Autauga County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Autauga County, seat of Prattville: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
Verified Jul 27, 2026 against official county and state sources.
New here? Read how Alabama tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Autauga County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Autauga County Revenue Commissioner (Kathy Rhodes Evans)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual. The Revenue Commissioner's own page states: "Tax sales are held annually for all unpaid tax properties." and "Properties are for sale in commission chambers in a public outcry auction, usually beginning at 10:00 A.M., on the day specified in the Notice of Sale." The exact month is not published on the county site; the sale date is fixed by the Notice of Sale and "Properties are advertised in the local newspaper, the Prattville Progress, for three weeks prior to the sale date." Ad valorem taxes are due October 1, must be paid by December 31, and become delinquent January 1.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
No online bidder registration is published. The Revenue Commissioner's page states: "Anyone wishing to purchase must appear in person - property interest goes to the highest bidder." Payment terms: "Purchasers may pay by certified check or cash the day of the sale." A paid receipt is issued at purchase and, per the page, "After ten (10) business days the buyer is issued a certificate of purchase - not a tax deed."
Autauga County runs an IN-PERSON sale, not an online auction. Its official Collection Info page describes a public outcry auction held in the county commission chambers, so no online platform URL is asserted here. No GovEase, RealAuction, or other platform link appears anywhere on the Revenue Commissioner site, and no Alabama county auction was listed on GovEase's live and upcoming auctions table at the time of checking. Third-party lien-investing sites claim an April 14, 2026 GovEase sale for Autauga; that claim could not be confirmed on any official county page and is deliberately excluded. Redemption per the county page: "Any time within the first three (3) years the owners of said property can redeem this property through the Revenue Commissioner's Office" at "12% per year (1% per month)", and "A tax deed cannot be issued until three (3) years from the date of the tax sale", issued by the Judge of Probate on surrender of the certificate. Unsold parcels revert to the state: "Tax properties not purchased are returned to the State of Alabama", and buyers must then apply to the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division (the page cites the Ad Valorem Tax Division, P.O. Box 327210, Montgomery, Alabama 36132-7210), which accepts certified checks only. The portal also exposes an Insolvent Search alongside the Delinquent Search. In person (public outcry auction, Autauga County Commission chambers)
From lien to deed
- Run by
- Circuit court of the county; the circuit clerk executes the deed
- Frequency
- none (court action, not a scheduled auction)
- Typical timing
- Not scheduled. A certificate holder may file no earlier than four years after the tax lien auction and no later than ten years after it
Alabama counties on the tax lien auction method hold no separate tax deed auction. Title passes only through a circuit court action to foreclose the right to redeem and quiet title, which ends in a circuit clerk's deed. A person entitled to redeem can answer that action by demanding a public auction instead, in which case the court sets a minimum bid equal to the redemption amount plus back taxes and allowed costs, and any surplus goes to the owner. A county that instead elects the Article 1 property tax sale sells the land itself at the courthouse and the judge of probate issues a deed after three years. Confirm which method your county uses.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
Liens that draw no bid at the auction stay with the county. At any time after the auction date the tax collecting official may sell an unsold lien at private sale for no less than all taxes, interest, penalties, costs and fees due, plus any amount owed to a prior certificate holder. The rate is agreed with the tax collecting official and cannot exceed 12 percent, so over-the-counter liens often carry the full rate. Ask the county for its list of unsold liens.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Autauga County Revenue Commissioner
Autauga County Courthouse, 135 North Court Street, Suite D, Prattville, AL 36067
Official websiteNotes for Autauga County
- County seat is Prattville. The Revenue Commissioner's office is in the Autauga County Courthouse at 135 North Court Street, Suite D, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (source: autauga_home).
- Autauga uses the traditional Alabama tax-sale route (in-person public outcry, certificate of purchase, three-year redemption) rather than a published online tax-lien auction. Verified on the county's own Collection Info page (source: autauga_collection).
- Sale is advertised in the Prattville Progress for three weeks before the sale date; the date itself comes from the Notice of Sale, so investors must watch the paper or call 334-358-6750 (source: autauga_collection).
- Bidding is highest-bidder in person, with cash or certified check due the day of the sale. A paid receipt issues at purchase; the certificate of purchase issues after ten business days (source: autauga_collection).
- The county publishes a Delinquent Tax Search and an Insolvent Search on its Citizen Access Portal; the delinquent search is filtered by tax year and was showing 2026 at the time of check (source: autauga_delq).
- Parcels that go unsold at the county sale revert to the State of Alabama and are then bought through the Alabama Department of Revenue's price-quote application process, with payment due within 10 calendar days of the quote (sources: autauga_collection, ador_land_sales).
- Attempts to reach two older county PDFs referenced in search indexes (Tax Lien Sale Property.pdf and Tax Sale Property for 2015 Tax Sale.pdf under /custom/PDF/) returned the portal's SPA fallback rather than a document, so neither was usable as a source.
- The Alabama Department of Revenue county directory lists a second Autauga line for the appraisal office at 334-358-6771 (source: ador_county_offices).
Alabama statewide rules
- Redemption
- A tax lien can be redeemed at any time before the circuit court enters judgment in a foreclosure action, and the holder cannot file that action until four years after the auction or the tax official's private sale. If the holder does not commence a foreclosure action within ten years of the auction or sale, the certificate expires and the lien becomes void. A certificate holder has no right to enter or possess the property, make repairs, or charge rents before it receives the circuit clerk's deed. In a county that uses the Article 1 property tax sale instead, land sold to a purchaser other than the state may be redeemed within three years from the date of sale, and land bid in for the state may be redeemed at any time before title passes out of the state.
- Surplus proceeds
- In a court-ordered auction the proceeds pay the cost of the auction first, then the certificate holder up to the redemption amount plus taxes it paid before filing and the court-allowed costs and fees. Any surplus goes to the owner or the owner's heirs or successors as the court determines, and Alabama's unclaimed property law applies to whatever is left. In a county that instead uses the Article 1 property tax sale, the excess over the decree is held in a separate county account for three years for a party who redeems, and Section 40-10-28 opens later windows in which the owner or a redeeming party can claim it.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Autauga County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Autauga County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Autauga County tax certificate sale?
- Annual. The Revenue Commissioner's own page states: "Tax sales are held annually for all unpaid tax properties." and "Properties are for sale in commission chambers in a public outcry auction, usually beginning at 10:00 A.M., on the day specified in the Notice of Sale." The exact month is not published on the county site; the sale date is fixed by the Notice of Sale and "Properties are advertised in the local newspaper, the Prattville Progress, for three weeks prior to the sale date." Ad valorem taxes are due October 1, must be paid by December 31, and become delinquent January 1.. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the Tax Collector before the sale.
How often does Autauga County hold tax deed sales?
- none (court action, not a scheduled auction). Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
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