Harris County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Harris County, seat of Hamilton: 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 Harris County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Harris County Tax Commissioner
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No Harris County sale calendar or sale date is published on the Tax Commissioner website or the county website. The office FAQ states only that "If the property taxes remain unpaid, the Tax Commissioner has the right and responsibility to levy on the property for non-payment." Georgia levy sales run on the first Tuesday of the month under O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4, Article 1, but Harris County publishes no month or date online. Call the office at (706) 628-4843 to confirm whether a sale is scheduled.
Registration and deposit
No registration process is published online. The Tax Commissioner site has no tax sale, bidder registration, or excess funds section. Contact the office at (706) 628-4843 for bidder requirements and payment terms.
Harris County does not maintain a tax sale page. Searches of the Tax Commissioner site (Home, General Information, Property, FAQ, Quick Links, News) and the full county website page and post sitemaps returned no tax sale notice, no sale list, no excess funds list, and no online auction platform. Because no online bidding platform is advertised anywhere on the official sites, treat this as an in-person courthouse-steps sale conducted by the Tax Commissioner unless the office says otherwise. The county levies real and business personal property taxes due December 20 each year; the FAQ describes 1% per month interest plus a 10% penalty on taxes unpaid within 90 days, then levy. Georgia sells a redeemable deed: the owner may redeem for 12 months at a 20% premium, plus 10% for each additional year, until the purchaser bars the right of redemption under O.C.G.A. 48-4-45 and 48-4-46. Verify every figure with the office before bidding.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Harris County Tax Commissioner
102 North College Street, Hamilton, GA 31811 (mailing: P.O. Box 152, Hamilton, GA 31811)
Official websiteNotes for Harris County
- Wanda Elliott Bates serves as Tax Commissioner. Property tax phone is (706) 628-4843; the motor vehicle line, listed on the county department page, is (706) 628-5399.
- The office sits in the Harris County Courthouse at 102 North College Street in Hamilton, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Real and business personal property bills are mailed in October and are due December 20. Mobile home bills are mailed in January and are due April 1.
- The FAQ states interest of 1% per month after the due date and a 10% penalty on taxes unpaid within 90 days, then levy by the Tax Commissioner. The Property page instead cites O.C.G.A. 48-2-40 and 48-2-44 for interest and penalties, so confirm current amounts directly with the office.
- No sale list, excess funds list, or online auction platform appears on any official Harris County page. Buyers should call the Tax Commissioner and check the county legal organ for advertised levy sales.
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 Harris County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Harris County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Harris 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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