Washington County, FL tax sales
Washington 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 online via RealAuction on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed, from the county seat in Chipley, 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
- RealAuction
- Registration
- Tax deed sales are conducted online at washington.realtaxdeed.com under F.S. 197.542.
- County office
- (850) 638-6275
On this page
How Washington County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Washington County Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- On or before June 1 annually
- Registration
- Register on taxcertsale.com 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
- Washington County Clerk of Court
- Frequency
- As scheduled; each parcel is advertised four consecutive weeks before the sale in The Washington County News
- Registration
- Tax deed sales are conducted online at washington.realtaxdeed.com under F.S. 197.542.
- Sale list
- Tax deed list / Lands Available
Registration and deposit
Tax deed sales are conducted online at washington.realtaxdeed.com under F.S. 197.542. Register on the site and place a deposit with the Clerk no later than 24 hours before the sale. The deposit for each winning bid is the greater of $200 or 5 percent of the winning bid, payable by ACH, wire, cash, cashier's check, or money order.
Sale format and venue
Washington County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Washington 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.
Get the advertised list
Use Tax deed list / Lands Available for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
On or before June 1 annually Bidding runs on RealAuction; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Washington County Clerk of Court as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Washington County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Tax deed list / Lands Available. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Tax deed sales are conducted online at washington.realtaxdeed.com under F.S. 197.542. Register on the site and place a deposit with the Clerk no later than 24 hours before the sale. The deposit for each winning bid is the greater of $200 or 5 percent of the winning bid, payable by ACH, wire, cash, cashier's check, or money order.
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.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
County-held certificates that received no bid can be bought from the Tax Collector through the taxcertsale.com site. Parcels not sold at a tax deed sale go on the Clerk's List of Lands Available for Taxes.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
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
- Washington follows the standard Florida split: the Tax Collector runs the annual tax certificate sale online at taxcertsale.com, and the Clerk runs tax deed sales online at washington.realtaxdeed.com.
- Tax deed deposits are due no later than 24 hours before the sale and are the greater of $200 or 5 percent of the winning bid.
- Each parcel is advertised four consecutive weeks in The Washington County News before the sale.
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
- If the property was assessed as homestead on the latest roll, the opening bid also adds one-half of its latest assessed value. This sharply raises the floor price on homestead parcels and suppresses investor demand for them.
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 Washington County, Florida sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Washington County tax certificate sale?
How often does Washington County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Washington County tax sale list?
Verified Jul 4, 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 county office before you bid.
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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.