Russell County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Russell County, seat of Phenix City: 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 Russell County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Russell County Revenue Commissioner (Natalie Kirkland)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual delinquent tax sale held in early May. The county's legal notice states: "I WILL PROCEED TO SELL TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, FOR CASH, AT 1000 BROAD STREET PHENIX CITY, ALABAMA (RUSSELL COUNTY COURTHOUSE) WITHIN THE LEGAL HOURS OF SALE ON TUESDAY MAY 5, 2026. TAX SALE WILL BEGIN AT 10:00 AM EST AND SHALL CONTINUE FROM DAY TO DAY UNTIL ALL REAL ESTATE EMBRACED IN THE DECREE HAS BEEN SOLD." The Revenue Commissioner's collection page adds that properties sell "in a public outcry auction, usually beginning at 10:00 A.M. E.T., on the day specified in the Notice of Sale."
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register in person with the Revenue Commissioner before the sale. The published notice states: "TO BID ON PROPERTIES, YOU MUST COMPLETE A REGISTRATION FORM AND RETURN TO US IN PERSON AND RECEIVE BIDDING PADDLE BY 9:30 AM EST, MAY 5, 2026." The collection page adds that "Anyone wishing to purchase must appear in person" and "Purchasers may pay by certified check or cash the day of the sale."
Russell County runs the sale IN PERSON. There is no online bidding platform and no bid-down-interest internet auction. The sale proceeds under a decree of the Russell County Probate Court rendered at the March term, and the Revenue Commissioner sells to the highest bidder for cash at 1000 Broad Street in Phenix City. Buyers purchase the tax interest, receive a paid receipt on sale day, and receive a certificate of purchase after five business days rather than a deed. The county's online tax portal at russell.capturecama.com carries property records, tax payments, and the posted tax sale list, but it does not host a tax lien auction. The most recent published sale covered tax year 2025 delinquencies and was held Tuesday, May 5, 2026; the posted list reflects payments through April 30, 2026, so expect the roster to shrink up to sale day. In person, public outcry auction at the Russell County Courthouse
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 Russell County
- The sale is conducted by the Revenue Commissioner under a decree of the Russell County Probate Court entered at the March term of court. The notice is headed "REVENUE COMMISSIONER'S DELINQUENT TAX SALE, STATE OF ALABAMA, COUNTY OF RUSSELL." (source: tax-sale-notice-2025)
- Advertising: "Properties are advertised in the local newspaper, the Citizen of East Alabama, for three weeks prior to the sale date." (source: tax-portal-collection)
- What the buyer receives: "At the time of purchase the buyer is given a paid receipt. After five (5) business days the buyer is issued a certificate of purchase - not a tax deed." A tax deed cannot be issued until three years from the date of the tax sale, at which point the purchaser surrenders the certificate and tax receipts to the Revenue Commissioner. (source: tax-portal-collection)
- Payment terms: "Purchasers may pay by certified check or cash the day of the sale." (source: tax-portal-collection)
- Redemption: the county's collection page says owners may redeem within the first three years through the Revenue Commissioner's office, and states "The present rate of interest is 8% per year (0.66% per month)." This differs from the 12% figure often quoted for Alabama tax sale certificates, so verify against Code of Alabama 1975 Section 40-10-122 before publishing a rate for this county. (source: tax-portal-collection)
- Unsold parcels: "Tax properties not purchased are returned to the State of Alabama." Buyers must then apply to the Alabama Department of Revenue Ad Valorem Tax Division, Post Office Box 327210, Montgomery, Alabama 36132-7210, which will quote the amount needed and accepts only certified checks. (source: tax-portal-collection)
- State-held inventory: Russell County is county 57 in the Alabama DOR Property Tax Division "Transcript of Tax Delinquent Land Available for Sale." The transcript fetched on 2026-07-25 was dated 07/20/2026 and lists owner name, amount bid at tax sale, tax year, certificate number, class, parcel ID, and legal description. Transcripts are updated weekly and carry no physical address. (sources: ador-state-held, ador-transcript-russell)
- Mailing address for the Revenue Commissioner is P.O. Box 669, Phenix City, AL 36868-0669; checks are payable to Natalie Kirkland, Revenue Commissioner. Portal-listed office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. E.T., Monday through Friday, while the county department page lists 8:00 to 5:00 Eastern. (sources: tax-portal-collection, county-revcomm)
- A second published number, (334) 298-6922, reaches the Tax Assessment Office for exemption, classification, and assessment questions. (source: tax-portal-collection)
- Neither the county website nor the Probate Court site (russellcountyprobate.us) publishes a separate tax sale page; all sale logistics live on the Revenue Commissioner's tax portal and in the annual 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 Russell County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Russell County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Russell County tax certificate sale?
- Annual delinquent tax sale held in early May. The county's legal notice states: "I WILL PROCEED TO SELL TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, FOR CASH, AT 1000 BROAD STREET PHENIX CITY, ALABAMA (RUSSELL COUNTY COURTHOUSE) WITHIN THE LEGAL HOURS OF SALE ON TUESDAY MAY 5, 2026. TAX SALE WILL BEGIN AT 10:00 AM EST AND SHALL CONTINUE FROM DAY TO DAY UNTIL ALL REAL ESTATE EMBRACED IN THE DECREE HAS BEEN SOLD." The Revenue Commissioner's collection page adds that properties sell "in a public outcry auction, usually beginning at 10:00 A.M. E.T., on the day specified in the Notice of Sale.". 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 Russell 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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