Help center · Georgia tax sale basics
What a Georgia tax sale is
When property taxes go unpaid, the county can levy on the property and sell it at a first-Tuesday courthouse auction.
A Georgia tax sale is a public auction of property whose owner did not pay the property taxes. The county tax commissioner issues a tax execution (a fi. fa.) for the unpaid amount, the property is levied on, and it is sold at the courthouse, usually by the sheriff or the tax commissioner.
How it works, in short
- Unpaid taxes. The tax commissioner bills, then issues an execution for the delinquent amount.
- Levy and notice. The property is levied on, the owner gets notice, and the sale is advertised once a week for four weeks in the county's legal newspaper.
- Sale day. The auction is held at the courthouse on the first Tuesday of the month. The opening bid is the amount owed: taxes, interest, penalties and costs.
- Tax deed. The winning bidder pays and receives a tax deed. The former owner usually keeps a right to redeem the property for a period afterward; see redemption basics.
The full walk-through, with each rule cited to its code section, is in How Georgia tax sales work.
This is a general summary for orientation, not legal advice. Talk to a Georgia attorney before bidding.
Quick answers
- Is a tax sale the same as a mortgage foreclosure?
- No. A mortgage foreclosure sells the property for an unpaid loan and usually leaves no right to redeem. A tax sale sells it for unpaid taxes, and the owner can usually redeem afterward.
- What is the opening bid?
- The amount on the tax execution: the delinquent taxes plus interest, penalties and the costs of the levy and sale.
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