El Dorado County, CA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in El Dorado County, seat of Placerville: 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 El Dorado County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- El Dorado County Treasurer-Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual online tax deed auction held in early November. The Treasurer-Tax Collector page lists under "Upcoming Auctions": "Friday, November 6, 2026". The prior cycle ran per the county Terms and Conditions: "The online auction is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th, 2025", with "Bidding will open at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Time" and lots closing "at various intervals" the same day.
Registration and deposit
Bid4Assets registers every bidder. The county FAQ states the Treasurer-Tax Collector's office "does not register bidders, nor accept bids" and directs all questions to www.bid4assets.com (1-877-427-7387). Steps: create a free Bid4Assets account, complete vesting information, then post the advance bid deposit through Bid4Assets. The county Terms require "A $3,000.00 advance bid deposit for tax defaulted property (Real Property) and/or $250.00 advance bid deposit for tax defaulted timeshares, and a non-refundable $35.00 bid deposit processing fee" from each bidder before bidding. Deposits must reach Bid4Assets by the published deadline (for the November 5, 2025 sale that was 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 29, 2025); follow the current Bid4Assets deposit instructions for accepted payment forms. Bidders must be 18 or older. Winning bidders pay in full within three business days of the auction close, plus California documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of sale price. Unsuccessful bidders are refunded within ten business days.
Online only, no in-person sale. The county runs two separate auctions simultaneously on the same date through Bid4Assets: one for real property and one for tax-defaulted timeshare intervals, each with its own deposit tier. Parcels reach the auction after five years of default, once the Treasurer-Tax Collector records a Notice of Power to Sell in the El Dorado County Recorder's Office. The published Notice of Public Internet Auction carries the full parcel list with APN, last assessee, and opening bid (168 items were noticed for the November 5, 2025 sale; the Bid4Assets storefront showed 41 real property parcels with bids starting at $1,100 and no reserve). Redemption ends at 5:00 p.m. Pacific on the last business day before the sale, and California allows no extended right of redemption after that. The minimum bid may be lowered at the Treasurer-Tax Collector's discretion if a parcel does not sell. All properties sell as-is, with no title insurance provided and no right to enter the property before the sale. The Tax Collector expects to record tax deeds within four to six weeks of the auction, and parties of interest have one year from recording to contest the sale.
Register on Bid4AssetsCounty offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for El Dorado County
- Elected officer: Sean M. Coppola, CTP, Treasurer-Tax Collector. The 2025 sale notice was certified by K. E. Coleman as El Dorado County Tax Collector, so the officeholder changed between the 2025 notice and the current department page.
- General office email is [email protected]; fax (530) 642-8870.
- The county site footer lists a general county address of 330 Fair Lane, Placerville, CA 95667. The Treasurer-Tax Collector office itself is at 360 Fair Lane, per the department contact block and every tax-sale document letterhead.
- The county Terms and Conditions PDF is labeled "Revised December 2025" but still describes the November 5, 2025 auction dates and deadlines. Treat its dollar figures and process as current and its dates as last-cycle; the forward date comes from the Upcoming Auctions block on the county tax sale page.
- Deposit payment form has a discrepancy worth flagging to readers: the county Terms say deposits go "via an electronic debit (ACH or Wire) or cashier's check", while the Bid4Assets El Dorado storefront states "Only certified check/money order or wire transfer are accepted. ACH, direct deposit, credit card, or money transfers will be rejected." Direct bidders to the live Bid4Assets deposit instructions.
- The Bid4Assets short URL https://www.bid4assets.com/eldorado is a stable county entry point; it currently 302s to https://www.bid4assets.com/storefront/ElDoradoNov25.
- Bidders can subscribe to auction notices at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/CAELDOR/subscriber/new?topic_id=CAELDOR_189 (link listed on the county tax sale page; not independently fetched).
- www.eldoradocounty.ca.gov is behind Akamai and returns 403 to curl and to WebFetch. All county pages and PDFs here were retrieved through a real Chrome session.
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 El Dorado County, California sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- El Dorado County follows California's tax deed state system.
How often does El Dorado 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.
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