Choctaw County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Choctaw County, seat of Butler: 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 Choctaw County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Choctaw County Revenue Commissioner (office listed as Revenue Commissioner / Tax Collector / Tax Assessor; David Sparrow, Revenue Commissioner)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county does not publish a sale month, date, or time. The Revenue Commissioner's page states only that the office "must advertise and hold a tax sale once a year for any unpaid taxes on real estate or any special assessments." Confirm the current year's sale date directly with the office at 205-459-3359 before planning to bid.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
No bidder registration process, deposit requirement, or bidder packet is published on the county website. Contact the Revenue Commissioner's office at 205-459-3359 or 205-459-2412 for registration instructions. Buyers of state-held (sold to state) parcels do not bid at all: the Alabama Department of Revenue takes an electronic price quote application, emails a quote, and the applicant then has 10 calendar days from the date on the price quote to remit payment.
No online auction platform was verified for Choctaw County. The Revenue Commissioner's page confirms an annual tax sale but publishes no date, no bidding rules, and no auction platform, and the county website carries no tax sale page, notice, or bidder form. Choctaw is not among the 40 Alabama counties listed on GovEase's Alabama county contact page, so there is no evidence it runs its sale on GovEase. Treat the sale as locally administered by the Revenue Commissioner until the office confirms otherwise, and call before assuming online bidding is available. The only official Choctaw parcel list found is the Alabama Department of Revenue state-held transcript (WWW_TRANS_15.PDF; county-to-file mapping verified, Autauga = 04 through Choctaw = 15). As fetched on the transcript's own printed date of 07/20/2026, that file contained the header "STATE OF ALABAMA-DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE-PROPERTY TAX DIVISION / TRANSCRIPT OF TAX DELINQUENT LAND AVAILABLE FOR SALE" and zero parcel rows, meaning Choctaw County had no state-held inventory available at that moment. The transcript refreshes weekly, so recheck it. Per the Department of Revenue, a state-held parcel held under three years conveys an assignment of the tax sale certificate and one held over three years conveys a tax deed, and neither gives clear title.
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)
Choctaw County Revenue Commissioner (Revenue Commissioner / Tax Collector / Tax Assessor)
205-459-3359 (alternate 205-459-2412; appraisal office 205-459-2042; fax 205-459-3369)
Choctaw County Courthouse, 117 S. Mulberry St., Suite 13, Butler, AL 36904 (mailing: P.O. Box 13, Butler, AL 36904)
Official websiteNotes for Choctaw County
- Office confirmed on both the county website and the Alabama Department of Revenue county directory: David Sparrow, Revenue Commissioner, Choctaw County Courthouse, 117 S. Mulberry St., Suite 13, Butler, AL 36904, mailing P.O. Box 13, Butler, AL 36904.
- Office hours listed on the county's public GIS site are 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM Central Time, Monday through Friday.
- The single sale-related sentence on the county site reads: "The Revenue Commissioner must advertise and hold a tax sale once a year for any unpaid taxes on real estate or any special assessments." No month, time, location, or platform accompanies it.
- Choctaw County does not appear on GovEase's published Alabama county contact list, which names 40 participating counties. No online auction platform is claimed here because none was verified.
- Because Alabama counties elect their collection method under Code of Alabama 1975 section 40-10-180, the choice between the traditional tax sale and the tax lien auction should be confirmed with the Revenue Commissioner. The county publishes no election notice online.
- The Choctaw transcript of state-held tax delinquent land was empty (header only) as of the 07/20/2026 date printed on the file. Investors should recheck weekly rather than treat the empty file as permanent.
- Property research support: the county's public GIS parcel viewer is at https://choctaw.alabamagis.com/choctaw/, hosted by Flagship GIS.
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 Choctaw County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Choctaw County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Choctaw County tax certificate sale?
- The county does not publish a sale month, date, or time. The Revenue Commissioner's page states only that the office "must advertise and hold a tax sale once a year for any unpaid taxes on real estate or any special assessments." Confirm the current year's sale date directly with the office at 205-459-3359 before planning to bid.. 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 Choctaw 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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