Jefferson County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Jefferson County, seat of Birmingham: 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 Jefferson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Jefferson County Tax Collector (Birmingham Division), with the Assistant Tax Collector running the separate Bessemer Division sale
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Early May, running daily on weekdays until every lien is offered. The Birmingham Division notice for the 2025 tax year states: "THE TAX LIEN AUCTION WILL COMMENCE ON MAY 5, 2026, 8:30 A.M CENTRAL TIME UNTIL 4:00 P.M CENTRAL TIME AND SHALL PROCEED DAILY (EXCLUDING WEEKENDS) FROM 8:30 A.M UNTIL 4:00 P.M". The prior year notice set the Birmingham auction for May 6, 2025. The Bessemer Division notice states the auction runs "beginning May 5th from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and continue day to day until all liens are offered for auction". Payment deadline to avoid the sale: "ANY TAX DELINQUENCY NOT SATISFIED BY THE DEADLINE OF MAY 4, 2026, 5:00 P.M. WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING ACTION."
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online only. The Bessemer Division notice says "To register for the 2025 Tax Lien Auction please visit www.govease.com" and confirms "There is no in-person registration or in-person auction beginning this 2025 tax year." The Birmingham Division notice directs bidders to the county's own Citizen Access Portal at https://eringcapture.jccal.org and does not publish separate registration steps or deposit terms on the notice page; bidding there runs through an investor account inside the portal. Confirm current registration windows and deposit rules with the Tax Collector at 205-325-5500 (Birmingham) or 205-481-4131 (Bessemer) before the sale.
Jefferson County elected the tax lien auction format over the older tax deed style sale. The Tax Lien Info page states the Tax Collector "has elected, pursuant to the Code of Alabama section 40-10-180, to adopt and affirm the Tax Lien Auction format...effective for the 2021 tax year and shall remain in full force and effect this date forward." So investors buy tax lien certificates here, not deeds. The county is unusual in running two separate sales through two platforms: the Birmingham Division auction is hosted on the county's own Citizen Access Portal at eringcapture.jccal.org, while the Bessemer Division auction is hosted on GovEase at www.govease.com. Both are fully online with no in-person bidding. Delinquent parcel lists are posted per tax year and per division under the Tax Collector's Documents page. Taxes are due October 1 and delinquent after December 31; the Tax Collector FAQ puts delinquency at January 1 and states "Yes, 12% simple interest" on delinquent taxes plus a $5 late fee, and says redemption opens "approximately 30 days after the tax sale". One caution: that same FAQ still says "The tax sale is usually the third or fourth week of May each year", which conflicts with the current auction notices setting the sale in the first full week of May. Treat the dated notices as controlling.
Register on Online auctionFrom 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)
Jefferson County Tax Collector
205-325-5500 (Birmingham Division); 205-481-4131 (Bessemer Division)
716 Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Official websiteNotes for Jefferson County
- Two divisions, two auction platforms: Birmingham Division bids on the county's Citizen Access Portal (eringcapture.jccal.org); Bessemer Division bids on GovEase (www.govease.com). Verify which division a parcel sits in before registering.
- Auction format adopted under Code of Alabama section 40-10-180 effective for the 2021 tax year, so Jefferson County sells tax lien certificates rather than tax deeds.
- Sale runs day to day on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central until all liens are offered, so bidders should plan for a multi-day event.
- Delinquent parcel lists are published per tax year and per division under the Tax Collector's Documents page at https://www.jccal.org/642/Documents.
- The Tax Collector FAQ page is dated and still describes a third or fourth week of May sale; the annual delinquent parcel notices give the controlling first-week-of-May dates.
- No registration deadline, deposit amount, or bid-down rate detail is published on the county notice pages; those terms must be confirmed with the Tax Collector or on the auction platform.
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 Jefferson County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jefferson County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Jefferson County tax certificate sale?
- Early May, running daily on weekdays until every lien is offered. The Birmingham Division notice for the 2025 tax year states: "THE TAX LIEN AUCTION WILL COMMENCE ON MAY 5, 2026, 8:30 A.M CENTRAL TIME UNTIL 4:00 P.M CENTRAL TIME AND SHALL PROCEED DAILY (EXCLUDING WEEKENDS) FROM 8:30 A.M UNTIL 4:00 P.M". The prior year notice set the Birmingham auction for May 6, 2025. The Bessemer Division notice states the auction runs "beginning May 5th from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and continue day to day until all liens are offered for auction". Payment deadline to avoid the sale: "ANY TAX DELINQUENCY NOT SATISFIED BY THE DEADLINE OF MAY 4, 2026, 5:00 P.M. WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING ACTION.". 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 Jefferson 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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