We buy houses in Madison County, TN

Homes are assessed at 25 percent of appraised value. Rates apply to each $100 of that assessed value.

For 2026, the county lists these rates per $100:

• Madison County: $1.8736
• City of Jackson, added: $1.6114
• City of Three Way, added: $0.4159

A Jackson home appraised at $200,000 is assessed at $50,000. At the combined rate, the bill is about $1,742 (our math).

Tax is due the first Monday in October and late after the last day of February. Inside Jackson, you pay the City Revenue Office as well as the Trustee.

The next countywide reappraisal is set for 2027. It will weigh 2023 to 2026 sales, with the most weight on 2026.

Madison County and the City of Jackson both offer the tax freeze for owners 65 or older. The 2026 income limit is $51,620. You reapply every year, and the tax amount is frozen, not the value.

Unpaid tax goes to court. After February 1 and before April 1, the delinquent tax attorney must file suit in chancery or circuit court (T.C.A. 67-5-2405).

The suit ends for your property once you pay the tax, interest, penalty and court costs. The court cannot set up a payment plan for you.

After a sale, you can still redeem. For sales confirmed on or after July 1, 2026, a new law sets the limit:

• taxes late three years or less: one year from the order confirming the sale
• taxes late more than three years: 90 days (Pub. Ch. 971, amending T.C.A. 67-5-2701)

To redeem, you file a motion in the tax sale case. First you pay the clerk what is owed, plus 12 percent yearly interest on the buyer's price.

Homes the county ends up owning are resold online. Its latest excess resale auction was held October 16, 2026.

If your loan uses a deed of trust, the trustee sells the home at a public sale.

Since July 1, 2025, the notice rules are:

• two or more county newspaper ads
• the first ad at least 20 days before the sale
• an online posting for 20 days in a row
• a copy mailed to you, with a return receipt, by the first ad date (T.C.A. 35-5-101)

A sale can be pushed back without new newspaper ads. It must still happen within one year of the first date.

If it moves more than 30 days, the new date must be mailed to you at least 10 days ahead.

Every day before the sale is time to sell, refinance or make a deal. A real estate attorney can confirm your options.

A mobile home on land you also own can become part of the land. You record an Affidavit of Affixation with the Register of Deeds. Then you must hand the title in to the County Clerk (T.C.A. 55-3-128).

If someone else owns the land, the home keeps its own title.

Where city sewer does not reach, the county health department permits new septic systems and repairs. You can ask it for the septic drawing on file.

Farm, forest and open space land may qualify for greenbelt tax. The Assessor takes applications for at least 15 acres that are not subdivided.

In early 2026, Winter Storm Fern damaged homes here. The state emergency agency set up a survey so owners could report the damage.