Warren County property owners who owe back property taxes have less than three weeks to pay them or risk having their property sold at the county’s tax sale.

Warren County Chancery Clerk Donna Hardy said property owners have until 5 p.m. Aug. 27 to make their payment and avoid being on the list of parcels up for sale on Aug. 31. “Anybody inside my door at 5 o’clock will have their taxes paid,” she said.

“We are down to the wire,” Hardy said. As of noon Thursday, she said, 566 parcels have not been redeemed by their owners. She said there are no extensions on delinquent property taxes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her biggest concern, Hardy said, is because of the changing environment caused by COVID-19 property owners may not be able to come in and pay their taxes in time to have them removed from the land sale list before the sale Aug. 31.

“We seem to get ordinances and governor’s mandates almost on a weekly basis and my appeal to the public is if you don’t have to wait (to pay back taxes), don’t wait,” she said.

“Please take a look and see if you owe (taxes),” Hardy said. If someone is not sure whether they owe back taxes, she said, they can go online to the county’s website at co.warren.ms.us, click on the Chancery Clerk’s website and access an updated tax list or call the Chancery Clerk’s office.

“We will be glad to answer their questions and tell them whether they owe any taxes,” Hardy said. “Anything we can do to get people motivated to come in and pay their taxes.”

She said people can pay their back taxes by mail using a cashier’s check from a local bank or money order, cash or by credit or debit card. People paying by cash or card have to make the payment in person at Hardy’s office. Payments by mail must be in by Aug. 27.

People who have unpaid back taxes will also pay an interest rate of 1.5 percent a month or 18 percent a year plus penalties and fees for locating the owner such as certified mail and publishing their address in the notice of the tax sale, Hardy said.