Selling a house in Hamilton County
Hamilton County is centered on Chattanooga, with smaller cities like East Ridge, Red Bank, Soddy-Daisy and Collegedale around it. Chattanooga homeowners pay city property tax separately to the City Treasurer, while the county Trustee collects city taxes for several of the smaller cities.
Probate runs through Chancery Court, where a 1955 act moved probate jurisdiction. Chattanooga moves quickly on vacant properties that are littered, overgrown or open: the city can clean or board them after a 10-day wait and place a lien that has to be cleared before a sale.
Local offices to know
Who to call about the paperwork behind a sale in Hamilton County. County seat: Chattanooga.
| What it's for | Office | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Recording deeds | Hamilton County Register of Deeds | (423) 209-6560 |
| Property taxes and payoffs | Hamilton County Trustee Chattanooga city taxes: City Treasurer, (423) 643-7262 | (423) 209-7270 |
| Probate and estates | Chancery Court, Clerk and Master | (423) 209-6600 |
| Tax sales | Clerk and Master, Chief Tax Deputy In person, County Commission Room, Hamilton County Courthouse | (423) 209-6606 |
| Code enforcement (Chattanooga) | City of Chattanooga Code Enforcement | (423) 643-7307 |
| Evictions | General Sessions Court, Civil Division | (423) 209-7630 |
Worth knowing in Hamilton County
- Unpaid Chattanooga city taxes go to Hamilton County Chancery Court after one year. City tax freeze and relief programs: (423) 643-7274. Source
- The Trustee collects city taxes for Collegedale, East Ridge, Lakesite, Red Bank, Ridgeside, Soddy-Daisy and Walden, so owners there have one place to pay. Chattanooga is billed separately. Source
Guides for your situation
- Inherited house or probate
How selling an inherited or probate house works in Tennessee, and when a cash sale makes sense.
- Facing foreclosure
How foreclosure works in Tennessee, how much time you may have, and where selling fits.
- Behind on property taxes
What happens when Tennessee property taxes go unpaid, how tax sales and redemption work, and how back taxes are handled in a sale.
- House needs major repairs
Fix it first, list it as-is, or sell for cash: what each path actually nets you.
- Rental with tenants
Selling an occupied rental, tired-landlord sales and what happens to the lease.
- Divorce
How a house sale works when both spouses own it, and why speed and certainty matter.
- Code violations or vacant house
Selling a vacant house or one with open code enforcement cases, as-is.
Office details checked November 2026. Offices move and numbers change, so confirm on the official site.