Lake County, CA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Lake County, seat of Lakeport: 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 Lake County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Lake County Department of the Treasurer-Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual multi-day online sale, historically late May or early June, moved earlier in 2026. The county's final publication for Tax Defaulted Land Sale #164 reads "Sale Date: March 31, 2026 Thru April 3, 2026" (an earlier publication of the same sale read "Sale Date: March 20, 2026 Thru March 24, 2026"). The prior sale publication reads "Sale Date: May 30, 2025 Thru June 3, 2025" for Tax Defaulted Land Sale #163. The statutory notice for Sale #162 states the sale "will be conducted at www.bid4assets.com starting at 8:00 a.m. (PST) on Friday, May 31, 2024 and ending on Tuesday, June 04, 2024," and adds that "Parcel closing times vary."
Registration and deposit
Pre-registration on Bid4Assets is required. The county's statutory notice states: "Pre-registration is required. Register on-line at www.bid4assets.com" by 1:00 p.m. PT on the stated cutoff date, and "A single $5,000.00 refundable deposit (plus $35 processing fee) is required to bid. Deposit must be either a certified check or wire transfer and received by Bid4Assets" by that same cutoff. The Bid4Assets storefront adds that all prospective Lake County bidders must submit vesting information before they can access deposit instructions, and that only certified check, money order, or wire transfer are accepted. Full payment is due to Bid4Assets by wire transfer or certified check by the settlement deadline stated in the notice.
Lake County sells tax-defaulted property by public internet auction under Revenue and Taxation Code Section 3702, not by lien certificate. There is no in-person bidding: the sale is conducted online at www.bid4assets.com after the Board of Supervisors adopts a resolution directing the Tax Collector to sell. Minimum bids on Sale #164 ranged from $1,500 to $35,000 on the parcels shown in the final publication. The county republishes the parcel list repeatedly before the sale, marking parcels REDEEMED or WITHDRAWN, so bidders should work from the latest dated version. The right of redemption ceases at 5:00 p.m. PT on the last business day before the sale, and revives if a parcel goes unsold. Unsold parcels may be reoffered at www.bid4assets.com within 90 days at a reduced minimum. Parties of interest under R&TC Section 4675 may claim excess proceeds. California documentary transfer tax and a $35 per-parcel administrative fee are added to the purchase price. Note that the Bid4Assets Lake County storefront was still showing the May 2024 sale calendar when checked, so confirm current dates against the county's own Land Sale publications.
Register on Bid4AssetsCounty offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Lake County
- Patrick M. Sullivan is the elected Treasurer-Tax Collector and signs the county's tax-default and power-to-sell notices; Elizabeth Martinez is Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector.
- Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, closed for county observed holidays. Office fax is 707-263-2254. Treasury is 707-263-2236 and Collections is 707-263-2583.
- Property tax payments now go to a vendor lockbox at P.O. Box 6011, Whittier, CA 90607-6011, but the Tax Collector's office and drop box remain at 255 N. Forbes St, Lakeport (Courthouse, 2nd floor). Use the Lakeport address for tax sale correspondence.
- Bid4Assets directs asset questions to the county at [email protected] and bidding process questions to [email protected].
- The county offers a free Tax Sale Information Subscription through its Form Center for email notice of upcoming sales.
- Sale numbering is sequential: #159 (June 2021), #160 (May 27 to June 1, 2022), #161 (May 26, 2023), #162 (May 31 to June 4, 2024), #163 (May 30 to June 3, 2025), #164 (March 31 to April 3, 2026).
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 Lake County, California sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Lake County follows California's tax deed state system.
How often does Lake 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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