Franklin County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Franklin County, seat of Russellville: 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 Franklin County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Franklin County Revenue Commissioner (Stratt Byars, Revenue Commissioner)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No auction date is published on the Revenue Commissioner website. GovEase, the platform the county links to, states that "All auction dates (opening registration, pre-bidding, and live bidding) are determined by each county tax office." Alabama tax lien auctions run inside the statutory spring window set by Title 40, Chapter 10, Article 7 of the Code of Alabama, so confirm the current year date directly with the Revenue Commissioner property office at 256-332-8831 before you register.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register on GovEase at govease.com, sign up or log in, complete your bidder profile, then sign and submit the registration documents for each county you want to bid in, including a W-9. GovEase notes that if the county requires a bank statement or balance letter you upload it in the GovEase system, and that some counties require a deposit to be approved. The Alabama FAQ states deposits are 10 percent of the amount you want to be approved for, and that unused deposits are refunded to your bank account 7 to 10 business days after the payment deadline. Bidding is a bid-down on interest: the maximum bid is 12 percent simple interest per annum prorated monthly, the lowest acceptable bid is 0 percent, bids move in 1 percent increments, and a tie at 0 percent is broken by a random number generator. GovEase also states that for most counties all payments and payment arrangements must be made through the county tax office. Confirm Franklin County's document list, deposit amount, and payment method with the Revenue Commissioner at 256-332-8831 or the GovEase Franklin County contact listed as Rita Fisher at 256-332-8841.
Franklin County sells tax liens through the online GovEase platform. The Revenue Commissioner website carries a "Tax Sale Lien" navigation item that points to govease.com, and GovEase's own Alabama county contact list includes Franklin County, which confirms the county is an active GovEase client. The county publishes no dedicated tax sale page, no auction date, and no delinquent or sale list of its own, so the auction list is only visible inside GovEase once registration opens. On the state side, the Alabama Department of Revenue publishes a weekly per-county transcript of tax delinquent land available for sale; the Franklin County transcript dated 07/20/2026 contains only the header and lists no parcels, which is consistent with a county on the Article 7 tax lien auction method where liens not sold at auction are retained by the county rather than passing to the state. Property tax records can be searched and paid at franklinproperty.countygovservices.com.
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)
Franklin County Revenue Commissioner
Franklin County Courthouse, 410 North Jackson Ave, Russellville, AL 35653 (property mailing address: P.O. Box 248, Russellville, AL 35653)
Official websiteNotes for Franklin County
- Platform verified from the county's own site: the Franklin County Revenue Commissioner navigation and Quick Links pages both carry a "Tax Sale Lien" item linking to https://www.govease.com/. GovEase's Alabama county contact article independently lists Franklin County with a county contact (Rita Fisher, 256-332-8841), confirming the county runs its tax lien auction on GovEase.
- No auction date, notice, or bidder packet is published on franklincountyrevenue.com. The site has 15 pages total and none covers the tax sale; the only news post is a 2023 site launch announcement. Timing must be confirmed by phone.
- Office details cross-check: the Alabama Department of Revenue county offices directory lists Franklin County's office as "Revenue Commissioner," official Stratt Byars, P.O. Box 248, Russellville, AL 35653, phone 256-332-8831, matching the county's own Locations page (courthouse at 410 North Jackson Ave; second office at 118 4th Ave SE, Red Bay, AL 35582, 256-356-9805; hours Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM; property fax 256-332-8417; motor vehicle line 256-332-8833).
- The ADOR website field for Franklin County points to the county GIS viewer at isv.kcsgis.com/al.franklin_revenue, which is a mapping application with no tax sale content. The substantive office site is franklincountyrevenue.com, which the county government site franklincountyal.org also links to as the Revenue Commissioner homepage.
- The ADOR state-held transcript for Franklin County (WWW_TRANS_33.PDF, dated 07/20/2026) was fetched and contains only the report header with zero parcels. Neighboring Geneva County's transcript from the same run contains parcels, so the empty Franklin file reflects no state-held inventory rather than a broken link.
- Bidding mechanics for Alabama on GovEase: bid-down interest starting at 12 percent and going as low as 0 percent in 1 percent increments, ties at 0 percent resolved by random number generator, deposits of 10 percent of the requested approval limit, and payments handled through the county tax office for most counties.
- Not verified and left out deliberately: the exact auction date, the registration open date, whether Franklin County requires a deposit or a bank letter, and whether Franklin accepts payment inside the GovEase portal. Third-party aggregators list Franklin County auction dates but no official county or platform page confirmed them.
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 Franklin County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Franklin County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Franklin County tax certificate sale?
- No auction date is published on the Revenue Commissioner website. GovEase, the platform the county links to, states that "All auction dates (opening registration, pre-bidding, and live bidding) are determined by each county tax office." Alabama tax lien auctions run inside the statutory spring window set by Title 40, Chapter 10, Article 7 of the Code of Alabama, so confirm the current year date directly with the Revenue Commissioner property office at 256-332-8831 before you register.. 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 Franklin 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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