Clayton County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Clayton County, seat of Jonesboro: 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 Georgia tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Clayton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Clayton County Tax Commissioner's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The bidder pre-registration page states Date: "Every First Tuesday of the Month" and Start Time: "10:00 AM". Published lists confirm the pattern: the July 2026 sale is dated 07/07/2026 and the August 2026 sale is dated 08/04/2026.
Registration and deposit
Bidders pre-register through the county's online Tax Sale Bidder Pre-Registration Form, which collects bidder name, company, address, phone, email, form of ID and ID number, and whether the bidder has bid before. The page lists Requirements: "Drivers' License" and Method of Payment as "Certified Funds, Cash, Money Order, Cashier Check", and directs questions to tax sale attorney Foster & Smith at 770-478-4000.
Clayton County runs its tax sale IN PERSON, not on an online auction platform. The registration page gives the sale Location as "9151 Tara Blvd. Jonesboro, GA 30236 (on courthouse steps)" with a 10:00 AM start. The published parcel lists are headed "Clayton County Tax Sale Information: The following Parcels are listed for Tax Sale on the specified date" and carry a "Cry-Out Bid" column alongside parcel number, owner name, property location, delinquent years, and fair market value, consistent with a live outcry sale. The county website's Tax Commissioner menu item "Tax Sales" points to the Tax Commissioner Public Access page, which posts the current monthly sale lists as PDFs (for example july_2026_tax_sale.pdf and august_2026_tax_sale.pdf) plus an Excess Funds Listing and an Official Claim for Excess Funds form. No online bidding platform is named anywhere on the county's tax sale pages.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Clayton County
- Danielle H. Smith is the Clayton County Tax Commissioner. The office lists Property Tax at (770) 477-3311, Motor Vehicle at (770) 477-3331, and email [email protected].
- Sale lists are month-specific PDFs under https://publicaccess.claytoncountyga.gov/content/PDF/ (pattern: {month}_{year}_tax_sale.pdf). Link to the Public Access hub rather than a single month's PDF, since the file name rotates each month.
- Bidder pre-registration is a separate subdomain form at claytoncountyforms.claytoncountyga.gov, and it is the only county page that states the sale venue, start time, ID requirement, and accepted payment methods.
- The county site sits behind a Sucuri JavaScript challenge, so plain fetches return a 307 interstitial. Any future re-verification needs a client that solves the challenge cookie.
- Excess funds material is posted on the same Public Access page (Excess Funds Listing PDF and an Official Claim for Excess Funds form), useful for the post-sale overage angle.
Georgia statewide rules
- Redemption
- The right to redeem runs for 12 months from the date of the sale and does not end there. It continues after the year until the tax deed purchaser forecloses it by serving and publishing the statutory barment notice, which cannot be started until 12 months have passed. The purchaser delivers the notice to the sheriff at least 45 days before the redemption deadline named in it, and publishes it once a week for four consecutive weeks in the six months immediately before that deadline. Redemption puts title back in the defendant in fi. fa. subject to the liens that existed at the sale, and the purchaser must execute and record a quitclaim deed. Title under a tax deed recorded on or after July 1, 1996 ripens by prescription four years after recording. Judicial in rem foreclosures under Article 5 run on a different clock: the owner has 60 days after the sale to redeem by paying the minimum bid price into the superior court.
- Deed deposit
- Georgia sets no statewide percentage deposit. A purchaser at a judicial sale may tender cash or a cashier's or certified check drawn for the purchase price and issued or certified by a federally insured financial institution. Counties publish their own payment terms, and many require payment in full at the close of the sale, so confirm the terms with the tax commissioner before bidding.
- Surplus proceeds
- Excess funds left after taxes, costs, and the expenses of the sale belong to the former owner and to recorded lienholders in order of priority. The officer who sold the property must mail notice of the excess funds by first-class mail within 30 days to the record owner at the time of the sale, to the holder of each security deed, and to every other party with a recorded equity interest or claim, and may file an interpleader action in superior court. Funds still unclaimed five years after the sale are paid over to the Georgia Department of Revenue, after which only a court order from an interpleader action releases 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 Clayton County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Clayton County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Clayton 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.
Explore all 159 Georgia counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.