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Tax Sale Atlas

Graham County, AZ tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Graham County, seat of Safford: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Arizona tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Held in February every year.
Format
In person
Registration
Registration is required; only registered bidders holding a bidder number may bid.
County office
928-428-3440
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 13, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Graham County sells delinquent taxes

From lien to deed

Arizona does not hold county tax deed auctions. Instead, a certificate of purchase holder whose lien has not been redeemed may file a judicial action to foreclose the owner's right to redeem, but only after three years have passed since the tax lien sale.

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Graham County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Held in February every year.
Registration
Registration is required; only registered bidders holding a bidder number may bid.
Next expected
in February, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
State-held tax liens available for assignment (over-the-counter Active Certificate List)
When it runs
Held in February every year. The Treasurer FAQ states: "The tax lien sale is in February every year. The next sale is on February 25, 2026 beginning at 9 a.m." Hours are "9 a.m. until completed." Delinquent prior-year real property taxes are offered (for example, 2024 taxes are sold at the February 25, 2026 auction).
Registration and deposit

Registration is required; only registered bidders holding a bidder number may bid. Complete the Bidder Information Form (available on the Treasurer's website) and submit it by email, by fax to 928-428-3991, or by mail to Graham County Treasurer, P.O. Box 747, Safford, AZ 85548. On sale day each registered bidder is issued a bidder number at the Treasurer's Office, 921 Thatcher Boulevard, Safford. First-time purchasers must pay by cash, cashier's check, or money order; personal checks are accepted only from prior purchasers.

Sale format and venue
Competitive bid-down-interest sale: liens are auctioned "based on the least % of interest to be received by the investor," and the winner receives a registered Certificate of Purchase. The statutory maximum rate is 16% (Arizona); the Treasurer confirms the 16% rate applies to state-held liens taken by assignment. Certificates sold at the sale cost $10 each. An investor must acquire by assignment all outstanding prior-year certificates on a parcel, and prior-year rates carry over unchanged. Liens not sold at the February auction are held by the State of Arizona and remain available over the counter by assignment year-round at 16% (see the Active Certificate List). Judicial foreclosure to obtain a deed is initiated and paid for by the investor, at the investor's own expense, after the Arizona statutory redemption period (three years from the date the lien was first offered for sale). Investors do all their own research; the county provides a Parcel Information Search online and a public-access terminal at the Treasurer's Office. In person. Live auction held at the Graham County General Services Building, Assembly Room, 921 Thatcher Boulevard, Safford, AZ 85546. There is no online bidding platform (no RealAuction, LienHub, or arizonataxsale portal).
Source: Graham County Treasurer - Tax Lien Sale Procedures FAQs· Verified Jul 13, 2026

Graham County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Graham County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use State-held tax liens available for assignment (over-the-counter Active Certificate List) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Registration is required; only registered bidders holding a bidder number may bid. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Held in February every year. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Graham County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Graham County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from State-held tax liens available for assignment (over-the-counter Active Certificate List). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration is required; only registered bidders holding a bidder number may bid. Complete the Bidder Information Form (available on the Treasurer's website) and submit it by email, by fax to 928-428-3991, or by mail to Graham County Treasurer, P.O. Box 747, Safford, AZ 85548. On sale day each registered bidder is issued a bidder number at the Treasurer's Office, 921 Thatcher Boulevard, Safford. First-time purchasers must pay by cash, cashier's check, or money order; personal checks are accepted only from prior purchasers.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Arizona due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.

  4. Set a walk-away number

    Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.

Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases

Liens that receive no bid are struck to the state. Any person may later buy a state-held certificate over the counter by assignment from the county treasurer, paying the amount due plus subsequent taxes and a small assignment fee. Assigned state certificates earn the full 16 percent.

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Arizona calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

Graham County Treasurer

928-428-3440

921 Thatcher Boulevard, Safford, AZ 85546 (mailing: P.O. Box 747, Safford, AZ 85548)

Official website

County notes

  • Graham County runs an in-person tax lien sale at the Graham County General Services Building (Assembly Room), 921 Thatcher Boulevard, Safford, AZ 85546. It does not use an online auction platform.
  • Confirmed timing: the next sale is February 25, 2026, beginning at 9 a.m., running until completed. The sale is held in February every year.
  • Bidding is bid-down-interest; winners receive a $10 registered Certificate of Purchase. State-held (unsold) liens are available over the counter by assignment at 16%.
  • The February sale parcel list is posted on the Tax Sale & Lien Guidelines page and outside the Treasurer's office during February, updated weekly, and advertised once in the Eastern Arizona Courier (928-428-2560). Copies can be purchased by calling 928-428-3440.
  • Treasurer contact: phone 928-428-3440, fax 928-428-3991, mailing address P.O. Box 747, Safford, AZ 85548. The county main line (928-428-3250) in the site footer is not the Treasurer's direct number.
  • The year-specific page /652/2026-Tax-Lien-Sale now returns a 404 (the 2026 sale has passed as of July 2026); the evergreen Tax Sale & Lien Guidelines and FAQ pages carry the current logistics.

Arizona rules

Max interest rate
16% per year, bid down at auction
Minimum return
No statutory minimum; interest accrues at your bid rate
Redemption
The owner or any interested party can redeem the lien at any time until the right to redeem is foreclosed by the court. A certificate of purchase holder cannot begin a foreclosure action until three years after the sale, and the lien becomes void if no foreclosure is commenced within ten years after the month the certificate was acquired.
Surplus proceeds
If the court forecloses the right to redeem, the county treasurer issues a treasurer's deed conveying the parcel to the certificate holder. Because the property is conveyed by deed rather than sold at auction, there is no auction surplus to distribute.
Governing statute
A.R.S. Title 42, Chapter 18

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.

See the full Arizonarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Graham County, Arizona sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In Arizona investors buy the lien, not the property; the County Treasurer runs the sale.

When is the Graham County tax certificate sale?

Held in February every year. The Treasurer FAQ states: "The tax lien sale is in February every year. The next sale is on February 25, 2026 beginning at 9 a.m." Hours are "9 a.m. until completed." Delinquent prior-year real property taxes are offered (for example, 2024 taxes are sold at the February 25, 2026 auction). The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Treasurer before the sale.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Arizona's redemption rule: 3 years from the tax lien sale before the holder can foreclose. Call the Graham County Treasurer as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Where can I find the Graham County tax sale list?

Graham County posts its tax sale list at graham.az.gov. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

Verified Jul 13, 2026 against official county and state sources.

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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Arizona tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Graham County Treasurer