Jackson County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Jackson County, seat of Scottsboro: 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 Jackson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Jackson County Revenue Commissioner's Office (Office of the Revenue Commissioner, Jackson County, AL)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Last Tuesday in April. The Revenue Commissioner's published procedures state: "Jackson County usually conducts its delinquent property tax sale on the last Tuesday in April." The office's delinquent-tax timetable lists March as "Advertised Sale" and April as "Tax Sale." Recent auctions have started at 10 a.m. Central.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register online through GovEase before the auction starts. Create a GovEase account, then under My Account select Register/Add Auctions, pick the Jackson County, Alabama auction, and electronically sign or upload all required documents. The county must approve the registration before you can bid, and GovEase requires bidders to register for the county auction again each year. Winning bids must be paid by 4:30 p.m. on the day of the auction in cash or immediately available certified funds; personal checks are not accepted. A $5.00 tax auction certificate fee is added to each sale, and any purchase not paid by 4:30 p.m. is re-auctioned.
Jackson County elected the tax lien auction method under Code of Alabama 1975, Title 40, Chapter 10 (Section 40-10-180). Revenue Commissioner Jeff Arnold's published notice states he "has chosen hence forth to utilize the tax lien auction method," effective for the 2019 tax collection year. Bidders buy a lien for the delinquent taxes plus accrued interest, penalties, fees and costs, and bid down the interest rate starting at 12% per annum until no bidder goes lower or the rate reaches 0%. Ties are broken by each tied bidder picking a number between 1 and 50, with the closest to a drawn number winning. Purchasers do not take possession. The certificate holder has first right to buy the lien on a later delinquency at the same rate. Redemption is paid to the Revenue Commissioner. The sale is advertised in a local newspaper, on the Revenue Commissioner's website, and posted at the Jackson County Courthouse. Note: the county's own procedures PDF was written in March 2020 and describes an in-person, read-aloud auction; the county has since moved the auction online to GovEase (reported for 2022, 2024 and 2025 sales), so confirm the current format with the office. The delinquent parcel listing on the county property portal is seasonal and showed "The Delinquent Parcels listing is currently disabled" when checked in July 2026. Separately, parcels that went unsold and were struck to the state appear on the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division transcript for county 39 (Jackson), which is available year round and is bought by price quote rather than at auction.
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)
Jackson County Revenue Commissioner's Office
102 E Laurel Street, Scottsboro, AL 35768 (mailing: P.O. Box 307, Scottsboro, AL 35768)
Official websiteNotes for Jackson County
- County seat is Scottsboro. The Revenue Commissioner is Jeff Arnold.
- Phone numbers differ by line: 256-574-9270 appears on the county property tax portal and on the Revenue Commissioner's own tax lien election notice; the department page lists 256-574-9280 and fax 256-574-9321; the county staff directory lists 256-574-9260 for the Revenue Commissioner category. Use 256-574-9270 for property tax and tax lien questions.
- The GovEase tenant page for this county is https://liveauctions.govease.com/al/aljackson/1215/browse; it loaded in July 2026 with the page title "alJackson County Auctions" and showed no live auctions, which matches the April sale cycle.
- No 2026 auction notice was found on the county website at the time of research. The April 2025 sale was reported at 10:00 a.m. CDT on April 29, 2025 via GovEase, and the 2024 sale on April 30, 2024.
- The Alabama Department of Revenue transcript for Jackson County (county code 39) was dated 07/20/2026 and is headed "TRANSCRIPT OF TAX DELINQUENT LAND AVAILABLE FOR SALE." It lists name, amount bid at tax sale, year, certificate number, class, parcel ID and description.
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 Jackson County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jackson County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Jackson County tax certificate sale?
- Last Tuesday in April. The Revenue Commissioner's published procedures state: "Jackson County usually conducts its delinquent property tax sale on the last Tuesday in April." The office's delinquent-tax timetable lists March as "Advertised Sale" and April as "Tax Sale." Recent auctions have started at 10 a.m. 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 Jackson 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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