Sell My Land in Union County MS - What Landowners Need to Know
Key Takeaways
- Union County is growing, and its rural land market still trades thin: Population rose from 27,134 in 2010 to 27,777 in the 2020 Census, and New Albany has landed two furniture-plant investments since 2020 — yet the buyers for interior acreage remain a narrow group
- The farm base is consolidating hard: Between 2017 and 2022 farm count fell 15% while land in farms rose 15% and average farm size jumped 36% to 246 acres, per the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture — fewer operators working more ground
- Mississippi charges $0.00 in state deed transfer tax: Union County sellers owe no state-level transfer tax, though state law requires a licensed attorney to examine title and close the sale, with deeds recorded at the Chancery Clerk in New Albany
How Can You Sell Land in Union County Mississippi?
You can sell land in Union County through Mississippi's attorney-required closing process, with no state transfer tax and deeds recorded at the Chancery Clerk in New Albany — the factor most likely to surprise you is that a county with real job growth and a rising population still offers a narrow pool of buyers for ordinary rural acreage. Union County covers 416 square miles of north Mississippi, with New Albany as the county seat and roughly 67 people per square mile.
Union County borders seven counties: Benton, Tippah, Prentiss, Lee, Pontotoc, Lafayette, and Marshall. Part of the Holly Springs National Forest lies inside its boundaries, and New Albany sits along the US-78/I-22 corridor between Memphis and Tupelo.
This guide covers the tax costs of holding vacant land in Union County, why a growing county can still be a slow land market, Mississippi's attorney-required closing process, how the county compares to its neighbors, and your practical options for selling.
What Are the Tax Costs of Holding Land in Union County?
Mississippi taxes vacant land at a higher assessment ratio than owner-occupied housing, and that gap is the main structural cost of holding bare ground. Class II property — agricultural land, rental property, business property, and most vacant parcels — is assessed at 15% of true value, while owner-occupied residential property is assessed at 10%, according to Mississippi State University Extension. A vacant tract therefore carries a 50% higher assessment ratio than a neighboring owner-occupied home of equivalent value, every year it sits.
We do not publish a Union County millage or effective tax rate on this page, because no current figure traceable to the county or the Mississippi Department of Revenue could be confirmed. Undated third-party "county average" property tax rates circulate widely and are frequently stale. For the rate that applies to your parcel, contact the county tax office using the routing information below.
How the Tax Bill Compounds on Non-Productive Land
The annual repetition is the real cost. Land producing no rent, no timber revenue, and no crop lease generates a bill every year that is pure carrying cost, accumulating whether or not the parcel appreciates. For absentee owners — someone who inherited ground outside New Albany and now lives out of state — the risk compounds, because notices mailed to an outdated address go unseen.
Mississippi taxes attach on January 1 each year, and delinquent parcels are offered at tax sale on the last Monday in August. Owners who fail to redeem within two years of the tax sale risk losing the property outright. If yours has fallen behind, see our guide on how to sell land with back taxes.
Mississippi Use-Value Assessment and the Reforestation Tax Credit
Mississippi allows qualifying agricultural land to be assessed on use value instead of market value. Where land is in commercial agricultural production, the owner may apply through the county tax assessor to have it valued on a capitalized-income basis under Mississippi Code § 27-35-50, with the 15% Class II ratio then applied to that use value. This is a tax-assessment mechanism rather than a market valuation, and it requires an application — it is not automatic.
Mississippi also offers a Reforestation Tax Credit equal to 50% of approved reforestation costs, including site preparation, seedlings, and planting labor, capped at $75,000 per taxpayer over a lifetime, according to the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Landowners must be non-industrial private forest owners working from a plan prepared by a Registered Forester. Standing timber is not subject to ad valorem tax until harvest, when a severance tax applies. With 40,292 acres of woodland counted inside Union County farms alone in 2022 — more than the county's pastureland and nearly a third of all land in farms — these provisions reach a large share of local acreage. If your tract carries pine or hardwood, see our guide on how to sell timberland.
What Closing Requirements and Land-Use Rules Apply in Union County?
Mississippi is an attorney-state for real estate closings, and a licensed Mississippi attorney must examine and certify title before a land sale can close, per The Mississippi Bar. That applies whether you list with an agent, sell to a neighbor, or sell directly to a buyer.
