Forsyth County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Forsyth County, seat of Cumming: 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 Forsyth County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Forsyth County Tax Commissioner (David D. Hicks), who also serves as Ex-Officio Sheriff of Forsyth County
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month at 10:00am, held only as needed. The Tax Commissioner brochure states: "Tax sales are conducted the first Tuesday of the month (as needed) at 10:00am on the steps of the Forsyth County Courthouse. In the event that the first Tuesday of the month falls on a legal holiday, the sale is held the following day (Wed.) at 10:00am." The Tax Sales page adds: "Tax Sales are held on the first Tuesday of the month" and "Our office coordinates tax sales on an 'as needed' basis." As of July 2026 the Delinquent Tax Sale page states: "All tax sales scheduled for 2026 have been completed. No additional tax sales will be held during the remainder of 2026."
Registration and deposit
No online or advance bidder registration is published. The sale is open to the public and bidders attend in person. The Tax Commissioner requires payment in full at the conclusion of the sale in cash, certified check, or money order, and requires the purchaser to sign a statement attesting that the property was purchased for the bid price. Bidding opens at the amount of tax due plus penalties, interest, Fi.Fa. costs, levy costs, administrative levy fees, certified mail costs, advertising costs, and tax deed recording fees, and the property goes to the highest bidder. If no bid meets the amount due, the Tax Commissioner may bid the minimum on behalf of the county.
Forsyth County runs a redeemable tax deed sale in person, not on an online auction platform. Sales are cried on the courthouse steps in Cumming and are scheduled only as needed, so months can pass with no sale. The county does not post a downloadable bidder list. Properties are advertised for four consecutive weeks before the sale in The Forsyth County News, the county legal organ, and the Tax Commissioner mails the owner a written notice by certified mail at least 10 days before the sale. The Tax Commissioner records the tax deed and Real Estate Transfer Tax form with the Clerk of Superior Court within 30 days after the sale. The brochure confirms the Georgia redeemable structure: a tax deed conveys defeasible title only, the owner has 12 months to redeem at the purchase price plus a 20 percent premium, with an additional 10 percent premium for redemption beyond the first 12 months, and the purchaser must foreclose the right to redeem or let title ripen by prescription to reach fee simple. Excess funds from past sales are listed online and claims must be in writing, signed, and notarized. In person, live outcry on the Forsyth County Courthouse steps in Cumming
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Forsyth County
- Forsyth County's tax sale is in person on the courthouse steps in Cumming. There is no online auction platform, so no platform URL is recorded.
- Sales run on an as-needed basis. The Tax Commissioner's Delinquent Tax Sale page carried a notice as of July 2026 that all 2026 sales were completed and none remained for the year, so investors should watch that page for the next announcement.
- Two official pages disagree on the newspaper edition carrying the advertisements. The Tax Sales page says the listings appear in the Tuesday edition of The Forsyth County News, while the Tax Sale Information Brochure says the Wednesday edition. Both agree on four consecutive weeks of advertising in that paper.
- The Tax Commissioner serves as Ex-Officio Sheriff and appoints Ex-Officio Deputy Sheriffs to levy and sell, so the deed issued after the sale is styled a Sheriff's Deed prepared by the Tax Commissioner's office.
- Payment is due in full immediately at the close of the sale in cash, certified check, or money order. There is no deposit-and-settle window.
- O.C.G.A. 9-13-170 applies to defaulting bidders. The Tax Commissioner may pursue the purchaser for the full purchase money or resell and pursue the first purchaser for any deficiency.
- The web search budget for this session was exhausted, so all research was done by direct fetches of forsythcountytax.com, the Tax Commissioner's official site, which is linked from the county homepage at forsythco.com.
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 Forsyth County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Forsyth County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Forsyth 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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