Colbert County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Colbert County, seat of Tuscumbia: 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 Colbert County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Colbert County Revenue Commissioner's Office (Tommy L. Oswalt, Revenue Commissioner)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, in April. The office's collection timetable lists "April Tax Sale" (with "January 1 Tax becomes delinquent" and "March Advertise all unpaid properties in a local newspaper"). The current homepage notice reads "2025 Delinquent Tax Sale Notice - April 20, 2026" and "Link to Live Sale ... Begins at 10:00 AM".
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register online through GovEase. The Revenue Commissioner's home page carries a "Click Here to Register" link to the GovEase public portal registration page for auction ID 1252 (https://liveauctions.govease.com/PublicPortal/RegistrationDetail?AuctionID=1252&Edit=False), and the Colbert auction portal itself requires a bidder account (Sign Up, then Login and "Proceed to Auction Registration") before bidding. The county site publishes no deposit amount or registration cutoff date, so confirm those with the Revenue Commissioner's office or inside the GovEase portal.
Colbert County sells tax LIENS, not deeds, and runs the sale online through GovEase rather than at the courthouse steps. The Revenue Commissioner's home page links both the live sale and the "Current Delinquent Property Tax" list to the same GovEase Colbert County auction portal (auction ID 1252), and that GovEase page loads as "alcolbert County Auctions" with a bid-down browse view. Note one inconsistency on the county site: the older FAQ text still describes a public sale "at the County courthouse", while the current notice directs bidders to the GovEase live online sale. The published list snapshot was labeled "Current 04.14.2025", so the roster is refreshed close to the sale date and is not a year-round list. Per the county FAQ, buyers receive a "Certificate of Purchase", the owner has three years from the sale date to redeem through the Revenue Commissioner, and if no individual buys the lien the Certificate of Purchase goes to the Alabama State Land Agent, which pushes those parcels into the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division state-held inventory (price quote by electronic application, payment due within 10 calendar days of the quote). The county's AssuranceWeb "View Delinquent Parcels" page is currently disabled, so GovEase is the working list source.
Register on GovEaseFrom 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)
Colbert County Revenue Commissioner's Office
201 North Main Street, Tuscumbia, AL 35674 (first floor, Colbert County Courthouse). Mailing address: PO Box 741010, Tuscumbia, AL 35674.
Official websiteNotes for Colbert County
- The Revenue Commissioner's office is the single office for assessment, collection, and the tax lien sale. There is no separate Tax Collector or Tax Assessor in Colbert County.
- Courthouse hours listed on the county site: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
- The site's main navigation carries a "Tax Lien Auction" item that points directly at the GovEase Colbert County portal, confirming Colbert operates under the Article 7 tax lien auction election rather than the older tax sale regime.
- Office email published on the site: [email protected].
- Property search and tax payment run on AssuranceWeb at https://colbertproperty.assurancegov.com/Property/Search; the parcel map viewer is at http://isv.kcsgis.com/al.colbert_revenue/ (neither was fetched for this research, so treat them as navigation references only).
- No deposit amount, registration deadline, premium/overbid rule, or per-parcel minimum bid was published on any county page fetched. Those details were not verifiable from official sources and should not be asserted.
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 Colbert County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Colbert County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Colbert County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, in April. The office's collection timetable lists "April Tax Sale" (with "January 1 Tax becomes delinquent" and "March Advertise all unpaid properties in a local newspaper"). The current homepage notice reads "2025 Delinquent Tax Sale Notice - April 20, 2026" and "Link to Live Sale ... Begins at 10:00 AM".. 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 Colbert 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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