Escambia County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Escambia County, seat of Brewton: 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 Escambia County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Escambia County Tax Collector (Tim Pettis, Tax Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Tax Collector publishes the sale list in spring. The county page states of the delinquent tax file: "View the Delinquent Tax File Here: TAX LIEN SALE LIST (This file will only be available from April to May)". No specific auction date or time is published on the county site. The page also notes that under Title 40-10-180(c), Code of Alabama, notice must be advertised "once a week for three consecutive weeks, prior to Tax Lein Sale, in a newspaper with general circulation of said county, or on the tax collecting official's website".
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
The county site publishes no bidder registration form, deposit amount, or registration deadline. It directs buyers to contact the office: "Please contact Tim Pettis, Amanda Carpenter or Rhonda Benjamin for all inquiries into purchasing these liens." Phone (251) 867-0209 in Brewton or (251) 368-1032 in Atmore.
Escambia County has elected the tax lien auction method rather than the sale of property. The Tax Collector's notice reads: "As the tax collecting official for Escambia County, please accept this notice as a declaration of my intentions to conduct a Tax Lien Auction and Sale for the collection of delinquent taxes for the year 2020-2021 forward." No online auction platform is named anywhere on the county's official site, and no platform URL was verified, so buyers should confirm the format and location directly with the Tax Collector before assuming an online sale. The county page links a "Tax Lien Report" PDF and a "TAX LIEN SALE LIST" file; at the time of research the Tax Lien Report link returned a 404 and the sale list was plain text with no working link, consistent with the stated April to May availability window. The county cautions that the report "will not be updated daily and the total due will not be the actual amount owed to purchase the lien." Liens not sold at auction pass to state-held inventory, which the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division publishes as a per-county transcript and sells by price quote; ADOR gives 10 calendar days from the quote date to remit payment, issues an assignment of certificate if the state has held it under three years and a tax deed if over three years, and warns that neither "gives the holder clear title to the parcel."
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)
(251) 867-0209 (Brewton); (251) 368-1032 (Atmore satellite office)
Escambia County Tax Collector, Post Office Box 407, Brewton, AL 36427. County Courthouse: 314 Belleville Ave, P.O. Box 856, Brewton, AL 36427. Atmore satellite office: 8600 Highway 31, Atmore, AL 36502.
Official websiteNotes for Escambia County
- Escambia County is a tax LIEN county by the Tax Collector's own election under Title 40-10-180(b), Code of Alabama, covering delinquent taxes "for the year 2020-2021 forward".
- Office hours listed for the county courthouse are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Taxes are due October 1 and become delinquent January 1.
- No auction platform is published. The county site contains no reference to GovEase, RealAuction, Bid4Assets, or any other online auction vendor, and the Tax Collector section of the site sitemap has no dedicated tax lien auction page beyond the Delinquent Taxes page.
- Search results pointing to lienhub.com/county/escambia refer to Escambia County FLORIDA, not Alabama, and were excluded.
- Named office contacts for lien purchase inquiries: Tim Pettis (Tax Collector), Amanda Carpenter, and Rhonda Benjamin. Shirley Hubert is listed as Office Manager at the Atmore office.
- Parcel data for the county is hosted on Delta Computer Systems (Online Property Information link, AL30) rather than a county-run GIS.
- Verification gap for a future pass: the exact auction date, the auction location or platform, and the bidder registration process are not published online and would need a call to (251) 867-0209 or the newspaper legal notice.
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 Escambia County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Escambia County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Escambia County tax certificate sale?
- The Tax Collector publishes the sale list in spring. The county page states of the delinquent tax file: "View the Delinquent Tax File Here: TAX LIEN SALE LIST (This file will only be available from April to May)". No specific auction date or time is published on the county site. The page also notes that under Title 40-10-180(c), Code of Alabama, notice must be advertised "once a week for three consecutive weeks, prior to Tax Lein Sale, in a newspaper with general circulation of said county, or on the tax collecting official's website".. 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 Escambia 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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