Humboldt County, CA tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Deed sale, not a lien sale. Bidders buy the property itself under California Revenue and Taxation Code section 3702, following a recorded Notice of Power to Sell after five years of tax default.
• •Online only. The 2025 statutory notice states "Only bids submitted via the Internet will be accepted," with bidding conducted at www.govease.com. There is no in-person courthouse sale.
• •Registration deadline falls the day before the auction, paired with a refundable $2,500 deposit posted through GovEase.
• •Settlement is fast: full payment plus deed vesting instructions are due within 24 hours after the sale closes, by wire transfer or certified check only.
• •California documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per each $500 or fraction thereof is added to the purchase price at closing.
• •Unsold parcels are re-offered on GovEase the next day at a reduced minimum bid, and the 2023 cycle also ran a separate August 15, 2023 re-offer sale.
• •Redemption cuts off at 5 p.m. on the last business day before the sale, so the published parcel list shrinks right up to auction day.
• •The county posts each year's auction publication (assessor parcel numbers, assessee names, and minimum bids) on the Tax Collector Publications page, plus auction results and excess proceeds lists on the Public Auction Information page.
• •Office is closed Fridays. Public hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 5:00pm.
• •General email for the office is taxinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us. GovEase bidder support is 769-208-5050 ext 2.
• •ParcelQuest Lite (assr.parcelquest.com/hum.aspx) is the county-linked parcel map lookup, useful for pre-bid diligence on rural Humboldt parcels.

California 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.California Revenue and Taxation Code 3707 - right of redemption terminates at close of business on the last business day before the saleCal. Rev. & Tax. Code 3707Verified Oct 12, 2026

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.California Revenue and Taxation Code 3706 - sale at public auction to the highest bidder, no bid below the approved minimum priceCal. Rev. & Tax. Code 3706Verified Oct 12, 2026

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.California Revenue and Taxation Code 4675 - claims for excess proceeds within one year of recordation of the tax deed, and claim priorityCal. Rev. & Tax. Code 4675Verified Oct 12, 2026

Governing statute

Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code, Division 1, Part 6 (sections 3351 to 3972)California Revenue and Taxation Code 3691 - power to sell tax-defaulted property after five years, three years for nonresidential commercialCal. Rev. & Tax. Code 3691Verified Oct 12, 2026

What the deed conveys: The deed conveys title free of encumbrances existing before the sale, subject to listed exceptions that survive: taxes and assessment installments not yet payable, liens of taxing agencies that did not consent to the sale, certain special assessments not included in the redemption amount, easements and recorded restrictions, recorded irrevocable offers of dedication, unpaid Improvement Bond Act of 1915 assessments not satisfied from the proceeds, federal IRS liens not discharged by the sale, and unpaid Mello-Roos special taxes. A tax deed is not marketable or insurable title on its own, and most buyers file a quiet title action before resale.California Revenue and Taxation Code 3712 - the deed conveys title free of encumbrances existing before the sale, with listed exceptionsCal. Rev. & Tax. Code 3712Verified Oct 12, 2026 See the due diligence guide.

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