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Tax Sale Atlas

Santa Cruz County, AZ tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Santa Cruz County, AZ tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. Arizona sells tax lien certificates paying up to 16%, redeemable for 3 years. Sale office and calendar read from the county’s own official pages on Oct 12, 2026. List source checked Jul 13, 2026.

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 certificate sale
Held each February.
Format
RealAuction
County office
(520) 375-7980
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Oct 12, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
Look up a sale detail

Santa Cruz County Treasurer. RealAuction. annual

Record quality: high. Last verified: 2026-10-12.

Santa Cruz County Treasurer's Office (official site) (source accessed 2026-07-13)

Recorded reference information. Verify current sale conditions with the county. Read the full sale details.

Link to this detail

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.
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 2026 sale ran online on February 10, 2026, with batches closing hourly from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MT and payment due February 12, 2026 (per platform). The Treasurer FAQ notes the sale "is usually held in February each year."
Registration and deposit

Bidders register online at the RealAuction site (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com), where each bidder may register only once under the single simultaneous bidder rule. A deposit of 10% of the intended purchase amount is due before bidding closes, and certificates won are paid by ACH only (per platform). Per the Treasurer's Investor tab, an Investor Information Form and an IRS Form W-9 must be submitted before purchasing.

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 covered delinquent 2022 and prior taxes. Certificates not sold at auction are offered afterward on the same platform at 16% interest, first come, first served (per platform). 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. Confirm the advertised parcel list

    Use Delinquent Properties (Tax List & Sale Information) as a starting reference. Check which sale or list it covers; a Lands Available or office information page is separate from an auction parcel list. Ask the sale office for the advertised parcels for the auction you plan to attend.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the Santa Cruz County Treasurer how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

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

Before you bid in Santa Cruz County

  1. Confirm the parcel list before pricing

    Open Delinquent Properties (Tax List & Sale Information). Confirm whether this reference contains the auction parcels or covers a different list. Get the advertised parcel list from the county before you price a bid, and recheck it before the sale.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidders register online at the RealAuction site (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com), where each bidder may register only once under the single simultaneous bidder rule. A deposit of 10% of the intended purchase amount is due before bidding closes, and certificates won are paid by ACH only (per platform). Per the Treasurer's Investor tab, an Investor Information Form and an IRS Form W-9 must be submitted before purchasing.

  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

  • Starting in 2026 the county holds its tax-lien auction online through RealAuction (santacruz.arizonataxsale.com); earlier sales were held in person at the Treasurer's Office.
  • The 2026 sale closed on February 10, 2026 as a proxy-bid auction. Bidders register on the RealAuction platform, post a 10% deposit and pay by ACH; 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 (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.
  • Treasurer's Office: (520) 375-7980, 2150 North Congress Drive, Nogales, AZ 85621. The general county switchboard is (520) 375-7800; use the 375-7980 line for tax-lien and Certificate of Purchase questions.

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 Arizona rules 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 2026 sale ran online on February 10, 2026, with batches closing hourly from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MT and payment due February 12, 2026 (per platform). The Treasurer FAQ notes the sale "is usually held in February each year." 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?

The recorded official list reference is at santacruzcountyaz.gov. Check whether it covers auction parcels, office information or Lands Available, then obtain the advertised parcel list for the sale you plan to bid on. Confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement.

Office and calendar verified Oct 12, 2026 against official county and state sources. Sale list source checked Jul 13, 2026.

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 office that runs the sale before you bid.

More Arizona counties

Browse all 15 Arizona counties

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