Elmore County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Elmore County, seat of Wetumpka: 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 Elmore County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Office of the Elmore County Revenue Commissioner (Thomas "Lee" Macon IV, Revenue Commissioner)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, held in April. The Revenue Commissioner's portal states: "2026 Tax Lien Sale Will Be on April 16th, 2026, At 9:00AM Central". The county's GovEase flyer repeats the start time as "April 16th, 2026 at 9:00 AM Central".
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
- Sale list
- Delinquent parcel list (Excel)
Registration and deposit
Register on GovEase before the sale. The county flyer states: "Registration will begin on March 16th, 2026 and it will close on April 15th" and "You can create an account and register by visiting www.govease.com. You must create an account and then complete the online registration documents before you can be approved to bid." The portal banner repeats: "Registration Will Begin on March 16th, 2026, And Will Close on April 15th, 2026". Sign up at https://liveauctions.govease.com/Bidder/UserProfile. GovEase posts free bidder training at https://www.govease.com/bidder-help-and-training and lists support at [email protected] and (769) 208-5050.
Elmore County runs an online tax lien auction on GovEase, not an in person courthouse sale. The Revenue Commissioner posts the auction flyer under Forms and Documents on its Citizen Access Portal, and the same portal carries a Delinquent Search tool plus a downloadable delinquent parcel list exported from the county's tax lien staging table (the copy retrieved carried a last-modified date of March 25, 2026, about three weeks before the April 16 sale). Confirm the current year's date, registration window, and deposit terms with the Revenue Commissioner before you register.
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)
Elmore County Revenue Commissioner
100 E Commerce Street, Room 207, Wetumpka, AL 36092-1147. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1147, Wetumpka, AL 36092
Official websiteNotes for Elmore County
- Elmore County uses the Article 7 tax lien auction method and runs it online through GovEase. The county's own flyer is titled "2026 Elmore County Online Tax Lien Auction Provided by GovEase".
- The 2026 auction opened April 16, 2026 at 9:00 AM Central, with bidder registration open March 16 through April 15, 2026.
- The Revenue Commissioner's Citizen Access Portal carries a Delinquent Search tool and a downloadable delinquent parcel list. The list is an Excel export of the county's tax lien staging view and includes parcel number, owner, mailing and property address, assessment class, land and improvement values, and total due.
- The "Tax Lien Rules of Auction" PDF posted on the Elmore County Forms and Documents page carries Wilcox County Tax Collector letterhead rather than Elmore County's. Its content describes the standard Alabama bid-down: bidding starts at 12 percent, additional bids drop in 1 percent increments, and ties at 0 percent are broken by random drawing. Treat the specifics as unconfirmed for Elmore and verify them with the Revenue Commissioner.
- The same Forms page still hosts DELQTAXSALE.PDF, a document created in 2015 that describes the older Article 1 courthouse tax sale held on the third Monday in May at public outcry. That method is superseded by the online tax lien auction, so read it as historical background only.
- The Revenue Commissioner's portal warns that Elmore County will not send text messages requesting money.
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 Elmore County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Elmore County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Elmore County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, held in April. The Revenue Commissioner's portal states: "2026 Tax Lien Sale Will Be on April 16th, 2026, At 9:00AM Central". The county's GovEase flyer repeats the start time as "April 16th, 2026 at 9:00 AM Central".. 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 Elmore 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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