Fayette County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Fayette County, seat of Fayetteville: 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 Fayette County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Fayette County Tax Commissioner
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No date is currently posted. The Tax Commissioner states: "THE DATE FOR THE NEXT TAX SALE WILL BE ANNOUNCED ONCE IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED." The standing schedule reads: "On the first TUESDAY (date not yet set), between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (subject to change), we hold our tax sale on the steps of the Fayette County Courthouse (Fayette County Justice Center). If the first Tuesday of the month falls on a legal holiday, the sale is held the next day, Wednesday." Unsold parcels are re-auctioned at 2 p.m. the same day at the courthouse.
Registration and deposit
No advance online registration is published. Bidding happens live at the sale, which "will be conducted in the manner of a public auction with the parcels sold in the order as indicated in the advertisement," and bidders are told to "make your bid known loud and clear or it may not be recognized." The property goes to the highest and best bidder. At the time of the sale the purchaser must show proof of identification such as a driver's license, and is issued a property purchase form (bill of sale) identifying the property bought. The opening bid is the tax due plus penalties, interest, Fi.Fa. cost, levy cost, administrative levy fee, certified mail cost, and advertising cost. Payment is due in full at the conclusion of the sale (the procedures sheet states "within one hour of the sale") in cash, certified check, cashier's check, or money order; the procedures sheet limits checks to a cashier's or certified check issued by a financial institution insured with FDIC or FSLIC. Purchasers also sign a statement attesting to the property purchased and the price, and pay recording fees due to the Clerk of Superior Court.
Fayette County runs an IN-PERSON, non-judicial redeemable tax deed sale on the steps of the Fayette County Courthouse (Fayette County Justice Center) in Fayetteville. There is no online auction platform: the Tax Commissioner's site names no bidding vendor, and the only online system linked (Government Window) is a tax search and payment portal, not an auction. The Tax Commissioner posts the tax sale list on the Tax Sales page as a downloadable Word file; at the time of research the page said the 2026 list "will be available starting (date not yet set)" and only a "2025 Tax Sale List of Sold Properties" file plus a Non-Judicial Booklet and a Tax Sale Procedures PDF were linked. The office cites O.C.G.A. 9-13-160, 9-13-161, 9-13-166, 48-2-55, 48-4-1 through 48-4-6, and 48-4-20 and sends post-sale certified-mail notice to the owner, mortgage company, IRS, and State of Georgia. The Tax Commissioner executes and records the tax deed, which is not a warranty deed. The purchaser does not take possession at the sale: the record holder or defendant in fi. fa. keeps possession and may redeem for no less than 12 months after the sale date, and the purchaser must wait until one year and one day from the sale to begin the barment process foreclosing the right of redemption. Parcels drawing no bid may be "knocked off" to the county. The office calls this a buyer beware sale with no guarantees expressed or implied and advises against buying sight unseen.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Fayette County Tax Commissioner (Kristie King)
140 W. Stonewall Avenue, Suite 110 (Property Tax and Mobile Homes), Fayetteville, GA 30214. Mailing address: P.O. Box 70, Fayetteville, GA 30214
Official websiteNotes for Fayette County
- Fayette County sells in person on the courthouse steps at the Fayette County Justice Center. There is no online bidding platform.
- The next sale date is not yet published. The Tax Commissioner posts it, and the downloadable tax sale list, on the Tax Sales page at fayettecountypay.com/tax-sales.html.
- Payment is due in full at the close of the sale in cash, certified check, cashier's check, or money order, and the buyer also pays Superior Court recording fees for the tax deed.
- Any parcel that draws no bid is re-auctioned at 2 p.m. the same day; still-unsold parcels may be knocked off to the county and may reappear at the following year's sale.
- The purchaser gets a redeemable tax deed, not possession. Redemption runs at least 12 months, and barment of the right to redeem cannot start until one year and one day after the sale.
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 Fayette County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Fayette County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Fayette 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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