Enter the dates from your foreclosure papers and see how much time you have — and what to do next.
An estimate for planning, not legal advice — timelines can vary by county and case. Confirm every date with your papers, the court, or your attorney. Free help: find a HUD-approved housing counselor.
Kentucky uses a judicial foreclosure process. Key dates come from your own papers — enter them above for your exact timeline.
Kentucky has no general statutory right to cure or reinstate before judgment/sale (narrow exception: high-cost home loans, which require a default notice with 30 days to cure). Reinstatement is contract-only — standard Fannie/Freddie mortgages give a right to reinstate after acceleration. Because foreclosure is judicial, the owner can also pay the full amount due and have the case dismissed any time before the commissioner's sale; federal law bars filing until 120+ days delinquent. No general KY reinstatement statute; see Nolo, Kentucky Foreclosure Laws; high-cost loan cure per KRS 360.100
Before the sale: Equitable right of redemption until the master commissioner's sale: pay the full judgment amount (accelerated balance, interest, costs) at any time before the sale.
After the sale: Only if the property sold for less than two-thirds of its appraised value: 6 months from the day of sale, by paying the clerk the purchase money + 10%/yr interest + purchaser's reasonable post-sale costs (KRS 426.530, official text verified, eff. 7/15/2016). The redemption right itself may be sold/assigned (KRS 426.540). If the sale brought 2/3 of appraisal or more, no post-sale redemption exists. KRS 426.530 — https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=45200 · KRS 426.540 — https://law.justia.com/codes/kentucky/chapter-426/section-426-540/ · KRS 426.520
The owner keeps title and can sell the home and keep the equity at any time until the master commissioner's sale — even after the foreclosure judgment — as long as the sale pays off the judgment and costs. After the sale, the owner cannot keep the property (unless the under-2/3-of-appraisal redemption applies, in which case the redemption right itself can also be sold under KRS 426.540) but is entitled to any surplus proceeds.
Want the fuller picture beyond the dates? Read the Kentucky foreclosure guide — timeline, rights & options.
Unpaid property taxes become certificates of delinquency sold by county clerks to third-party purchasers (KRS ch. 134). The owner can pay off the certificate (taxes, penalties, fees, interest) at any time; the purchaser must wait 1 year from delinquency before suing to enforce (KRS 134.546(1)) and give 45 days' notice (KRS 134.490). If the property is sold in a tax foreclosure it is appraised under KRS 426.520 and the same KRS 426.530 redemption applies (6 months if it sells for under 2/3 of appraisal). KRS 134.546; KRS 134.490
PRACTITIONER ESTIMATE (Nolo/KY practitioners): federal rules bar filing until 120+ days delinquent; once filed, an uncontested Kentucky judicial foreclosure typically takes roughly 5-6 months more (service, 20-day answer window, judgment, appraisal, ~3 weeks of sale advertising, commissioner's sale, confirmation) — commonly ~6-12 months total from first missed payment, longer if contested. (Practitioner estimate, not a statute.)
If your mortgage predates your military service, the federal SCRA generally requires a court order to foreclose during active duty and for 12 months after (50 U.S.C. §3953). These protections must be raised — tell the court and your counselor.