The closing sequence runs:
- Title search: The attorney searches land records filed with the Union County Chancery Clerk for liens, easements, judgments, and encumbrances
- Title certification and insurance: The attorney certifies marketable title; title insurance may be issued against defects the search did not surface
- Closing: The parties execute the deed, seller's affidavits, and settlement statement
- Recording: The deed is recorded with the Union County Chancery Clerk
The Union County Chancery Clerk, Annette Hickey, maintains the county's land and deed records at 109 East Main Street (mailing: PO Box 847), New Albany, MS 38652, phone 662-534-1900, per the Mississippi Chancery Clerks Association directory. Union County also maintains a separate Tax Assessor/Collector's office; because no contact number for it could be confirmed on the county's own website, reach it through the Union County switchboard at 662-534-1902 (108 East Main Street, New Albany) rather than relying on a third-party directory listing.
Mississippi's $0.00 state transfer tax keeps closing costs low relative to states that levy a deed or documentary tax.
Holly Springs National Forest and Federal Ownership
Part of the Holly Springs National Forest lies within Union County, and federal ownership inside a county matters to a seller for a simple reason: it removes acreage from the private market and shapes the private tracts that adjoin it. The forest totals roughly 155,661 acres of U.S. Forest Service land spread across Benton, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, Union, and Yalobusha counties, interspersed with several hundred thousand acres of private land inside the broader proclamation boundary.
One honest limitation: we could not find a source breaking out how many of those federal acres sit specifically inside Union County, so we do not publish a county-level figure. If your parcel borders or sits near the national forest, the practical questions are deeded access, boundary line location, and any easements of record — all of which surface in the title search. Parcels adjoining federal land warrant a careful look at access before you market them.
Outside municipal limits, most Union County land is lightly regulated and agricultural and timber uses generally proceed without county use permits. Manufactured-home placement, subdivision, or commercial development warrants a direct call to county government in New Albany. If your land came through an estate, see selling inherited land with multiple heirs; if you live elsewhere, see selling land as an out-of-state owner.
How Does Union County Compare to Neighboring Mississippi Counties?
Union County grew between 2010 and 2020, from 27,134 to 27,777 residents — a genuine distinction in rural north Mississippi, where most counties in this group are flat or shrinking. It sits between two much larger neighbors and one much smaller one, which shapes where buyers actually come from.
| Factor | Union County | Lee County | Pontotoc County | Benton County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 Census) | 27,777 | 83,343 | 31,184 | 7,646 |
| Land area | 416 sq mi | 450 sq mi | 498 sq mi | 407 sq mi |
| County seat | New Albany | Tupelo | Pontotoc | Ashland |
| Position | Center | Southeast | South | North |
| Land character | Soybean ground, hardwood bottoms, national forest edge | Regional metro, diversified | Row crop and pasture | Very thinly settled, rural |
| Local anchor | Furniture manufacturing | Tupelo regional economy | Manufacturing and agriculture | Small-farm economy |
Lee County to the southeast, anchored by Tupelo, is the regional employment and retail center and by far the largest of the group. Benton County to the north is the opposite case — fewer than 8,000 people across 407 square miles, which is what a genuinely thin buyer pool looks like. Prentiss County to the east shares Union's row-crop-and-timber profile; see our guide to selling land in Prentiss County, MS, and Tippah County to the north in our Tippah County guide.
Real Jobs, a Growing Population — and a Consolidating Farm Base
New Albany's manufacturing base is not a talking point; it is documented. Fusion Furniture expanded into New Albany in December 2020, leasing the former Emerald Home Furnishings facility from the city and county and creating a reported 125 jobs on a $2.062 million investment, according to the Mississippi Development Authority and the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Homestead Furniture followed in December 2022, opening a 70,000-square-foot motion-upholstery plant with a reported $2.0 million-plus investment and 117 new jobs, beginning production in January 2023.
Now hold that against the land data. The USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture reported 525 farms in Union County working 129,221 acres, at an average size of 246 acres. Compared to 2017, farm count fell 15% while land in farms rose 15% and average farm size climbed 36%. Total market value of agricultural products sold reached $24.17 million, up 49%, and the county is decisively crop-driven: crops account for 89% of sales against 11% for livestock and poultry, with grains and oilseeds alone at roughly $19.96 million. Soybeans dominate at 42,131 acres, followed by forage at 12,140 acres and corn for grain at 1,263 acres. Land in farms breaks out as 67,922 acres of cropland, 40,292 acres of woodland, 14,139 acres of pastureland, and 6,868 acres of other uses.
That is the tension a seller here needs to understand. The county is adding people and jobs around New Albany, but the agricultural land market is moving the other way — toward fewer, larger operations. When operator count falls while acreage rises, the remaining buyers are expanding row-crop farmers looking for ground that fits an existing footprint, not newcomers looking for a homesite. Factory employment in town does not create demand for a 25-acre wooded tract eight miles out. For a statewide overview see how to sell land in Mississippi; for row-crop ground see our farmland selling guide; and for county-level analysis across the state, explore our blog.
