HENDERSON, KY, March 4, 2026– For the fifth time in almost ten years, the City of Henderson has initiated a mass foreclosure action to recover delinquent property taxes and code enforcement liens while continuing its broader efforts to address blight and return neglected properties to productive use.
The current filing includes twenty properties involving a combination of delinquent property taxes, code enforcement liens, or both. Collectively, the properties are encumbered by approximately $291,500 in liens, largely arising from code enforcement actions and the demolition of condemned structures, along with approximately $14,800 in delinquent property taxes, for a combined total exceeding $306,000 sought through the foreclosure process. The upcoming action contains 16 vacant lots and 4 parcels with houses.
“We are allowed by statute to pursue a mass foreclosure, which allows multiple properties to be included in a single lawsuit,” said City Attorney Dawn Kelsey. “This process saves the City both time and money, expedites the foreclosure timeline, and creates opportunities for blighted properties to be transferred to responsible owners who can rehabilitate or redevelop them.”
The goal of mass foreclosure is to recoup a portion of the public costs incurred by maintaining unsafe or abandoned properties, and to spur redevelopment that returns those properties to productive use and back onto the tax rolls.
When judgments are obtained, the properties are placed into a Master Commissioner’s public sale and are sold with clear title, making redevelopment more feasible.
The properties in the lawsuit reach condemnation for a variety of reasons, such as the financial inability of the owner to maintain them. Other scenarios could be an owner who moves away and abandons the property or heirs having no interest in a property they inherited.
When properties are not maintained, the City incurs expenses for boarding up structures, mowing and, eventually, demolition.
The City is addressing and managing the issue through the creation of a Code Enforcement Board that started in July 2017.
“Our current City Administration is making a priority of tearing down condemned properties, and the mass foreclosure gives us a mechanism to recoup the costs of cleaning up unsafe properties and to make the property available for redevelopment,” Kelsey said.
“The City’s mass foreclosure process has already produced real, measurable housing outcomes,” said Mayor Brad Staton. “From the City’s previous four mass foreclosures, Habitat for Humanity has been able to purchase lots for new homes. On those lots, Habitat has constructed ten new homes, with four additional Habitat homes scheduled to begin construction by this summer. In addition, a new housing development has been established on one of the larger tracts, and formerly abandoned and vacant houses have been rehabilitated and returned to use as housing. This process has proven to be an effective tool not only for recovering public costs, but for revitalizing neighborhoods and expanding safe, quality housing options throughout our community.”
The properties included in this filing are located throughout the City of Henderson and consist of the following addresses:
- 113 Thompson Street; 124 Letcher Street; 828 Powell Street; 1418 Helm Street;
- 1214 Helm Street; 727 Sixth Street; 1601 Washington Street; 115 Letcher Street; 327 S. Alvasia Street;
- 329 N. Adams Street; 918 Center Street; 452 S. Adams Street; 1705 Washington Street; 916 Pond Street;
- 906 Harts Alley; 1406 Wilson Drive; 1205 Loeb Street; 1431 Helm Street; 3086 Mimosa Drive; and 512 Letcher Street.
“By addressing these properties collectively, the City is working to eliminate blighted conditions, improve neighborhood safety, and return long-neglected parcels to productive use,” said Mayor Staton. “This effort helps create additional opportunities for infill development and makes more lots available for affordable housing, strengthening neighborhoods throughout Henderson.”
Anyone interested in being notified of Master Commissioner sales related to the mass foreclosure may email their contact information to massforeclosure@hendersonky.gov to be placed on the notification list
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