Winston County, AL tax sales
How tax lien certificate sales work in Winston County, seat of Double Springs: 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 Winston County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Winston County Revenue Commissioner's Office (Sandra Thorn Wright, Revenue Commissioner), Double Springs
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Early May. The county's own auction flyer gives "Start Time May 4th @ 8:30AM" and "Registration will begin on April 4th." That flyer sat on the Revenue Commissioner's former website next to a delinquent list generated March 31, 2023, and both were captured June 2, 2023, so the quoted dates belong to the 2023 cycle. No current-year date is published on any live page. Alabama's statutory auction window runs March 1 through June 15, so expect a similar spring date and call the office to confirm it.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register online through GovEase. The county flyer directs bidders to "Sign Up liveauctions.govease.com/Account/Login", states "You can create an account and register by visiting www.govease.com", and points to training at "www.govease.com/bidderhelp". It also states "Registration will begin on April 4th. Please view the registration page for details." The county publishes no deposit amount, no registration deadline, and no bid rules. Confirm the current cycle with the Revenue Commissioner at 205-489-5166 before you register.
Winston County sells tax LIENS under the Alabama Article 7 tax lien auction regime, not tax deeds. The one county-published statement of format found anywhere is the Revenue Commissioner's flyer titled "Winston County Online Tax Lien Auction Provided by GovEase," which announces that "the Winston County tax lien auction will be held online." Treat that as the 2023 cycle, not as confirmation of the current year: the office's website domain has since lapsed and now serves unrelated adult content, so the flyer and the parcel list survive only as web archive captures. GovEase's own published Alabama county contact list names 41 counties and does not include Winston, which leaves the current vendor unconfirmed. The only live county web presence the Alabama Department of Revenue lists for Winston County is a public GIS parcel viewer with no sale, auction, or delinquent list content. The archived 2023 delinquent list runs 7 pages and roughly 365 parcel rows with columns for PPIN, parcel number, owner name, and total tax and penalty; it is a snapshot, not a current list. Separately, the Department of Revenue publishes a weekly transcript of state-held tax delinquent land by county; the Winston County transcript dated 07/20/2026 contains no parcels, so there is no state-held over the counter inventory for this county at present. State-held parcels, when they exist, are bought by submitting an electronic price quote application to the Department, with payment due within 10 calendar days of the quote. Verify the date, the platform, and the parcel list by phone at 205-489-5166 before you commit money.
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)
Winston County Revenue Commissioner's Office
Winston County Courthouse Annex, Double Springs, AL 35553 (mailing: P.O. Box 160, Double Springs, AL 35553)
Official websiteNotes for Winston County
- Revenue Commissioner named by the Alabama Department of Revenue: Sandra Thorn Wright. Office fax is 205-489-8926.
- The Revenue Commissioner's former website, winstoncountyrevenue.com, listed a physical address of 25125 Highway 195, Room 14, Double Springs, AL 35553 when it was archived in February 2015. That domain has since lapsed and now serves unrelated adult content, so treat it as hostile and rely on the Department of Revenue listing instead.
- The only live county web address the Department of Revenue lists for Winston County is the public GIS parcel viewer at isv.kcsgis.com, which carries no tax sale, auction, registration, or delinquent list content.
- Winston County does not appear on GovEase's published Alabama county contact list, which names 41 counties, so the county's current auction vendor could not be confirmed from a live page.
- The archived 2023 delinquent list runs 7 pages and about 365 parcel rows with PPIN, parcel number, owner name, and total tax and penalty. The PDF was generated March 31, 2023, and the auction flyer was captured the same week, which dates the May 4 at 8:30 a.m. start time to the 2023 cycle.
- The Department of Revenue transcript of state-held tax delinquent land for Winston County, dated 07/20/2026, contains no parcels, so there is no state-held over the counter inventory for this county right now.
- WebSearch budget was exhausted for this session. Every fact here comes from a page fetched directly, and no live county-run sale page exists to fetch.
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 Winston County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Winston County follows Alabama's tax lien state system.
When is the Winston County tax certificate sale?
- Early May. The county's own auction flyer gives "Start Time May 4th @ 8:30AM" and "Registration will begin on April 4th." That flyer sat on the Revenue Commissioner's former website next to a delinquent list generated March 31, 2023, and both were captured June 2, 2023, so the quoted dates belong to the 2023 cycle. No current-year date is published on any live page. Alabama's statutory auction window runs March 1 through June 15, so expect a similar spring date and call the office to confirm 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 Winston 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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