Dallas County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Dallas County, seat of Selma: 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 Dallas County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Dallas County Tax Collector (Office of the Tax Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual sale in May. The Tax Collector's published property-tax timetable lists "April, Advertising Sale" and "May, Tax Sale." The most recent notice the office has posted is for the 2021 tax year: "THE 2021 TAX SALE WILL BE HELD ON MAY 16, 2022 AT 10:00 AM ON THE STEPS OF THE COURTHOUSE." The delinquent list carries the same notice, stating the Tax Collector will "PROCEED TO SELL FOR CASH IN FRONT OF THE COURTHOUSE OF DALLAS, IN THE CITY OF SELMA ON MAY 16TH, 2022 DURING THE LEGAL HOURS OF SALE." No 2026 notice is posted, so confirm the current date with the office at 334-874-2519.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register in person on sale day at the courthouse. The county's tax sale rules state: "If you are participating in the 2021 TAX SALE you must complete registration before 10 am. Once the sale has started, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE!" and "Registration will begin at 8:30 am. YOU MUST RECEIVED A NUMBER TO PARTICIPATE WITH BIDDING ON PARCEL." Bidding opens at the total taxes and fees due on the parcel and moves in $100 increments, and the parcel sells to the highest bidder, who must state the full bid amount out loud each time. Winning bids are paid by cash, money order, or certified check, and "Payment must be made within 2 hours of the closing of this tax sale in the Tax Collector's Office." There is no online bidding platform and no pre-registration portal.
Dallas County runs Alabama's older tax sale under Code of Alabama 1975, Title 40, Chapter 10, Article 1, not the online tax lien auction that other Alabama counties elected under Section 40-10-180. The sale is held IN PERSON on the steps of the Dallas County Courthouse in Selma, so there is no online auction platform, and Dallas County does not appear on GovEase's auction listings. Buyers receive a certificate of purchase, not immediate title: the rules state "Property is not yours until you have received a tax deed," the owner has three years to redeem, and the buyer must present the certificate of purchase plus four years of paid receipts to receive a tax deed. Bidders take the parcel "subject to ANY and ALL mortgages, judgments or liens," cannot cut timber or remove structures, and cannot require the occupant to vacate. The rules sheet states "Interest rate is 8% per year. Interest will accrue on your tax payments on the parcel for the next 3 years," and gives the owner five days after the sale to pay the taxes, which voids the sale and refunds the purchase price. Parcels that draw no bid are struck to the state. That state-held inventory is not auctioned: buyers request a price quote from the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division and have 10 calendar days from the quote date to remit payment. The Dallas County transcript of state-held land is refreshed weekly and was current as of 07/20/2026 when checked.
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)
P.O. Box 997, Selma, AL 36702 (office at 105 Lauderdale St, Selma, AL 36701)
Official websiteNotes for Dallas County
- Sale format verified as in person, not online. The county's own legal notice and rules sheet place the sale "ON THE STEPS OF THE COURTHOUSE" and "IN FRONT OF THE COURTHOUSE OF DALLAS, IN THE CITY OF SELMA," and Dallas County does not appear on GovEase's Alabama auction listings. Search engines conflate this county with Dale County, Alabama, which does run a GovEase online tax lien auction. That GovEase date and registration language belongs to Dale County, not Dallas.
- The Tax Collector is Tanika S. Wagner-Neely. The Alabama Department of Revenue county-offices directory lists the Tax Collector at P.O. Box 997, phone 334-874-2519, fax 334-876-4853, and the county site gives the physical office as 105 Lauderdale St, Selma, AL 36701. One page on the county site shows P.O. Box 987 for mail payments, which is the Tax Assessor's box in the state directory, so P.O. Box 997 is the safer mailing address for Tax Collector correspondence.
- Property assessment is a separate office: Carroll A. Bonner, Tax Assessor, Dallas County Administration Building, 101 Church St., Selma, AL 36702, phone 334-874-2520. Appraisal and assessment records are searchable at the county's Citizen Access Portal (dallas.capturecama.com).
- The Tax Collector's posted sale documents were uploaded in May 2022 and still cover the 2021 tax year sale. Anyone planning to bid should call 334-874-2519 for the current year's date, advertising schedule, and updated delinquent list.
- Unsold parcels go to the state. The Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division publishes a weekly Dallas County transcript (county code 27) of tax delinquent land available for sale, purchased by price quote rather than at auction, with payment due within 10 calendar days of the quote date. A certificate held by the state under three years is assigned to the buyer, and over three years a tax deed is issued. Neither conveys clear title.
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 Dallas County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Dallas County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Dallas County tax certificate sale?
- Annual sale in May. The Tax Collector's published property-tax timetable lists "April, Advertising Sale" and "May, Tax Sale." The most recent notice the office has posted is for the 2021 tax year: "THE 2021 TAX SALE WILL BE HELD ON MAY 16, 2022 AT 10:00 AM ON THE STEPS OF THE COURTHOUSE." The delinquent list carries the same notice, stating the Tax Collector will "PROCEED TO SELL FOR CASH IN FRONT OF THE COURTHOUSE OF DALLAS, IN THE CITY OF SELMA ON MAY 16TH, 2022 DURING THE LEGAL HOURS OF SALE." No 2026 notice is posted, so confirm the current date with the office at 334-874-2519.. 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 Dallas 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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