Escheat of Funds

A clerk may have funds remaining in court from a delinquent tax sale after all taxes, interest, penalties and cost have been paid and the former owners of the property cannot be located in order to disburse these funds to them. A clerk should make a reasonable effort to locate the owners of such property. Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 66-29-101 et seq., sets forth the procedure a clerk should follow regarding unclaimed property. The procedure requires the clerk to file reports and to remit the funds to the state after a certain time period. The county may ultimately recover these funds, which are distributed to the county general fund, if they remain unclaimed while in the state's possession.¹