Douglas County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Douglas County, seat of Douglasville: 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 Douglas County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Douglas County Tax Commissioner (Office of the Tax Commissioner), acting as Levying Officer and Ex-Officio Sheriff
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month, 10:00 a.m., only when a sale is scheduled. The Delinquent Tax FAQs state: "When a tax sale is scheduled, it will be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m." The office booklet adds: "Tax sales (when held) occur on the first Tuesday of the month between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm at the Courthouse. In the event that the first Tuesday of the month falls on a legal holiday, the sale may be held on the following day (Wed.)." The most recent published legal advertisement reads: "on the first Tuesday in June, 2026, the same being June 2, 2026, and continuing on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, if necessary, between the legal hours of sale, 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM."
Registration and deposit
No online bidder registration and no pre-registration requirement is published by the office. Bidding is in person by public outcry on the sale date. The booklet states the opening bid "will include all applicable taxes, penalties and costs" and that "Bidding on a piece of property is a binding agreement between the Levying Authority and the bidder/purchaser. Once the Levy Officer recognizes a bid, it is then considered an official bid (and a binding agreement)." Payment: "The time to remit payment will be determined the day of the sale. The form of payment must be cash, money order or certified check." The advertisement says property is "sold for cash or certified funds at public outcry" and that the "Purchaser shall pay for title, all transfer cost, all taxes, advertising cost and recording fees." The winning bidder signs a statement attesting to the purchase, and the mailing address given at purchase is used for the deed and future tax notices.
IN PERSON SALE. Douglas County does not use an online auction platform. The sale is a live public outcry auction. The Delinquent Taxes & Sales page states the auction is "held on the front steps of the Douglas County Government Annex Building located at: 6200 Fairburn RD, Douglasville GA 30134"; the legal advertisement gives the sale site as the Tax Commissioner's Office "located at 6200 Fairburn Road in Douglasville, Douglas County, Georgia," and the booklet refers to the Courthouse. Sales are not held every month; they occur only when scheduled, and "The list of available properties will be available on our website 30 days prior to the tax sale." Properties are advertised four consecutive weeks in the county legal organ, with a 10 day certified mail notice to the owner. Buyers receive a Sheriff's Tax Deed, which the office describes as "not a fee simple deed" conveying only "defeasible title"; the Levy Officer executes and records it within 30 days and "reserves the right to VOID any tax sale purchase within 30 days," with a full refund of the bid. Redemption follows O.C.G.A. Sec. 48-4-42 as restated by the office: the redeemer pays the tax sale price, plus taxes paid after the sale, plus any special assessment, plus "a twenty (20) percent premium for the first year or fraction of a year, and a ten (10) percent premium of the amount for each additional year or fraction of a year." Redemption runs for twelve months after the sale, during which the purchaser cannot take possession, collect rents, or improve the property; after twelve months the purchaser may bar or foreclose the right of redemption. Unsold parcels are treated as a "No Bid" and may be re-offered the same day at the Levy Officer's discretion. Separate lists: the monthly delinquent tax list is at https://www.douglastax.org/delinquent-tax-list (July 2026 edition, PDF at /pdf/2026/07/July-Delinquent.pdf) and an excess funds list is at https://www.douglastax.org/excess_funds_list (linked from the office site, not independently fetched).
County offices
Notes for Douglas County
- Sale is in person on the first Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. when scheduled, on the front steps of the Douglas County Government Annex Building, 6200 Fairburn Rd, Douglasville. No online auction platform.
- Sales are irregular, not monthly. The property list is posted to douglastax.org 30 days before each sale; the most recent advertised sale was June 2, 2026, continuing June 3 if needed.
- Payment is due the day of the sale in cash, certified check, or money order, with the exact remittance time set that day. The purchaser also pays title, transfer, advertising, and recording costs.
- Buyer receives a Sheriff's Tax Deed conveying defeasible title only. The Levy Officer reserves the right to void a purchase within 30 days with a full refund of the bid.
- Redemption is 12 months at a 20 percent premium for the first year or fraction, plus 10 percent for each added year or fraction, per O.C.G.A. Sec. 48-4-42 as restated by the office. No possession, rents, or improvements during the redemption period.
- Office contact confirmed on the Tax Commissioner site footer: (770) 920-7272, fax (678) 449-3932, hours Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- The county's official site (douglascountyga.gov) routes its Tax Commissioner's Office entry to douglastax.org, confirming douglastax.org is the official office site.
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 Douglas County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Douglas County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Douglas 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.