Los Angeles County, CA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Los Angeles County, seat of Los Angeles: 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 Los Angeles County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector (Tax Collections Branch, Secured Property Tax Division)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Multiple online auctions per year, announced on the county's Schedule of Upcoming Auctions page. That page states: "The Treasurer and Tax Collector's Online Auction will be held in April and June 2026, at https://www.govease.com/los-angeles." The 2026A auction ran "Saturday April 18, 2026 at 3:00 P.M. Pacific Time" through "Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 12:00 P.M. Pacific Time," with a follow-up auction "Saturday, June 06, 2026 at 3:00 P.M. Pacific Time" through "Tuesday, June 09, 2026 at 12:00 P.M. Pacific Time." A May 5, 2026 Board of Supervisors letter approved the next sale (2026B) "beginning Saturday, October 17, 2026, and ending Tuesday, October 20, 2026," again on GovEase, with a redemption deadline of "Friday, October 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time."
Registration and deposit
Register with GovEase, not with the county. The 2026A Terms and Conditions state: "TO PARTICIPATE IN THE AUCTION, YOU MUST REGISTER WITH HTTPS://WWW.GOVEASE.COM/LOS-ANGELES," "DO NOT REGISTER WITH THE COUNTY," and "There is no physical address to register in person." Bidders may also register by mail or fax by calling GovEase at (769) 208-5050. A bid deposit of $5,000, or 10 percent of the spend limit the bidder sets, whichever is greater, is required to bid. Deposits must be a bank wire transfer, bank-issued money order, cashier's check, or eCheck; personal and business checks are not accepted. For the 2026A auction, registration ran Friday, March 13, 2026 through Tuesday, April 14, 2026, and GovEase had to receive deposits by Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Title vesting is set during bidder registration and cannot be changed afterward.
California sells the deed. Los Angeles County conducts its tax-defaulted property sales entirely online through contract vendor GovEase; there is no in-person auction or in-person registration. The county publishes the property list on its Schedule of Upcoming Auctions page, and GovEase posts a parallel list. Minimum bid is set under R&TC Section 3698.5 at the total amount necessary to redeem plus costs. Bidding advances in $100 increments. Property becomes eligible for sale after three years of tax-defaulted status for commercial property and unimproved vacant residential lots, and five years for residential and agricultural property. Owners can stop the sale by paying in full by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the last business day before the auction; only cash or cashier's checks are accepted for that redemption. Unsold parcels may be reoffered at a reduced minimum price at a new auction within 90 days. Unused deposits are returned within 40 days of the end of the auction. As of the May 5, 2026 Board letter, 1,252 parcels were subject to the tax collector's power to sell for the 2026B auction.
Register on GovEaseCounty offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector
213.974.2045 (auction information); 213.974.2111 (main)
Treasurer and Tax Collector, Tax Collections Branch, Secured Property Tax Division, 225 N. Hill Street, First Floor Lobby, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Official websiteNotes for Los Angeles County
- Auction email for property questions is [email protected] (listed on both the Schedule of Upcoming Auctions and Contact Us pages).
- The Treasurer and Tax Collector's main administrative address is Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012; tax-defaulted property and auction business is handled at 225 N. Hill Street, First Floor Lobby.
- The county publishes the date, time, and location of each auction in locally circulated newspapers for three consecutive weeks (Auction FAQ).
- Separate programs exist alongside the public auction: Chapter 8 agreement sales (213.974.0871, [email protected]) and excess proceeds claims (213.974.7245, [email protected]).
- Buyers pay a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 plus a $10 survey monument fee, and city transfer taxes where applicable (for example Los Angeles and Culver City at $4.50 per $1,000).
- Winning bidders who fail to pay the balance by the stated pay-off deadline forfeit their deposit; for the 2026A auction that deadline was Friday, April 24, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
- Bidder alerts are available through the county's auction notification service (GovDelivery subscription linked from the Schedule of Upcoming Auctions page).
- Timing caveat: at the time of research the live Schedule of Upcoming Auctions page still listed only the April and June 2026 auctions. The October 17 to 20, 2026 (2026B) dates come from the adopted May 5, 2026 Board of Supervisors resolution letter and had not yet been posted to the schedule page.
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 Los Angeles County, California sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Los Angeles County follows California's tax deed state system.
How often does Los Angeles 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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