Delinquent Tax Attorney

The delinquent tax attorney brings suit on behalf of the county (and any municipality whose property taxes are collected by the county trustee) to collect delinquent property taxes.  The delinquent tax attorney is appointed each year by the county trustee subject to approval by the county mayor for the property taxes becoming delinquent in that year.  Suits for the collection of delinquent property taxes are to be filed after the trustee delivers the delinquent lists to the attorney by April 1 of each year. The delinquent tax attorney is compensated in an amount determined in advance through negotiations between the trustee and the attorney, subject to the approval of the county legislative body, but in most counties this amount is limited to 10 percent of all delinquent land taxes collected. T.C.A. §§ 67-5-2404, 67-5-2405.  In most counties the county attorney may serve as the delinquent tax attorney if selected by the county trustee and approved by the county mayor, but the trustee is under no legal obligation to appoint the county attorney to this position.