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Tax Sale Atlas

Santa Cruz County, AZ tax sales

How tax lien sales work in Santa Cruz County, seat of Nogales: 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 each February.
Format
RealAuction
Registration
Bidders must register online at the RealAuction site (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com).
County office
(520) 375-7980
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 13, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Santa Cruz 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
Santa Cruz County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Held each February.
Registration
Bidders must register online at the RealAuction site (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com).
Next expected
in February, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Delinquent Properties (Tax List & Sale Information)
When it runs
Held each February. The Treasurer's page states "The Tax Lien Sale will be held on February 10, 2026," and the Treasurer FAQ notes the sale "is usually held in February each year." The 2026 sale runs online rather than in person.
Registration and deposit

Bidders must register online at the RealAuction site (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com). Per the Treasurer's Investor tab, an Investor Information Form and an IRS Form W-9 must be submitted before purchasing. Winning bidders pay for certificates in full by ACH after the sale; first-time buyers pay by certified funds.

Sale format and venue
Arizona tax-lien sale: investors bid the interest rate down from the 16% statutory maximum and receive a Certificate of Purchase, not the property. The formal delinquent-parcel list is advertised in the Nogales International at least two weeks before the sale (per faq). The 2026 sale covers delinquent 2022 and prior taxes. Registered investors can also buy tax liens over the counter roughly April 1 through December 31, with a delinquent list updated monthly (per treasurer Investor tab). County Treasurer: Alejandro Paz.
Register on RealAuction
Source: Santa Cruz County Treasurer's Office (official site)· Verified Jul 13, 2026

Santa Cruz County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Santa Cruz 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 Properties (Tax List & Sale Information) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Bidders must register online at the RealAuction site (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com). Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Held each 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 Santa Cruz County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Santa Cruz County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent Properties (Tax List & Sale Information). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidders must register online at the RealAuction site (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com). Per the Treasurer's Investor tab, an Investor Information Form and an IRS Form W-9 must be submitted before purchasing. Winning bidders pay for certificates in full by ACH after the sale; first-time buyers pay by certified funds.

  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)

Santa Cruz County Treasurer's Office

(520) 375-7980

2150 North Congress Drive, Nogales, AZ 85621

Official website

County notes

  • 2026 marks the county's move to an online tax-lien auction run by RealAuction (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com); prior years were conducted in person at the Treasurer's Office. Verified firsthand on the Treasurer page and the RealTaxLien site.
  • Sale date confirmed on the official Treasurer page: February 10, 2026. Bidders register on the RealAuction platform; an Investor Information Form and IRS Form W-9 are required before purchasing.
  • Over-the-counter Certificate of Purchase sales are available to registered investors (site says April 1 through December 31), with a delinquent list updated monthly. The Treasurer FAQ notes the sale list is also published in the Nogales International at least two weeks prior.
  • Contact phone (520) 375-7980 and office address (2150 North Congress Drive, Nogales, AZ 85621) verified firsthand on the Treasurer and Delinquent Properties pages. The general county switchboard is (520) 375-7800; use the 375-7980 line for tax-lien/CP questions.
  • County government site (CivicPlus) blocks automated fetching with HTTP 403; pages were retrieved via a real browser session to verify these facts firsthand.

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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County tax certificate sale?

Held each February. The Treasurer's page states "The Tax Lien Sale will be held on February 10, 2026," and the Treasurer FAQ notes the sale "is usually held in February each year." The 2026 sale runs online rather than in person. 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County tax sale list?

Santa Cruz County posts its tax sale list at santacruzcountyaz.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.

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 Santa Cruz County Treasurer's OfficeOpen auction