Houston County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Houston County, seat of Perry: 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 Houston County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Houston County Tax Commissioner (Mark Kushinka, Tax Commissioner)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Tax Commissioner announces a single upcoming sale date rather than a standing monthly calendar. As of July 2026 the page states: "Our next tax sale will be August 4, 2026 in the State Court Jury Assembly Room at 201 Perry Parkway in Perry, Georgia." August 4, 2026 is the first Tuesday of the month, matching Georgia's first-Tuesday sale schedule. On bidding time the page says: "We usually start the bidding between 10:30 - 11:00am." The property list is posted only after advertising begins: "Files will be available once advertising starts."
- Sale list
- August 2026 Tax Sale List (PDF)
Registration and deposit
Paper bidder registration, submitted in advance by mail. The page states: "You can register in 2026 for the sale by printing the Bidder's Registration PDF document, filling out the required information and mailing back to our office with a color copy of your drivers license. This will only be required once a year unless changes are needed to the form." A hard cutoff applies on sale day: "Note: The Bidder Registration Form is required before bidding at the tax sale. It must be turned in by 10:00 am the day of the sale. NO REGISTRATION FORMS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS TIME. NO EXCEPTIONS!" Bidders must be 18 or older, and a color copy of the driver's license is required. The 2026 form directs registrations to: Houston County Tax Commissioner, 201 Perry Parkway, Perry, GA 31069.
Houston County conducts its redeemable tax deed sale in person. No online auction platform is used, so there is no bidding portal to register with. The sale is held indoors in the State Court Jury Assembly Room at 201 Perry Parkway in Perry, the county seat, rather than outside on the courthouse steps. Bidders should note the sale-day rule quoted on the page: "YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OR OLDER TO BID AND CELL PHONES MUST BE TURNED OFF UPSTAIRS IN THE COURTHOUSE PER ORDER OF THE COURTS." The published list PDF is headed "HOUSTON AUGUST TAX SALE LIST" and was updated 7/22/2026; it carries file number, real key number, parcel number, years owed, owner name, property description, and situs address. Government Window, LLC hosts the Tax Commissioner's website and online tax payments. It is a web and payment vendor, not an auction platform, and it does not run the tax sale. Excess funds from prior sales are handled by the same office: "Excess Funds Requests from Tax Sales are now available for Owner(Defendant In FIFA) or Lienholders(Interest holders). No Emails will be accepted. Must be original documents." Confirm the date, time, and list directly with the Tax Commissioner before bidding, since the county posts one sale at a time.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Houston County Tax Commissioner
(478) 542-2110 (Warner Robins main office); (478) 218-4940 (Perry office)
202 Carl Vinson Pkwy, Warner Robins, GA 31088 (main office); 201 Perry Pkwy, Perry, GA 31069 (Perry office, where bidder registrations are mailed and the sale is held)
Official websiteNotes for Houston County
- Sale format is in person. The Tax Commissioner posts no online auction platform, so bidders must attend at 201 Perry Parkway in Perry.
- The sale room is the State Court Jury Assembly Room at 201 Perry Parkway, Perry, Georgia, not the outdoor courthouse steps.
- Bidding usually opens between 10:30 and 11:00 am per the Tax Commissioner's Tax Sales page.
- Bidder registration must be mailed in ahead of time with a color copy of a driver's license, and it must be in hand by 10:00 am on sale day. The page states no forms are accepted after that time, with no exceptions.
- Registration is good for one calendar year unless the bidder's information changes.
- Bidders must be 18 or older. Cell phones must be off upstairs in the courthouse by order of the courts.
- The sale list is released only after legal advertising starts. The current PDF is titled "HOUSTON AUGUST TAX SALE LIST" and was updated 7/22/2026.
- Excess funds claims are accepted from the owner (defendant in fi. fa.) or lienholders, using the office's own forms. Original documents only, no email submissions.
- Government Window, LLC provides the Tax Commissioner's website and online payment portal. It is not the auction platform.
- The Tax Commissioner's official site is houstoncountytax.com. The county government site houstoncountyga.org now redirects to houstoncountyga.gov.
- The county FAQ confirms the collection path into a sale: if property taxes remain unpaid, the Tax Commissioner has the right and responsibility to levy on the property for non-payment.
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 Houston County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Houston County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Houston 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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