Early County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Early County, seat of Blakely: 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 Early County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Early County Tax Commissioner (Ann Harrell, Tax Commissioner, acting as Ex-Officio Sheriff)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Statutory first-Tuesday sale, held in person during the legal hours of sale. The most recent published levy notice reads: "There will be sold for cash or certified funds at public outcry, at 202 Court Square (Old Theatre), Blakely, Early County, Georgia, between the legal hours of sale, on the first Tuesday in October 2025, the same being October 7, 2025" and "The following property will be sold between the legal hours of sale, 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M." Early County does not sell every month. The prior notice on file used the same first-Tuesday-in-October slot: "in the Early County Theatre, at 202 Court Square, Blakely, Early County, Georgia, between the legal hours of sale, on the first Tuesday in October 2020, the same being October 6, 2020."
Registration and deposit
No online pre-registration or bidder-registration portal is published by the office. Bidders attend in person and bid by outcry. The notice states the sale is "for cash or certified funds" and that "At the discretion of the Tax Commissioner's office, payment will be required within two (2) hours after the completion of the tax sale." If a bid is not properly paid, "the property shall be re-offered at 2:00 PM on the day of the sale, or the following day." The buyer also pays "for title, all transfer cost, all taxes, advertising cost and recording fees." Confirm bidder requirements with the Tax Commissioner at (229) 723-4024 before the sale date.
Early County runs an in-person redeemable tax deed sale. There is no online auction platform, so no platform URL is listed. The Tax Commissioner levies under tax Fi.Fa.s and cries the sale as Ex-Officio Sheriff at the Early County Theatre, 202 Court Square, Blakely, not on the courthouse steps. The office website hosts a Tax Sales page, but it carried no posted sale list when checked in July 2026, so the parcel list is published in the newspaper: the office states that "The four weeks prior to the sale your property will be advertised in the local newspaper with additional advertising cost added." Early County News is the county's official legal organ and is where the levy notices appear. Delinquent accounts are turned over to Delinquent Tax Services, Inc. (DTSi) for levy preparation, with "admin/levy fees up to $215.00 plus" added, and a Fi.Fa. is filed in the Clerk of Courts office 30 days from the date on the delinquent notice. The notice confirms the redeemable-deed character of the sale: "This is a buyer beware sale and all property will be sold as is. The Tax Commissioner makes no warranty, neither expressed nor implied, as to title... Properties are sold under the power of a tax sale deed with specific rights of redemption." In person, public outcry (no online auction platform)
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Early County
- Ann Harrell is the elected Tax Commissioner and signs the tax sale notices as Ex-Officio Sheriff, so one office handles both the levy and the sale.
- The sale venue is the Early County Theatre at 202 Court Square in Blakely, a short walk from the Tax Commissioner's office at 111 Court Square, Suite E.
- Bring cash or certified funds. Payment can be demanded within two hours of the close of the sale, and an unpaid bid sends the parcel back for re-offer at 2:00 PM the same day or the next day.
- Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the phone line may close early to allow a 4:00 PM closing.
- Property values and parcel data come from the Early County Board of Tax Assessors at (229) 723-3088, and the county's assessor mapping is hosted on qPublic.
- Property taxes are due December 20 each year. Interest accrues on the 16th of each month at prime plus 3 percent divided by 12, with a 5 percent penalty after 120 days and every 120 days after that, capped at 20 percent.
- Watch the Early County News public notices section in the four weeks before a sale. That is where the parcel list, land lot descriptions, and deed book references are published.
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 Early County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Early County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Early 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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