Bullock County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Bullock County, seat of Union Springs: 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 Bullock County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Bullock County Revenue Commissioner (Neara S. Reed), the county tax collecting official
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No 2026 sale date is published on any county page. The most recent published county sale notice, for the 2021 tax year, states: "I WILL PROCEED TO SELL FOR CASH IN THE BASEMENT OF THE COURTHOUSE OF BULLOCK, IN THE CITY OF UNION SPRINGS ON MAY 12, 2022 THE LEGAL HOURS OF SALES THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED REAL ESTATE TO WIT:" That points to a spring (May) sale at the courthouse, but it is not a confirmed current date. Call the office to confirm the current year.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
No registration or bidder-application process is published on any county page. The only bidder terms found are in the county sale notice: the sale is "FOR CASH" and "NO PERSONAL CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED." Contact the Revenue Commissioner at (334) 738-2888 for current bidder requirements. For state-held (sold-to-state) inventory, the Alabama Department of Revenue takes price-quote requests by electronic application and gives the buyer 10 calendar days from the quote date to remit.
Bullock County uses the traditional tax sale, not the Article 7 online tax lien auction. The Revenue Commissioner's FAQ carries the county's Section 40-10-180(b) method declaration, headed "Tradition Tax Sale - How is the Tax Sale for Collecting Delinquent Property Tax Handled?" and signed Neara S. Reed, Revenue Commissioner, Bullock County, Sept 22nd, 2023: "As the tax collecting official for Bullock County, please accept this notice as a declaration of my intentions to conduct a Sale for the collection of delinquent taxes for the year 2023-2024 forward." The county's published sale notice runs "By Virtue of the Decree Rendered By The Probate Court of Bullock County Alabama" and sells at the courthouse for cash, so there is no verified online auction platform and no platform URL. Nothing on GovEase or any other bidding site was confirmed for this county. The county's own sale list circulates as a newspaper legal notice; the only copy found online is the 2021 tax year ad hosted by the county GIS vendor (see sources). Parcels that go unsold pass to the state, and the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division publishes the county-by-county transcript of state-held land, updated weekly; the Bullock transcript fetched here carries a date of 07/20/2026. ADOR issues an assignment of the tax sale certificate if the state has held it under three years and a tax deed if over three years, and warns that neither conveys clear title. In person at the Bullock County Courthouse basement, Union Springs
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)
Notes for Bullock County
- Revenue Commissioner is Neara S. Reed. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm (bullock-rev-home, bullock-rev-contact).
- Fax is (334) 738-2984 per the office Contact Us page (bullock-rev-contact). The county department page lists email [email protected] (bullock-county-rev-dept).
- The Revenue Commissioner site has only five pages (Home, Contact Us, GIS Maps, FAQ, plus outbound links to the Alabama Dept of Revenue and the City of Union Springs). There is no dedicated tax sale page, no sale calendar, and no bidder registration page (bullock-rev-home).
- The county government events calendar for 2026 lists only Commission agenda-setting and Commission meetings at the Courthouse Basement (Jul 28, Aug 11, Aug 25, Sep 08, Sep 22). No tax sale is listed there (bullock-county-home).
- The GIS Maps link goes to a KCS GIS parcel viewer at isv.kcsgis.com/al.bullock_revenue/, which is a map application only and carries no sale list or auction information.
- Searched for newer county sale ads at the GIS vendor path used for the 2021 tax year ad (Bullock_Ad_2023/2024/2025/2026.pdf) and all returned 404. The 2022-published ad is the newest county sale list located online.
- Investor caution: the county sale is a live, cash-only courthouse sale under a Probate Court decree, so plan for in-person attendance and confirm the date by phone. Do not assume an online platform.
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 Bullock County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Bullock County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Bullock County tax certificate sale?
- No 2026 sale date is published on any county page. The most recent published county sale notice, for the 2021 tax year, states: "I WILL PROCEED TO SELL FOR CASH IN THE BASEMENT OF THE COURTHOUSE OF BULLOCK, IN THE CITY OF UNION SPRINGS ON MAY 12, 2022 THE LEGAL HOURS OF SALES THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED REAL ESTATE TO WIT:" That points to a spring (May) sale at the courthouse, but it is not a confirmed current date. Call the office to confirm the current year.. 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 Bullock 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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