San Benito County, CA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in San Benito County, seat of Hollister: 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 San Benito County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- San Benito County Treasurer, Tax Collector and Public Administrator (Office of the Tax Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county's Schedule of Upcoming Auctions page states: "The next Tax-Defaulted Property Auction is scheduled for October 2026 and will be hosted by GovEase." San Benito runs the sale roughly once a year on an irregular month. The posted 2025 results are titled "Results of Delinquent Tax Sale (October 2025)" with a purchase date of 10/30/25, and the 2024 results are titled "Results of Delinquent Tax Sale (July 2024)" with a purchase date of 07/10/24.
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online through GovEase. Bidders create an account and register for the auction at the GovEase bidder portal (Sign Up / Log In at https://liveauctions.govease.com/Account/Login), which is the registration path linked from GovEase's own site. San Benito County does not publish a separate county bidder-registration form; the Tax Collector directs auction questions to [email protected] and (831) 636-4034. The county's Notice of Auction or Sale page states that a listed property may be sold "if the taxes, penalties and costs are not paid by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the last business day prior to the auction," so parcels can drop off the list up to the day before bidding.
Sale is conducted entirely online, not in person. San Benito labels the sale "Internet Auction of Tax Defaulted Property" and the winning bidder receives a tax deed, consistent with California's deed-state framework. The county's Auction General Information page explains the qualifying clock: default "opens a 5-year waiting period for residential property and 3-year waiting period for non-residential commercial property," after which the Treasurer and Tax Collector has the power to sell. Inventory is small. The October 2025 results list 6 parcels (mostly Griswold Domes and Panoche rural parcels, minimum bids from $2,727 to $6,130) and the July 2024 results list a single parcel. The published Property Tax Default (Delinquent) List is issued under Revenue and Taxation Code section 3371 and is the pre-sale pipeline, not the final sale list; the final parcel roster appears in the Official Notice of Auction or Sale and on GovEase once the sale is posted. As of this check, San Benito was not yet showing on the GovEase live auction roster, which is expected for an October 2026 sale.
Register on GovEaseCounty offices
Notes for San Benito County
- County seat is Hollister. The Treasurer, Tax Collector and Public Administrator are consolidated into a single elected position, currently held by Melinda L. Casillas.
- Two phone lines are published: Property Tax at (831) 636-4034 and Treasurer at (831) 636-4043. Use the property tax line for auction questions. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, excluding county holidays.
- The auction contact named on both the Schedule of Upcoming Auctions page and the Notice of Auction or Sale page is Monika Perales, Office Manager for the Tax Collector, at [email protected].
- Sale month is not fixed. Recent sales ran in July 2024 and October 2025, and the county has posted October 2026 for the next one. Check the Schedule of Upcoming Auctions page rather than assuming a fixed annual date.
- Recent parcel counts are very low (6 parcels in October 2025, 1 in July 2024), and the properties skew to rural, unimproved land in areas such as Griswold Domes, Panoche, Tumey Hills and the Antelope area. Investors should expect thin inventory and access, water and legal-lot questions on most parcels.
- The county publishes prior-sale results as PDFs on the Schedule of Upcoming Auctions page, including minimum bid, purchase price and excess proceeds available per parcel. This is useful for calibrating expected bid-to-minimum spreads before registering.
- Excess proceeds are handled by the same office under Revenue and Taxation Code sections 4674 and 4676; a separate Notice of Excess Proceeds page tracks claims.
- The county's public website blocks automated fetching (Akamai). Verify pages in a normal browser.
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 San Benito County, California sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- San Benito County follows California's tax deed state system.
How often does San Benito 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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