Tallapoosa County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Tallapoosa County, seat of Dadeville: 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 Tallapoosa County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Tallapoosa County Revenue Commission, Revenue Commissioner Eva Middlebrooks, the county tax collecting official
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, held online. The county FAQ states "The tax lien auction is held once per year, between March 1 and June 15." For the 2025 tax year it lists "Date: April 7, 2026" and "Time: Auction starts at 10:00 AM (CST) and will continue each day until the auction is complete." Pre-bidding opened April 6, 2026 on the platform, and owners could pay delinquent taxes "up until 4:00 PM on April 6, 2026, after which time they have the right of redemption." The county delinquent tax page carried the same notice, April 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM CST. Confirm the next auction date with the office before planning around it.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Registration opens on the platform ahead of the sale, and payment terms are set with the county first. The FAQ states "Bidder registration will be available March 10, 2026" and warns that "Payment information must be arranged with the Tallapoosa County Revenue Commissioner's office prior to you becoming an accepted bidder." Absentee channels are not offered: "No. All accepted bidders must participate in the online tax lien auction at GovEase.com." Bidding is a reverse auction on the interest rate. "The beginning interest rate bid shall not exceed a rate of 12%" and "The bids will be in 1% increments until no bidder continues to bid lower or until the interest rate reaches 0%." If more than one bidder remains at 0 percent, "the winning bid shall be determined by a random number generator." Each lien stays open 30 seconds, and a bid in the last 10 seconds resets the clock for another 10 seconds. Accepted payment is "Cashier's check, money order, cash or credit card," and the winner "must remit full and final payment of funds to the Revenue Commissioner's office no later than 4:00PM the day of the sale." Registration and training questions go to 256-825-7818 ext. 2.
Tallapoosa County collects delinquent real property taxes by selling tax liens, not the property. The county FAQ says "Tallapoosa County Revenue Commission has decided to migrate to the sale of tax liens" under Act 2018-577 and Ala. Code sections 40-10-180 through 40-10-200, and that "Tallapoosa County has elected to conduct its tax lien auction online" at www.govease.com. Buyers get a lien only: "as a tax lien purchaser, you are not acquiring any right, title or interest in the property." Each lien carries a $45.00 administrative fee. The auction list is posted at www.tallapoosapropertytax.com, and printed copies at the Revenue Commissioner's office are $5.00 each. Liens that draw no bid are "held by Tallapoosa County" and can be bought over the counter at the office "for no less than all taxes, interest, penalties, costs, and fees; the interest rate may not exceed 12%." Redemption runs through the Revenue Commissioner's office in certified funds and includes a $10 redemption fee. A certificate holder who does not bring a foreclosure action within 10 years of the certificate date loses the lien under Ala. Code section 40-10-197.
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)
Notes for Tallapoosa County
- Office hours are listed as "Monday through Friday | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m." The county page also lists direct lines for Collections at (256) 825-7818, Assessing and Exemptions at (256) 825-7831, Appraisal at (256) 825-1072, Mapping at (256) 825-1099, and Personal Property at (256) 825-1606. Registration and unsold-lien questions route to 256-825-7818 ext. 2.
- The county department page still carries a legacy collection timetable reading "April - Advertise for sale" and "May - Tax sale," while also stating "Tallapoosa County holds an online tax lien auction each year." The dated tax lien documents control: the 2025 tax year auction ran April 7, 2026 on GovEase. Verify the current year by phone.
- The delinquent tax page repeats the statutory fee language, "AN ADMINISTRATIVE FEE OF FORTY-FIVE DOLLARS ($45), EFFECTIVE UPON THE PREPARATION OF THE TAX" lien auction list, and cites Ala. Code sections 40-10-182 and 40-10-184.
- The advertised list is published as a PDF headed "INCLUDED HEREIN IS A LIST OF ASSESSMENTS UPON WHICH TAXES FOR THE YEAR 2025 REMAIN UNPAID... IN ACCORDANCE WITH TITLE 40-10-182(b), CODE OF ALABAMA," dated 02/23/2026. Columns are customer name, parcel number, PPIN, legal description, assessed value, tax due, fees due, and total due.
- Research is on the buyer. The FAQ states "it is your responsibility to independently research any property in which you are interested to determine property value and whether there are any liens, encumbrances, title defects, etc. The Revenue Commission does not assist in research." Parcels can be searched by owner, address, PPIN, or parcel ID at www.tallapoosapropertytax.com or on the county public GIS site.
- Liens left unsold after the online auction may also move to a private sale: "Any unsold liens will be subject to a private lien sale occurring after the online auction has completed."
- Property sold to the state under the older tax sale regime is handled separately by the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division. Buyers request a price quote and then have "10 calendar days from the date on the price quote to remit your payment." The state issues an assignment of the tax sale certificate if it has held the property less than three years, or a tax deed after three years, and neither conveys clear title. That channel is separate from the county GovEase lien auction.
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 Tallapoosa County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Tallapoosa County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Tallapoosa County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, held online. The county FAQ states "The tax lien auction is held once per year, between March 1 and June 15." For the 2025 tax year it lists "Date: April 7, 2026" and "Time: Auction starts at 10:00 AM (CST) and will continue each day until the auction is complete." Pre-bidding opened April 6, 2026 on the platform, and owners could pay delinquent taxes "up until 4:00 PM on April 6, 2026, after which time they have the right of redemption." The county delinquent tax page carried the same notice, April 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM CST. Confirm the next auction date with the office before planning around it.. 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 Tallapoosa 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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