Madera County, CA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Madera County, seat of Madera: 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 Madera County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual online auction in May. The county sale page headline for the most recent offering reads "Defaulted land tax sale May 11, 2026 - CLOSED!" The Bid4Assets sale page lists Starts "May 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET (8:00 AM PT)", Ends "May 14, 2026" with "Closing times vary", Deposit Deadline "May 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET (1:00 PM PT)", and Settlement Deadline "May 19, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET (1:00 PM PT)". Prior Bid4Assets storefronts for this county were also May sales.
Registration and deposit
Pre-registration is required. The county states: "If you want to participate in the County Tax Sale you must pre-register. Anyone wishing to participate as a bidder in our tax sale must be registered to bid" and "Registration is not permitted through the mail." Bidders create a free Bid4Assets account, then post a single $5,000 deposit plus a $35 non-refundable processing fee by the deposit deadline. Madera requires prospective bidders to enter vesting information before deposit instructions are released. Only certified check, money order, or wire transfer is accepted for the deposit. One deposit covers every parcel in the sale. Bidders must be 18 or older. Deposits from unsuccessful bidders are refunded within ten business days after the auction closes.
California conveys the tax deed rather than a lien. Property becomes subject to the Tax Collector's Power to Sell after five years of tax default, and the county states the auction "is conducted by the county tax collector, and the property is sold to the highest bidder." The sale is online, not in person: "The Madera County Tax Collector partners with Bid4Assets to provide Website Advertising and Auction Services for the annual defaulted property tax sale." The May 2026 offering listed 37 parcels with bids starting as low as $2,950 and all lots sold with no reserve. Winning bidders owe full settlement by the posted deadline, plus California documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of purchase price and a $35 per parcel administrative fee. Parcels are pulled from the list as owners redeem before the sale. Property sells strictly as is, with no refunds of expenses, purchases, or deposits, and the county warns that some parcels carry code enforcement or code compliance issues.
Register on Bid4AssetsCounty offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Madera County
- Tax Collector is Tracy Kennedy. General email is [email protected] and office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, excluding holidays (source k_ttc).
- The current property listing PDF (server filename "Tax Sale website listing Final.pdf") is linked from the county sale page at https://www.maderacounty.com/home/showpublisheddocument/48673/639178888980900000 (source k_listing_pdf). The document ID rotates each sale year, so link the parent sale page rather than the PDF.
- Bid4Assets storefront slugs rotate per sale (MaderaMay18, MaderaMay24, MaderaMay26). https://www.bid4assets.com/madera is the stable county landing URL and 302-redirects to the current storefront (source k_bid4assets).
- The county Auction General Information page also lists the California State Controller public auction page and advises calling the county Planning Division at (559) 675-7821 for development constraints before bidding (source k_auction_info).
- maderacounty.com sits behind Akamai and returns HTTP 403 to curl and to standard fetchers. All county pages here were read in a real browser 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 Madera County, California sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Madera County follows California's tax deed state system.
How often does Madera 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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