls. The office says it usually takes about sixty to ninety days from application to the patent, the State's deed.
What happens when the property taxes on a Mississippi house go unpaid?
The county tax collector advertises the property and sells it at a public sale to the highest bidder for the back taxes, fees and penalties. If the owner does not redeem it during the two years that follow, ownership is forfeited to the State.
Each county holds its tax sale every year starting on the last Monday of August, and the tax collector may also hold one on the first Monday of April.
If nobody bids, the property goes on a list of land that matures to the State unless the taxes and other amounts due are paid during the two-year redemption period. Within thirty days after the redemption period runs out, each county's chancery clerk certifies the unredeemed land to the Secretary of State.
In Harrison County, during the last year of redemption the chancery clerk's staff runs a title search to find anyone with an interest in the property and warn them that it is about to mature.
The Mississippi Department of Revenue sends tax-sale questions to the tax collector in the county where the property sits, and questions about land sold to the State to the Secretary of State at 1-866-835-2637.
How does Jackson, Mississippi push owners to fix blighted and abandoned houses?
Jackson's Community Improvement division identifies code violations that have become a public nuisance and then works with the owners to correct them. The city looks for voluntary compliance first, uses the courts as a last resort, and uses federal, state and local money to fix violations when owners are absent.
Its Blight Action map shows the blighted properties the city has identified, but being on the map does not mean a property has been funded, scheduled or approved for repair or removal.
Jackson counted 4,771 active code enforcement cases across the city in records exported on April 24, 2026.
How do you report an abandoned house in Jackson, Mississippi?
Jackson takes reports of abandoned, unsafe or neglected properties through Jackson 311, its non-emergency service line. Residents can dial 3-1-1 or file a request online, and each request is routed to the right city department by issue type, location and priority.
The online portal lets you upload photos and follow the status of your request. The city's blight map itself does not take reports; it points people who see a blighted property to the 311 system.
You can also tell me where it is. I'll find out who owns it and reach out about buying it and fixing it up.
Who has to look after a vacant Mississippi house during foreclosure?
The lender and its loan servicer. For an FHA-insured loan in default, the lender must inspect a vacant or abandoned house at least once a month.
If a payment is 45 days late and the lender cannot reach the borrower by phone, the lender must look at the house to see whether it is empty. The FHA lender must take reasonable steps to protect and preserve a vacant or abandoned house until it is handed over to HUD, as long as doing so is not an illegal trespass.
When a Fannie Mae loan is behind, including all through foreclosure, Fannie Mae's servicing guide requires the servicer to keep up the property's condition and appearance. That includes guarding it against vandals and the weather and making sure no apparent lawbreaking, such as drug activity, is going on there.
Holding an empty Mississippi house and falling behind on the loan? This walk-through of Mississippi foreclosure lays out the steps.