Coffee County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Coffee County, seat of Elba and Enterprise: 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 Coffee County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Coffee County Revenue Commissioner (Revenue Commissioner Ronald L. Burns)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- April, held in person at 10:00 a.m. CDT. The Revenue Commissioner states: "The Tax Sale is held the 1st or 2nd Monday and 1st and 2nd Tuesday in April at 10:00 a.m., CDT, at the Coffee County Courthouse, in Enterprise on Monday and Elba on Tuesday." The published calendar lists "First (1st) or Second (2nd) Monday in April...Tax Sale Enterprise Courthouse" and "First (1st) or Second (2nd) Tuesday in April...Tax Sale Elba Courthouse".
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register in person at the Revenue Commissioner's office. The office states: "To bid in the tax sale, you must register with the Revenue Commissioner's office no later than 9:30am, Central Standard Time, on the day of the tax sale." It also notes that a "Tax sale may be cancelled without penalty up to ten (10) days after sale." For sale details the office directs bidders to call 334-347-8734 in Enterprise or 334-897-2465 in Elba.
Coffee County runs its delinquent tax sale IN PERSON at the county courthouse. No online auction platform appears on any official county page, so no platform URL is given. The county holds two sessions in the same week, Enterprise on the Monday and Elba on the Tuesday, reflecting its two courthouses. Bidders must register at the Revenue Commissioner's office by 9:30am Central on sale day. The current-year delinquent list is published as a newspaper advertisement for 3 consecutive weeks in March rather than posted online. The only official online inventory is the Alabama Department of Revenue transcript of state-held ("sold to state") tax delinquent land for Coffee County, which is bought through the ADOR price quote process rather than at the county sale. In person at the Coffee County Courthouse (Enterprise session, then Elba session)
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)
Coffee County Revenue Commissioner
(334) 347-8734 (Enterprise office); (334) 897-2475 (Elba office)
99 S. Edwards Street, P.O. Box 311606, Enterprise, AL 36331-0361 (Elba office: 230 R Court Street, P.O. Box 411, Elba, AL 36323)
Official websiteNotes for Coffee County
- Coffee County has two courthouses and splits the sale across two days: the Enterprise Courthouse session on the first or second Monday in April and the Elba Courthouse session on the first or second Tuesday in April.
- Tax calendar from the Revenue Commissioner: taxes due October 1; last day to pay before late fees December 31; "January 1...Taxes Delinquent; Payments on or after this date will be charged late fees -$5 delinquent fee + 12% annual interest"; court notices mailed in February; "3 consecutive weeks in March...Delinquent Property newspaper advertisement published"; tax sale in April.
- The Real Property page also states: "Real Estate taxes become delinquent January 1. Interest accrues at 1% per month. Additional delinquent charges are added after January 1."
- The county posts no online delinquent or sale list. Investors have to obtain the sale list from the Revenue Commissioner's office or the March newspaper advertisement.
- State-held (sold to state) inventory for Coffee County is county code 19 in the Alabama DOR transcripts. The transcript checked on 07/20/2026 listed parcels in the Elba area. ADOR sells these through a price quote application: "Once your price quote is processed it will be emailed to you. You are given 10 calendar days from the date on the price quote to remit your payment." ADOR also states: "If the state has held a tax sale certificate less than three years, the purchaser will be issued an assignment of the certificate. If the state has held the tax sale certificate over three years, a tax deed will be issued."
- Phone numbers differ slightly between official county pages: the Contact Us page lists the Elba office as (334) 897-2475, while the tax sale notice gives 334-897-2465 for Elba. Both appear on the Revenue Commissioner's own site.
- The county government site (coffeecounty.us) lists the Enterprise office at 101 S. Edwards Street, while the Revenue Commissioner's own contact page lists 99 S. Edwards Street. The mailing address, P.O. Box 311606, Enterprise, AL 36331-0361, is consistent across both.
- The Revenue Commissioner's mapping and appraisal office is at 1085 E. McKinnon Street, P.O. Box 39, New Brockton, AL 36351, appraisal (334) 894-6085, mapping (334) 894-5327.
- Online tax search and payment for Coffee County runs on GovernmentWindow at https://coffeecountyal.governmentwindow.com/tax.html per the Revenue Commissioner's navigation. That is a payment portal, not an auction platform.
- No listing for Coffee County was found on GovEase, and no official county page mentions GovEase, RealAuction, or any other online auction vendor. Alabama counties elect between the tax sale and tax lien auction regimes under Code of Alabama 1975 section 40-10-180, and Coffee County's published process is the in person courthouse tax sale.
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 Coffee County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Coffee County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Coffee County tax certificate sale?
- April, held in person at 10:00 a.m. CDT. The Revenue Commissioner states: "The Tax Sale is held the 1st or 2nd Monday and 1st and 2nd Tuesday in April at 10:00 a.m., CDT, at the Coffee County Courthouse, in Enterprise on Monday and Elba on Tuesday." The published calendar lists "First (1st) or Second (2nd) Monday in April...Tax Sale Enterprise Courthouse" and "First (1st) or Second (2nd) Tuesday in April...Tax Sale Elba Courthouse".. 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 Coffee 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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