Clarke County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Clarke County, seat of Grove Hill: 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 Clarke County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Clarke County Revenue Commissioner (the Office of the Revenue Commissioner combines the former Tax Assessor and Tax Collector; Tyler Montana Prescott, J.D. holds the office)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Late May, on a Friday at noon. The county's published Notice of Tax Lien Sale set the sale for "Friday, the 26th day of May, 2023" at "12 Noon" in front of "the Courthouse door of Clarke County," advertised in the Clarke County Democrat on April 6, 13 and 20, 2023. The county does not post a current-year sale date on its website, so confirm the date with the Revenue Commissioner each spring.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
No online pre-registration is published. The county's legal notice states: "The Tax Lien Sale will be conducted in person, and all bidders (or their respective agents) must be present in order to bid. No bids will be accepted by phone, email, fax, or mail." Payment is due the day of the auction and "must be made by cash or money order only." Contact the Revenue Commissioner's office ahead of the sale to confirm bidder requirements.
Clarke County elected the tax lien auction route under Code of Alabama Section 40-10-180. Revenue Commissioner Tyler Montana Prescott's August 2022 legal notice declares that "Clarke County will utilize the sale of tax liens to collect delinquent property taxes for the tax year 2022" and that "unless a future proclamation is made, such method of collection shall remain in full force and effect for future collection years." The sale is run IN PERSON on the courthouse steps in Grove Hill, not on an online platform such as GovEase or Bid4Assets. Bidding is a bid-down-interest format: the Revenue Commissioner described bids as "based on the amount of interest the buyer is willing to accept as full payment on the lien," opening at 12% and stepping down in 1% increments, with the lien going to the lowest interest rate bid. The county publishes the parcel list only in the legal notice run in the Clarke County Democrat; there is no downloadable delinquent list on the county website. The linked Alabama DOR transcript is the state-held (sold to state) inventory for Clarke County and was empty as of the 07/20/2026 transcript date. Because Clarke now sells liens rather than property, no new tax deed is issued at the end of redemption; the Revenue Commissioner stated purchasers "will be required to file a foreclosure action in Circuit Court in order to receive a clerk's deed." In person at the Clarke County Courthouse door in Grove Hill. No online auction platform.
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)
Clarke County Revenue Commissioner (Tyler Montana Prescott, J.D.)
Mailing: P.O. Box 9, Grove Hill, AL 36451. Physical: Clarke County Courthouse, 114 Court St., Grove Hill, AL 36451.
Official websiteNotes for Clarke County
- Clarke County runs a tax LIEN auction, not a tax deed sale, under its Section 40-10-180 election filed by the Revenue Commissioner in August 2022.
- The auction is held in person at the Clarke County Courthouse door in Grove Hill. There is no online bidding platform, and no bids are accepted by phone, email, fax or mail.
- Payment is due on the day of the auction in cash or money order only. No checks or credit cards.
- Bidding runs the interest rate down from 12% in 1% increments to the lowest rate bid.
- Real and personal property taxes are due October 1 and become delinquent after December 31 each year, which sets up the following spring's lien auction.
- The parcel list is published only as a legal notice in the Clarke County Democrat, typically for three consecutive weeks in April. No list is posted on the county website.
- The Alabama DOR state-held transcript for Clarke County was empty as of the 07/20/2026 transcript date, so there is currently no state-held inventory to buy by price quote.
- Since the county sells liens, the purchaser does not receive a tax deed at the end of redemption and must file a foreclosure action in Circuit Court to obtain a clerk's deed.
- Property values, payment status and ten years of appraisal history are searchable on the county's AssuranceWeb portal, though online payments were shown as disabled at the time of review.
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 Clarke County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Clarke County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Clarke County tax certificate sale?
- Late May, on a Friday at noon. The county's published Notice of Tax Lien Sale set the sale for "Friday, the 26th day of May, 2023" at "12 Noon" in front of "the Courthouse door of Clarke County," advertised in the Clarke County Democrat on April 6, 13 and 20, 2023. The county does not post a current-year sale date on its website, so confirm the date with the Revenue Commissioner each spring.. 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 Clarke 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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