What Are Your Options for Selling Land in Union County?
Union County landowners face a specific mismatch: a county that looks healthy on paper — rising population, new plant investment, agricultural sales up 49% — paired with a shrinking number of people who actually buy rural land. Add a 15% assessment ratio on unproductive acreage and the case for holding indefinitely gets weaker each year.
Before listing or accepting any offer, verify your property records through the Union County Chancery Clerk at 662-534-1900 (109 East Main Street, New Albany). Confirm your tax status and ask about use-value eligibility through the Union County Tax Assessor/Collector, reachable via the county switchboard at 662-534-1902. If your parcel borders the Holly Springs National Forest, ask the closing attorney to confirm deeded access and boundary lines during the title search. If the tract carries merchantable pine or hardwood, engage a Mississippi Registered Forester for a timber cruise, since standing timber value is not captured in an assessed use value. If you are unsure where to start, see how much is my land worth.
Sellers have several paths. Listing with a Mississippi land-specialist agent exposes the property to row-crop, recreational, and timber buyers across north Mississippi. Online land platforms reach buyers specifically hunting rural acreage, though tracts without a clear agricultural draw can be slow. For landowners who want a firm written number without extended market exposure, Jerez Land provides a parcel-specific cash offer for your land. As a direct buyer we absorb the carrying costs, the marketing time, and the resale risk on a parcel that may wait a long while for the right operator — and the Mississippi attorney handles the closing exactly as state law requires.
If you are weighing whether to involve an agent at all, see whether you need a realtor to sell land. If the tract is good deer or turkey ground, see how to sell hunting land.
Frequently Asked Questions
I inherited land in Union County and live out of state — can I sell it without traveling to Mississippi?
Yes, in most cases. Contact the Union County Chancery Clerk at 662-534-1900 to verify your deed and legal description, and reach the Tax Assessor/Collector through the county switchboard at 662-534-1902 to confirm tax status. Mississippi requires a licensed attorney to examine title and handle the closing, and that attorney can typically arrange remote signing through a notary in your home state. If the property came through an estate with multiple heirs, the attorney will confirm that everyone holding an interest signs the deed.
My land in Union County borders the Holly Springs National Forest — does that affect selling it?
It affects what you should verify before marketing it, not your right to sell. The Holly Springs National Forest covers roughly 155,661 acres of federal land across six north Mississippi counties including Union, interspersed with private tracts inside the proclamation boundary. Federal ownership removes that acreage from the private market and can complicate the private parcels around it, so the questions worth answering early are whether your access is deeded, where the boundary actually runs, and whether any easements are recorded. All three surface in the title search your closing attorney performs.
My Union County land isn't selling even though the county is growing and adding factory jobs — why?
Because population growth and farm-buyer demand are moving in opposite directions here. New Albany added a reported 125 jobs with Fusion Furniture in 2020 and 117 with Homestead Furniture in 2022, per the Mississippi Development Authority, while the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture shows farm count falling 15% between 2017 and 2022 even as land in farms rose 15% and average farm size grew 36% to 246 acres. The buyers left are expanding row-crop operations seeking ground that adjoins what they already work. A wooded or odd-shaped tract away from active operations does not fit that need, regardless of what is happening in town.
How much will I pay in property taxes on vacant land in Union County?
Mississippi assesses vacant land, timber tracts, and other non-owner-occupied property at 15% of true value under the Class II ratio, compared to 10% for owner-occupied homes, according to Mississippi State University Extension. The dollar amount depends on the combined county, school district, and municipal millage applied to that assessed value. Because no current Union County millage figure traceable to a primary source could be confirmed, contact the county tax office for the rate on your specific parcel rather than relying on third-party estimates.
Does Mississippi charge a transfer tax when I sell my land?
No. Mississippi levies a $0.00 state deed transfer tax, so sellers owe no state-level transfer tax regardless of sale price. That makes Mississippi one of the lowest-closing-cost states for land transactions. A licensed Mississippi attorney still handles the title examination, deed preparation, and recording, and those services carry their own fees.
Do I need an attorney to sell land in Union County?
Yes. Mississippi requires a licensed attorney to examine and certify title for real estate transactions, prepare the deed, and oversee the closing. This applies to every land sale, including a direct sale between private parties. After closing, the deed is recorded with the Union County Chancery Clerk at 109 East Main Street (PO Box 847), New Albany, MS 38652, phone 662-534-1900.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Laws and regulations vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Always consult with qualified professionals before making land purchase decisions. Jerez Land is not responsible for actions taken based on this information.