Colusa County, CA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Colusa County, seat of Colusa: 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 California tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Colusa County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Colusa County Treasurer-Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- September, run as a multi-day online auction. The county's 2025 notice is headed "NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION OF TAX-DEFAULTED PROPERTIES FOR DELINQUENT TAXES September 16th -18th, 2025 (Made pursuant to Section 3692, Revenue and Taxation Code)" and states the sale ran "on the internet at www.publicsurplus.com, beginning on September 16th, 2025 at 8:00 am (PT) and ending on September 18th, 2025." Colusa also held a follow-on sealed-bid sale on November 5th, 2025 for a parcel unsuitable for the general auction. Only 2025 documents are posted on the county's tax sale publications page, so confirm each year's dates with the Tax Collector before planning.
Registration and deposit
Pre-registration on the auction platform with a refundable credit-card deposit. The 2025 notice states: "Only bids submitted via the internet will be accepted. Pre-registration is required. Register online at www.publicsurplus.com. At the time of registration, bidders must submit a refundable deposit of $1,000.00 electronically at www.publicsurplus.com. The deposit will be applied to the successful bidder's purchase price." The terms page adds that "Bid deposits must be in the form of a credit card payment." Winning bidders owe an 8% buyer's premium (Public Surplus service charge) plus documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 and recording fees, with full payment due by wire within 6 business days after the auction closes. Bidding extends if competing bids arrive in the final five minutes and continues until five consecutive minutes pass with no bid.
California is a deed state and Colusa sells the deed itself, not a lien certificate. The Treasurer-Tax Collector conducts the sale under Revenue and Taxation Code section 3692 after the Board of Supervisors adopts an authorizing resolution (Resolution 25-022 on June 17th, 2025 for the September auction; Resolution 25-031 on August 26th, 2025 for the November sealed-bid sale). Property is conveyed by tax deed, and the terms page warns "A tax deed is not a warranty deed." All sales are final with no refunds, and parcels sell as is with due diligence on the bidder. The right of redemption ceased at 5:00 p.m. on the last business day before each sale (Monday, September 15th, 2025 and Tuesday, November 4th, 2025). Parcels that do not sell may be reoffered within 90 days at the Tax Collector's discretion. The county ran a Bid4Assets auction in 2021 but has since moved to Public Surplus, so ignore older Bid4Assets references. A public computer workstation is available at 547 Market Street, Suite 111 during business hours for bidders who need one. The separate sealed-bid track applies under section 3692(c) to parcels rendered unusable by size, location, or other conditions; those bids go on a Colusa County bid form with a cashier's or certified check and are opened publicly at the Tax Collector's office. Excess proceeds claims by parties of interest are governed by section 4675.
Register on Online auctionCounty offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Colusa County
- County seat is Colusa; the Treasurer-Tax Collector office is at 547 Market Street, Suite 111, Colusa, CA 95932.
- Cindy Dillard signs the auction notices as Colusa County Tax Collector.
- Office contact per the department page: phone (530) 458-0440, fax (530) 458-0442, email [email protected]. Lobby hours Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, office to 5:00 pm.
- Auction platform is Public Surplus, not Bid4Assets. Bid4Assets hosted a Colusa virtual tax sale in 2021, but the 2025 official notice and terms both name www.publicsurplus.com.
- Two sale formats exist: the September online public auction on Public Surplus, and an occasional sealed-bid sale at the Tax Collector's office under R&T Code 3692(c) for parcels that are unusable due to size, location, or access (the November 5th, 2025 sale offered a single parcel with a $5,969.36 minimum bid).
- The Notice of Public Auction PDF itself carries the parcel list with APNs, owner names, descriptions, and minimum bids. The 2025 notice listed roughly 30 parcels across Colusa, Williams, Stonyford, Arbuckle, Princeton, Sites, and Maxwell.
- The 2025 notice prints the county website as www.countyofcolusa.org, but the live and fetchable domain is www.countyofcolusaca.gov.
- A 2025 Tax Sale Results document is posted under the Results section; historical auction data requires a written request to the Tax Collector.
- No 2026 auction notice was posted on the county publications page as of this research, so the next sale date is unconfirmed.
California statewide rules
- Redemption
- Tax-defaulted property may be redeemed until the right of redemption is terminated (section 4101). That right terminates at the close of business on the last business day prior to the commencement date of the tax sale, and the start of the auction counts as the sale date no matter when bidding closes. A redemption payment sent by mail must be received in the tax collector's office before that deadline. California has no post-sale redemption period: once the auction opens, a record owner who has not redeemed loses all legal and equitable interest in the property. Two situations revive the right of redemption. The right revives if the property is not sold, and it revives on the next business day if the tax collector approved a credit sale and the buyer did not pay in full by the deadline the tax collector set.
- Deed deposit
- The tax collector may require a deposit and must give public notice before the sale of its amount, payment method, and due date, and of whether it is a condition of bidding or applies toward the purchase price. On a sale the tax collector approves as a deferred-payment transaction, the deposit may be $5,000 or 10 percent of the minimum bid price, whichever is greater. Counties set the specific figure, so confirm it on the county page or auction platform.
- Surplus proceeds
- Sale proceeds first cover statutory distributions, then taxes, assessments, and county costs. Anything left is excess proceeds held in the delinquent tax sale trust fund. A party of interest may file a claim at any time before one year after the tax collector's deed to the purchaser is recorded. Distribution runs first to lienholders of record before the tax deed was recorded, in order of their priority, then to persons with title of record. Excess proceeds not claimed within that year may be transferred to the county general fund.
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 Colusa County, California sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Colusa County follows California's tax deed state system.
How often does Colusa County hold tax deed sales?
- annual. 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.
Explore all 58 California counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.