Dawson County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Dawson County, seat of Dawsonville: 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 Dawson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Dawson County Tax Commissioner (Nicole Stewart Brooksher), who also serves as Sheriff Ex-Officio
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annually on the first Tuesday in May. The Tax Commissioner's own Excess Tax Sale Funds List records sale dates of 5/3/2022, 5/2/2023, 5/7/2024, 5/6/2025 and 5/5/2026, each the first Tuesday of May, consistent with the Georgia first-Tuesday sale rule. No sale is scheduled right now: the office's posted Tax Sale List reads in full "No Tax Sale at this time."
- Sale list
- Tax Sale List
Registration and deposit
Bidders register in person at the auction using the Tax Commissioner's Tax Sale Registration Form. The form directs bidders to "PLEASE PROVIDE A COPY OF THE DRIVER LICENSE FOR THE BIDDER AT THE AUCTION" and collects bidder name, address, telephone, driver license number and state, plus the exact name and address to be placed on the deed. "Bidder numbers will be assigned sequentially upon registration. Raise your numbered card to bid." The bidder signs a promissory clause agreeing to pay "in certified funds only (cash, cashier's check, or money order), the full amount of any, and all winning high bids ... immediately upon the conclusion of the auction or as otherwise directed by the auction official," and remains personally liable for the bid plus interest, collection costs and attorney fees on non-payment. The office also publishes a short "Unable to Bid in Dawson County Tax Sales" list naming individuals barred from bidding.
Dawson County runs a live, in-person redeemable tax deed sale with no online auction platform. Bidding is by raised numbered card after in-person registration, and winning bids are payable in certified funds immediately at the close of the auction. The Tax Commissioner's Links page is the tax sale hub, carrying four documents: Tax Sale List, Bidder's Registration Form, Unable to Bid in Dawson County Tax Sales, and Excess Funds List. The registration form spells out the redeemable-deed mechanics for buyers: "If you are the successful bidder, the property will be transferred into your name via a Sheriff's Deed. You become responsible for future taxes. For the first year and one day you are not allowed to access the property. You must foreclose on the prior owner(s) right to redeem the property and quiet the title." That matches O.C.G.A. Title 48 Chapter 4 Article 3. Delinquency runs to sale through the county's own timeline: county tax bills are due December 1, interest accrues monthly, a 5 percent penalty is added every 120 days up to 20 percent along with a fi. fa. filed against the property, and per the office, "If the tax bills remain unpaid after becoming 90 days delinquent, the Tax Commissioner's Office has the right and responsibility to levy on the property for non-payment and may begin tax sale proceedings." Excess funds from Dawson County tax sales are held by Weissman Attorneys at Law rather than the county, and claimants are directed to contact [email protected]. Confirm the current year's sale date and parcel list with the Tax Commissioner's Office at (706) 344-3520 before planning to bid, since the county posts a sale list only when a sale is pending.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Dawson County
- Sale is conducted in person. Dawson County uses no online auction platform such as GovEase, RealAuction or Bid4Assets.
- Timing is derived from the county's own official record of completed sales rather than from a standing published schedule. The Excess Tax Sale Funds List shows five consecutive years of sales on the first Tuesday in May: 5/3/2022, 5/2/2023, 5/7/2024, 5/6/2025 and 5/5/2026.
- As of the most recent check the posted Tax Sale List PDF contains only the words "No Tax Sale at this time," so no sale is currently scheduled.
- Nicole Stewart Brooksher is listed as "Dawson County Tax Commissioner / Sheriff Ex-Officio," and Chief Deputy Tax Commissioner Amanda Jarrett is listed as "Deputy Ex-Officio," confirming the office levies and cries the sale itself rather than the Sheriff's Office.
- The office employs a dedicated Delinquent Tax Specialist (Sarah Griggs) for tax sale and delinquency questions.
- Payment at the sale is certified funds only: cash, cashier's check or money order, due immediately at the close of the auction.
- Successful bidders receive a Sheriff's Deed and cannot access the property for one year and one day. Barment of the right to redeem and a quiet title action are required to obtain marketable title.
- Excess funds are not held by the county. They sit with Weissman Attorneys at Law, contact [email protected].
- The office is at 25 Justice Way, Suite 1222, inside the courthouse in downtown Dawsonville. Posted hours differ slightly between pages: the Contact page lists Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. while the county department page and the site's news banner list 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- The county's main government site (dawsoncountyga.gov) has no dedicated tax sale page. A site search returns only tax information, exemption, estimator and assessor pages, so the Tax Commissioner's own site is the authoritative sale source.
- Property value questions go to the Dawson County Tax Assessor's Office at (706) 344-3590, a separate office from the Tax Commissioner.
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 Dawson County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Dawson County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Dawson 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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