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Tax Sale Atlas

Pima County, AZ tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Pima County, seat of Tucson: 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 annually in February.
Format
RealAuction
County office
(520) 724-8341
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 13, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Pima 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)

RealAuction
Run by
Pima County Treasurer's Office
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Held annually in February.
Next expected
in February, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Delinquent tax list (Daily Territorial / ananews.com)
When it runs
Held annually in February. In 2026 the online tax lien sale is one day only on February 26, 2026, with the first parcel group closing at 8:00 AM MST and the last at 12:00 PM MST, followed by an auxiliary session for unsold parcels from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM MST the same day. Registration runs February 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM MST through February 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM MST.
Registration and deposit

Register and bid online through the RealAuction-hosted auction site at pima.arizonataxsale.com. Registration opens February 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM MST and closes February 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM MST; bidding is conducted on the same site.

Sale format and venue
The Treasurer sells a Certificate of Purchase on delinquent parcels, not the property itself. Bidding starts at the 16% statutory maximum and is bid down in 1% increments, and a 0% bid is acceptable. Pima County applies the Single Simultaneous Bidding Entity Rule, so each bidding entity may register only once and may not have a financial or legal relationship with another registered bidder. The list of parcels subject to the 2026 sale (delinquent 2024 and prior taxes) is published in the Daily Territorial and online at ananews.com at least two weeks before the sale. Only RealAuction conducts the official sale.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Pima County Treasurer's Office - 2026 Tax Lien Sale· Verified Jul 13, 2026

Pima County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Pima 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 Delinquent tax list (Daily Territorial / ananews.com) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    Held annually in February. Bidding runs on RealAuction; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.

  4. Confirm with the office

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

Before you bid in Pima County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent tax list (Daily Territorial / ananews.com). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Register and bid online through the RealAuction-hosted auction site at pima.arizonataxsale.com. Registration opens February 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM MST and closes February 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM MST; bidding is conducted on the same site.

  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)

Pima County Treasurer's Office

(520) 724-8341

240 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701-1199

Official website

County notes

  • Arizona is a tax-lien state: the sale conveys a Certificate of Purchase, not the property or a deed.
  • The online tax lien sale is one day only on February 26, 2026; an auxiliary session for parcels unsold in the main sale runs the same afternoon from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM MST.
  • The Treasurer warns that RealAuction (pima.arizonataxsale.com) is the only site conducting the official Pima County sale, and that buying liens on any other website means the sale is not being conducted by Pima County.
  • The walk-in office is on the lower level of the Pima County Public Service Center; routine tax payments are mailed to a separate lockbox (PO Box 29011, Phoenix, AZ 85038-9011).

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 Pima 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 Pima County tax certificate sale?

Held annually in February. In 2026 the online tax lien sale is one day only on February 26, 2026, with the first parcel group closing at 8:00 AM MST and the last at 12:00 PM MST, followed by an auxiliary session for unsold parcels from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM MST the same day. Registration runs February 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM MST through February 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM MST. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. 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 Pima County Treasurer's Office 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 Pima County tax sale list?

Pima County posts its tax sale list at ananews.com. 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.

More Arizona counties

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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 Pima County Treasurer's OfficeOpen auction