Franklin County, FL tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Franklin County, FL tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. Florida runs both sides: certificates paying up to 18%, and a later tax deed auction. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Oct 3, 2026.
Franklin County, Florida sells both tax lien certificates and tax deeds. The County Tax Collector runs the certificate sale on VisualGov (18% maximum, bid down), and the Clerk of the Circuit Court holds the tax deed sale on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed, from the county seat in Apalachicola, under F.S. Chapter 197.
New to tax sales? Read how Florida tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- On or before June 1 annually
- Format
- In person
- County office
- (850) 653-9323
On this page
How Franklin County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Franklin County Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- On or before June 1 annually
- Registration
- Register on the taxcertsale.com auction site before the sale.
- Next expected
- on or about June 1, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Franklin County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller
- Frequency
- As scheduled, generally the first Monday of the month at 11:00 a.m.
Registration and deposit
Sales take place in person in the Main Courthouse hallway facing Highway 98 at 33 Market Street, Apalachicola. The successful bidder accompanies the deputy Clerk to learn the total. If full payment is deferred, the Clerk requires the greater of 5 percent or $200 as a nonrefundable deposit. F.S. 197.542(2) requires full payment within 24 hours, excluding weekends and legal holidays. Subsection (1) gives the certificate holder 30 days when there are no higher bids. Confirm the current cash or cashier-check instructions and fees.
Sale format and venue
Franklin County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Franklin County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid. If the parcels on this list are vacant land rather than houses, what buying land at a tax sale hands you is the place to start.
Confirm the advertised parcel list
Use Pending tax deed sales and Lands Available as a starting reference. Check which sale or list it covers; a Lands Available or office information page is separate from an auction parcel list. Ask the sale office for the advertised parcels for the auction you plan to attend.Register to bid
Ask the Franklin County Tax Collector how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
On or before June 1 annually Bidding runs on VisualGov; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use the Franklin County Tax Collector as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Franklin County
4 checks
Confirm the parcel list before pricing
Open Pending tax deed sales and Lands Available. Confirm whether this reference contains the auction parcels or covers a different list. Get the advertised parcel list from the county before you price a bid, and recheck it before the sale.Confirm registration and deposit
Sales take place in person in the Main Courthouse hallway facing Highway 98 at 33 Market Street, Apalachicola. The successful bidder accompanies the deputy Clerk to learn the total. If full payment is deferred, the Clerk requires the greater of 5 percent or $200 as a nonrefundable deposit. F.S. 197.542(2) requires full payment within 24 hours, excluding weekends and legal holidays. Subsection (1) gives the certificate holder 30 days when there are no higher bids. Confirm the current cash or cashier-check instructions and fees.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Florida due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth. Which liens survive is state law, so read what survives a tax deed in Florida before you price the title work.Set a walk-away number
Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
unsold liens and deeds
Ask the Tax Collector about eligible county-held certificate purchases. The Clerk links a separate Lands Available page. Listing follows the certificate-holder and nonpayment conditions in F.S. 197.502 and 197.542; confirm the current list and purchase amount with the Clerk.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Florida calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Clerk of the Circuit Court (runs the deed sale)
County notes
- Franklin County uses VisualGov (taxcertsale.com) for the annual tax certificate sale rather than LienHub.
- Tax deed sales are held in person, generally the first Monday of the month at 11:00 a.m. in the Main Courthouse hallway facing Highway 98 in Apalachicola.
- Pending sales are advertised in The Apalachicola Times for four consecutive weeks and listed on the Clerk's website.
Florida rules
- Redemption
- The owner (or anyone) can redeem a certificate at any time after it is issued, up until full payment for the tax deed is made to the Clerk, which cuts off redemption even before the deed is formally issued. The two-year clock that lets a certificate holder apply for a tax deed runs from April 1 of the year the certificate was issued.
- Deed deposit
- The high bidder posts a nonrefundable deposit of 5 percent of the bid or $200, whichever is greater, at the time of the sale, applied to the final price.
- Homestead deeds
- For property assessed as homestead on the latest tax roll, the opening bid also includes one-half of its latest assessed value.
- Surplus proceeds
- Governmental liens receive statutory priority. Other valid claims are paid by priority, with a 120-day claim period measured from the mailed notice. The statute excepts property owners from the late-claim bar. Ask the Clerk for the current claim form and dates; conflicting claims may require court proceedings.
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 Franklin County, Florida sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Franklin County tax certificate sale?
How often does Franklin County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Franklin County tax sale list?
Verified Oct 3, 2026 against official county and state sources.
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 office that runs the sale before you bid.
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