Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB1663 Latest Draft

Bill / Amended Version Filed 04/22/2025

                             
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 1 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
SENATE FLOOR VERSION 
April 21, 2025 
 
 
ENGROSSED HOUSE 
BILL NO. 1663 	By: Cantrell of the House 
 
  and 
 
  Frix and Seifried of the 
Senate 
 
 
 
 
 
An Act relating to revenue and taxation; amending 68 
O.S. 2021, Sections 3113, 3125, 3127, and 3129, as 
amended by Section 1, Chapter 178, O.S.L. 2023 (68 
O.S. Supp. 2024, Section 3129), which relate to 
procedures for sale of property for unpaid ad valorem 
taxes; modifying provisions related to time for 
redemption of property; prescribing procedures 
related to online auctions; providing for effect of 
certain errors related to information related to tax 
sale process; modifying provisions related to method  
of payment; authorizing online sale process; 
prescribing procedures for online sale process; and 
providing an effective date. 
 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     68 O.S. 2021, Section 3113, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 3113. The owner of any real estate, or any person 
having a legal or eq uitable interest therein, may redeem the same at 
any time before the execution of a deed of conveyance therefor by 
the county treasurer start of the resale auction by paying to the   
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 2 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
county treasurer the sum which was originally delinquent including 
interest at the lawful rate as provided in Section 2913 of this 
title and such additional costs as may have accrued; provided, that 
minors or incapacitated or partially incapacitated persons may 
redeem from taxes any real property belonging to them within one (1) 
year after the expiration of such disability, with interest and 
penalty at not more than ten percent (10%) per annum.  The term 
incapacitated as used in this section relates to mental 
incapacitation only, physical disability is not covered under this 
term or this section. 
SECTION 2.     AMENDATORY     68 O.S. 2021, Section 3125, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 3125. If any real estate shall remain unredeemed for 
the period provided for in Section 3105 of this title, the county 
treasurer shall proceed to sell such real estate at resale, which 
shall be held on the second Monday of June each year in each county 
or, if conducted through an online auction, shall be started on a 
date and time set by the county treasurer during normal busi ness 
hours within the full week of the second Monday of June, or until 
the sale has concluded pursuant to subsection A of Section 3129 of 
this title. 
SECTION 3.     AMENDATORY     68 O.S. 2021, Section 3127, is 
amended to read as follows:   
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 3 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
Section 3127. The county treasurer, according to the law, shall 
give notice of the resale of such real estate by publication of said 
notice once a week for four (4) consecutive weeks preceding such 
sale, in some newspaper, having been continuously publis hed one 
hundred four (104) consecutive weeks with admission to the United 
States mails as second -class mail matter, with paid circulation and 
published in the county where delivered to the mails, to be 
designated by the county treasurer; and if there be no paper 
published in the county, or publication is refused, the county 
treasurer shall give notice by written or printed notice posted on 
the door of the courthouse.  Such notice shall contain a description 
of the real estate to be sold, the name of the rec ord owner of said 
real estate as of the preceding December 3l or later as shown by the 
records in the office of the county assessor, which records shall be 
updated based on real property conveyed after October 1 each year, 
the time and place of sale, the website if conducted through an 
online auction, a statement of the date on which said real estate 
taxes first became due and payable as provided for in Section 2913 
of this title, the year or years for which taxes have been assessed 
but remain unpaid and a statement that the same has not been 
redeemed, the total amount of all delinquent taxes, costs, penalties 
and interest accrued, due and unpaid on the same, and a statement 
that such real estate will be sold to the highest bidder for cash.  
It shall not be necessary to set forth the amount of taxes,   
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 4 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
penalties, interest and costs accrued each year separately, but it 
shall be sufficient to publish the total amount of all due and 
unpaid taxes, penalties, interest and costs.  The county treasurer 
shall, at least thirty (30) days prior to such resale of real 
estate, give notice by certified mail, by mailing to the record 
owner of said real estate, as shown by the records in the county 
assessor's office, which records shall be updated based on real 
property conveyed after October 1 each year, and to all mortgagees 
of record of said real estate a notice stating the time and place 
method, the time and , if in person, place of said resale and showing 
the legal description of the real property to be sold.  If the 
county treasurer does not know and cannot, by the exercise of 
reasonable diligence, ascertain the address of any mortgagee of 
record, then the county treasurer shall cause an affidavit to be 
filed with the county clerk, on a form approved by the State Auditor 
and Inspector, stating such fact, which affidavit shall suffice, 
along with publication as provided for by this section, to give any 
mortgagee of record notice of such resale.  Neither failure to send 
notice to any mortgagee of record of said real estate nor failure to 
receive notice as provided for by this section shall invalidate the 
resale, but the resale tax deed shall be ineffective to extinguish 
any mortgage on said real estate of a mortgagee to whom no notice 
was sent.  A failure to advertise, an error in the advertisement, or 
an error in conducting the sale shall not invalidate a sale at the   
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 5 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
proper time and places for taxes of any land on which the taxes were 
due and not paid.  Beginning on April 24, 2008, no encumbrancer of 
real property in this state shall be permitted to file any 
instrument purporting to encumber real property in any county of the 
state with any county clerk unless the instrument states on its face 
the mailing address of such encumbrancer. 
SECTION 4.     AMENDATORY    68 O.S. 2021, Section 3129, as 
amended by Section 1, Chapter 178, O.S.L. 2023 (68 O.S. Supp. 2024, 
Section 3129), is amended to read as follows: 
Section 3129. A.  On the day real estate is advertised for 
resale, the county treasurer shall offer same fo r sale at the office 
of the county treasurer between the hours of eight a.m. and five 
