Dale County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Dale County, seat of Ozark: 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 Dale County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Dale County Revenue Commission (Dale County Revenue Office / Revenue Commissioner)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county's delinquent tax page lists the tax lien auction as "Date: May of each year" with "Time: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM (CST) daily until complete." The county's current announcement sets a specific date: "Dale County Tax Lien Auction will be held online on April 14, 2026," and the published listing states the 2025 tax year auction begins at 8:30 AM CST. Confirm the exact date with the Revenue Commissioner each year, since the posted month and the announced date differ.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Bidders must pre-register and be approved on GovEase before the sale. The county states: "Registration opens 3-4 weeks prior to the auction through GovEase.com." Bidding is by lowest interest rate accepted, starting at 12%. Winning bidders pay by debit/credit, cash, or certified funds, with "Payment due within one hour after the final auction close."
Dale County sells tax liens, not tax deeds, and runs the sale entirely online through GovEase. The Revenue Commission moved to the tax lien regime for tax year 2020 delinquencies. Bidding starts at 12% and is bid down to the lowest interest rate a bidder will accept. Costs quoted by the county are a $20 origination fee, a $20 auction fee, and a $5 certificate fee; the published 2025 tax year notice also states an additional $45 administrative fee applies under state law. Liens not sold at auction "may be purchased over the counter at the Revenue Commissioner's office." Redemption is handled through the Revenue Commissioner in certified funds unless a foreclosure has been filed. Delinquent lists are posted on the county's parcel portal and the Revenue Office site ahead of the sale.
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)
Dale County Revenue Office (Revenue Commissioner Sheila Waller)
Mailing: P.O. Box 267, Ozark, AL 36361. Physical: 100 Court Square / County Courthouse, Ozark, AL 36360
Official websiteNotes for Dale County
- Dale County is a tax lien auction county under Act 2018-577 and Code of Alabama 1975 Title 40 Chapter 10 Article 7, so investors buy tax lien certificates rather than deeds.
- The auction is 100% online on GovEase. There is no in-person courthouse sale.
- Bidding is a rate bid-down starting at 12%, per the Revenue Office: "Bidding is based on the lowest interest rate accepted by the bidder, starting at 12%."
- Unsold liens are available over the counter at the Revenue Commissioner's office, which gives investors a year-round entry point outside the auction.
- The county publishes conflicting timing: the standing delinquent tax page says May of each year, while the current announcement and the published listing set the 2025 tax year auction for April 14, 2026 at 8:30 AM CST. Verify the date directly with the office.
- Winning bidders must settle within one hour of the final auction close, so funding needs to be ready before bidding.
- Older state-held (sold to state) inventory for Dale County is handled separately by the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division through its price quote application, not by the county auction.
- Revenue Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 7am to 5pm; satellite offices keep limited schedules and close in November and December.
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 Dale County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Dale County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Dale County tax certificate sale?
- The county's delinquent tax page lists the tax lien auction as "Date: May of each year" with "Time: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM (CST) daily until complete." The county's current announcement sets a specific date: "Dale County Tax Lien Auction will be held online on April 14, 2026," and the published listing states the 2025 tax year auction begins at 8:30 AM CST. Confirm the exact date with the Revenue Commissioner each year, since the posted month and the announced date differ.. 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 Dale 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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