Lowndes County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Lowndes County, seat of Hayneville: 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 Lowndes County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Lowndes County Tax Collector's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Not published by the county. The Tax Collector's Office page lists no sale date and no auction notice. It gives only the delinquency calendar: property taxes are "Due: October 1- December 31st becomes delinquent on January 1st," mobile home taxes are "Due: October 1- November 30th become delinquent on December 1st," and "Personal checks are 'NOT ACCEPTED' after March 15th of each year due to penalties and late fees." Call the office to confirm the current year's sale date.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Not published by the county. The Lowndes County Tax Collector's Office page shows no bidder registration form, deposit amount, bid procedure, or auction platform. Contact the Tax Collector's Office at (334) 548-2175 to confirm whether the annual sale is held at the courthouse or online and what registration it requires.
No Lowndes County tax lien or certificate sale page exists. The county's official site (lowndes-al.gov) lists a Tax Collector's Office and a Tax Assessor's Office as separate departments, with no consolidated revenue commissioner, and neither department page nor the Probate Office page carries a sale notice, bidder instructions, or an auction platform link. Because no platform was verified, treat the sale format as unconfirmed and assume nothing about an online auction until the office confirms it. Parcels already conveyed to the state are a separate inventory: the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division publishes a Lowndes County transcript of tax delinquent land available for sale, updated weekly, and buyers request a price quote through an electronic application, then have 10 calendar days from the quote date to pay. Per that page, "If the state has held a tax sale certificate less than three years, the purchaser will be issued an assignment of the certificate. If the state has held the tax sale certificate over three years, a tax deed will be issued." The transcript carries no physical street addresses, only legal descriptions and parcel IDs.
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)
Notes for Lowndes County
- Roslyn A. Smith is the Lowndes County Tax Collector. The office lists phone (334) 548-2175 and (334) 548-2544, fax (334) 548-2440, email [email protected], mailing address P.O. Box 186, Hayneville, AL 36040, and hours of 8 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday, closed on county holidays.
- The Alabama Department of Revenue county offices listing places both officials at the Lowndes County Courthouse, corner of LaFayette and Washington Streets, Hayneville, AL 36040, and confirms Roslyn A. Smith as Tax Collector and Connie M. Thomas as Tax Assessor. Lowndes has no consolidated revenue commissioner.
- The Tax Collector's Office accepts checks, money orders, credit cards, and online payments and does not accept cash. Its online payment portal is PayYourPropertyTax.com. That portal is for current taxes, not for bidding.
- Investors should call the Tax Collector's Office before planning a bid. Alabama counties choose annually between the Article 7 tax lien auction and the Article 1 property tax sale, and Lowndes publishes neither its method nor its sale date online.
- State-held parcels from prior Lowndes County sales are bought through the Alabama Department of Revenue, not the county. The department's Lowndes transcript is refreshed weekly and lists year, certificate number, class code, parcel ID, legal description, owner name, and amount bid at tax sale.
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 Lowndes County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Lowndes County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Lowndes County tax certificate sale?
- Not published by the county. The Tax Collector's Office page lists no sale date and no auction notice. It gives only the delinquency calendar: property taxes are "Due: October 1- December 31st becomes delinquent on January 1st," mobile home taxes are "Due: October 1- November 30th become delinquent on December 1st," and "Personal checks are 'NOT ACCEPTED' after March 15th of each year due to penalties and late fees." Call the office to confirm the current year's sale date.. 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 Lowndes 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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