p.m., the exact hours of each sale to be determined by the local 
county treasurer, and continue the sale thereafter from day to day 
between such hours until all of the re al estate is sold and is 
concluded by the treasurer .  The real estate shall be sold at public 
auction to the highest bidder for cash or certified funds.  Online 
auctions may accept online payments . 
B.  The county treasurer may cho ose to hold the June resale 
through an online auction instead of the in-person process as 
prescribed in subsection A of this section . Such online auctions 
shall occur during regular business hours and shall follow all other 
requirements of the resale auction until all of the real estate is 
sold and is concluded by the treasurer.  The county treasurer may   
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 6 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
select a firm to conduct the online auction with the cost of the 
online auctioneer to be added to the sale of each property. 
C. All property must be sold for a sum not less than t wo-thirds 
(2/3) of the assessed value of such real estate as fixed for the 
current fiscal year, or for the total amount of taxes, penalties, 
interest and costs due on such property, whichever is the lesser.  
Notwithstanding, there shall be a reserve minimu m bid placed in an 
amount covering all taxes, abatement costs, penalties, interest, 
costs due to a municipality if the right to exercise the reserve 
minimum bid is noticed to the county treasurer.  With the exception 
of nuisance property, if there is no bi d equal to or greater than 
the sum so required, the county treasurer shall bid off the same in 
the name of the county.  However, the property must be bid off in 
the name of the municipality if demand is made in writing by a 
municipality which has outstandi ng liens upon the property.  In 
cases of nuisance property, the county treasurer shall have 
discretion to not bid off the property in the name of the county and 
instead allow the property to remain under its current ownership, 
unless demand is made in writ ing by a municipality which has 
outstanding liens upon the property.  "Nuisance property" shall be 
defined as property that is deemed unmarketable or unusable due to 
the existence of liens in excess of the property 's fair market value 
as shown by the count y assessor's office or due to environmental 
problems or conditions that exist on the property that would cost   
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 7 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
more to remedy than the fair market value of the property as shown 
by the county assessor 's office, or property in which abatement 
liens have been placed upon the property by a municipality in excess 
of twenty-five percent (25%) of the property 's fair market value as 
shown by the county assessor 's office.  Greenbelts, common areas, 
easements, retention ponds and detention ponds may also be 
considered nuisance property if transference of ownership to either 
the county or a third party would cause a hardship to the 
neighborhood or subdivision these areas were meant to serve or to 
the county or third party.  The county treasurer shall make the 
determination, in conjunction with review and approval of the board 
of county commissioners, upon consideration of the above factors, as 
to whether or not property constitutes nuisance property.  The said 
nuisance property determination may be made at any time duri ng the 
year, including before or immediately after the June resale.  In the 
case of a nuisance property that has liens from a city or town, if a 
minimum bid is not made, the city or town shall be credited a bid on 
the property equal to the amount of the li en of the city or town if 
its intention to do so is made known to the county treasurer prior 
to the sale or at the sale.  In the case of a nuisance property with 
liens from a city or town, if a minimum bid is not made, the 
nuisance property shall be bid of f in the name of the city or town 
if its intention to do so is made known to the county treasurer 
prior to the sale or at the sale.  All property bid off in the name   
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 8 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
of the county shall be for the amount of all taxes, penalties, 
interest and costs due ther eon, and the county treasurer shall issue 
a deed therefor to the board of county commissioners for the use and 
benefit of the county.  All nuisance property bid off in the name of 
the city or town shall be for the amount of any municipal liens due 
thereon, and the county treasurer shall issue a deed therefor to the 
city or town for the use and benefit of the city or town. 
C. D.  The county treasurers shall provide to the Oklahoma 
Health Care Authority (OHCA) a list of properties that will be sold 
at tax resales in their respective counties.  Using the information 
provided, the OHCA shall produce a list for each county of 
properties on which the OHCA has liens.  The county treasurers shall 
make the list of properties with the OHCA liens available to 
potential buyers at the tax resales.  The OHCA shall file a release 
of the liens on properties that fit the definition of blighted 
properties, as defined in Section 38 -101 of Title 11 of the Oklahoma 
Statutes, in the county records of the county where the property is 
located upon request of that county 's treasurer.  The filing of the 
lien release shall not extinguish the debt owed to the OHCA which 
may be enforced through any legal means available to the OHCA. 
D. E.  The county shall not be liable to the state or an y taxing 
district thereof for any part of the amount for which any property 
may be sold to such county.  All property bid off in the name of the   
 
SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB1663 SFLR 	Page 9 
(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments)  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
  
county shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation as long as title is 
held for the county. 
E. F.  1.  The county shall not be civilly liable for any 
environmental problems or conditions on any property which existed 
on the property prior to the county 's involuntary ownership of the 
property pursuant to this section, or which may result from such 
environmental problem s or conditions on the property.  During the 
period of the county 's involuntary ownership of the property, the 
person or persons who would be legally liable for the environmental 
problems or conditions on the property but for the county 's 
ownership shall continue to be liable for such environmental 
problems or conditions. 
2.  In addition, the county shall not be subject to civil 
liability with regard to any actions taken by the county to 
remediate any problems or conditions on the property resulting from 
the environmental problems or conditions if the remedial action is 
not performed in a reckless or negligent manner. 
SECTION 5.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2025. 
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON REVENUE AND TAXATION 
April 21, 2025 - DO PASS