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Foreclosure and tax sales in Kentucky

What our research shows about Kentucky's rules. General information with sources — not legal advice, and not a reading of your papers.

BasicThe essentials, each with its source. General deadlines only.Research last reviewed 2026-09-22

Your state

How foreclosure works

Usual process: Judicial (through court)
From a reputable summary[1]
Allowed processes: Judicial (through court)
From a reputable summary[1][2]
Main statutes: Ky. Rev. Stat. § 426.005; Ky. Rev. Stat. § 426.200; Ky. Rev. Stat. § 426.530; Ky. Rev. Stat. § 360.100
From a reputable summary[1]
Typical length (estimate): Not researched yet for this state.

+At least 120 days
Federal rule: the servicer generally cannot make the first foreclosure notice or filing until you are more than 120 days behind
Applies to most home loans in every state. A complete loss-mitigation application sent more than 37 days before a sale also triggers federal protections.
Checked against the official text12 CFR § 1024.41(f)(1)
Pre-suit notice or breach letter
No general pre-suit notice by statute; for a high-cost home loan the lender must give 30 days to cure before filing.
From a reputable summary
Lawsuit filed and you are served with the summons and complaint
From a reputable summary
+At least 20 days
Answer due — 20 days after service
Generally 20 days after service.
From a reputable summary
Mediation may be available (voluntary or local programs)
Kentucky Homeownership Protection Center. Free counseling and foreclosure-prevention help (protectmykyhome.org). Some courts run mediation locally.
From a reputable summary
Court judgment of foreclosure (if the lender wins)
From a reputable summary
Sheriff’s / court sale
After judgment, the master commissioner posts and publishes the sale notice; two appraisers value the property.
From a reputable summary
+At least 180 days
Redemption window (at least 180 days in the shortest common case)
Six months after the sale if the home sold for less than two-thirds of its appraised value.
From a reputable summary

A general sequence built from the rules above. "At least" periods are the shortest we found; your case can take longer.

Notice before foreclosure: No general pre-suit notice by statute; for a high-cost home loan the lender must give 30 days to cure before filing.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 360.100
From a reputable summary[1]
Notice of sale: After judgment, the master commissioner posts and publishes the sale notice; two appraisers value the property.
Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 424.130, 426.200, 426.560
From a reputable summary[1]
Publication: Newspaper publication and posting near the property.
From a reputable summary[1]
When sales happen: Not researched yet for this state.
Time to answer the lawsuit: 20 days
Generally 20 days after service.
From a reputable summary[1]
Court confirms the sale: Not researched yet for this state.

Catching up (reinstatement): No statutory right except for high-cost home loans.
From a reputable summary[1][2]
Buying the home back (redemption): LimitedSix months after the sale if the home sold for less than two-thirds of its appraised value.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 426.530
From a reputable summary[1][2]
Owing money after the sale (deficiency): YesGenerally allowed.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 426.005
From a reputable summary[1][2]
Mediation: Some courts or countiesKentucky Homeownership Protection Center.Free counseling and foreclosure-prevention help (protectmykyhome.org). Some courts run mediation locally.
From a reputable summary[1]

Tax sale system: Mixed / depends on locality
Depends on where you live: some local governments sue to foreclose the tax lien; elsewhere the county clerk sells certificates of delinquency that buyers can later foreclose.
From a reputable summary[3]
How it works: Certificate buyers must wait one year after delinquency before suing to foreclose, and must send notices (within 50 days of getting the certificate, yearly, and 45 days before suing).
From a reputable summary[3]
Redeeming after a tax sale: You can redeem any time before the foreclosure sale; after a sale for less than two-thirds of appraised value, six more months (60 days after some local tax-lien sales below assessed value).
Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 91.511, 134.546, 426.530
From a reputable summary[3]
Relief programs: Not researched yet for this state.
Payment plans: Not researched yet for this state.
Surplus after a tax sale: Not researched yet for this state.

Federal exemption list: You may choose the federal list
You may choose the federal bankruptcy exemption list (11 U.S.C. § 522(d)) instead of the state list — one list or the other, never a mix.
Checked against the official text[4][5]
Homestead exemption: $5,000$5,000 in a residence; none if the debt predates the purchase.(Ky. Rev. Stat. § 427.060)
From a reputable summary[6]

Free legal aid (LSC-funded): Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky
Kentucky Legal Aid
Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Legal Aid Society
Checked against the official text[8]
Legal help website: Kentucky Legal Aid Network / KYJustice.org
Checked against the official text[9]
State housing agency: Kentucky Housing Corporation
Checked against the official text[7]
Attorney general / consumer protection: Kentucky Attorney General — Consumer Protection
Checked against the official text[10]
Court self-help: Kentucky Court of Justice — Self-Help
Checked against the official text[11]
HUD-approved housing counselors: HUD-approved housing counseling agencies — Free or low-cost, HUD-approved housing counselors in every state. Call or search by ZIP code.

Retrieved 2026-09-22. Official texts are marked “official”; summaries are marked “summary”.