Jefferson County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Jefferson County, seat of Louisville: 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 Jefferson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Jefferson County Tax Commissioner (Nancy W. McGraw)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday in March, between the legal hours of sale of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, at the courthouse door in Louisville. The Tax Commissioner's Tax Sales page states: "All tax sales are held at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Louisville, Georgia at 10:00am." The March 2026 advertisement reads: "They will be sold for cash or certified funds at public outcry, before the Courthouse door in Louisville, Jefferson County, Georgia, between the legal hours of sale, on the first Tuesday in March 2026, the same being March 3rd, 2026, and continuing on March 4th, 2026, if necessary, between the legal hours of sale, 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM." The prior year's notice used the same month and hours: "on the first Tuesday in March, 2025, the same being March 4th, 2025, and continuing on March 5th, 2025, if necessary." The county publishes no forward calendar, so confirm the current year's date with the office.
Registration and deposit
No online registration and no online bidding. Bidding is live public outcry at the courthouse door. The advertisement requires payment in "cash or certified funds" and adds that "Purchaser shall pay for title, all transfer costs, all taxes, advertising costs and recording fees." No bidder registration form, deposit rule or bidder packet appears on any official county page, so call the Tax Commissioner at (478) 625-7736 before the sale to confirm what the office requires.
Jefferson County runs its redeemable tax deed sale IN PERSON, not online. No online auction platform appears on any official county source. The only Government Window link on the Tax Commissioner site is a property tax payment portal at jeffersoncountyga.governmentwindow.com, which is a payment site and not an auction site, so no platform_url is reported. Sales are cried at public outcry before the courthouse door in Louisville under tax fi. fa.s issued by the Tax Commissioner: "Under and by virtue of certain tax Fi. Fa.'s issued by the Tax Commissioner of Jefferson County, Georgia, in favor of the State of Georgia and County of Jefferson County." The county has used the first Tuesday in March in consecutive years (March 4, 2025 and March 3, 2026), and the notice reserves the next day if the sale does not finish. The March 2026 list runs 35 pages and gives each parcel's map and parcel number, defendant in fi. fa., current record holder and address, amount due, tax years due, deed book reference and legal description. Amounts due are small, frequently under $1,500 on one to a few acres of rural land, which fits the county's land-heavy digest. The list is posted as a Word document, and the direct link at the time of research was the March 2026 legal ad file under /resources/sites/jeffersoncountyga/docs/. Deeds sold carry the Georgia 12 month right of redemption at a 20 percent premium under O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4, Article 3.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Jefferson County
- Nancy W. McGraw is the elected Tax Commissioner and Sherie Johnson is Deputy Tax Commissioner. Office email is [email protected], fax is (478) 625-4024, and posted hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
- The office lists two addresses. The county website gives a mailing address of P.O. Box 426, Louisville, GA 30434, while the Tax Commissioner's own site gives the main office at 736 Peachtree Street, Louisville, GA 30434. Both reach the same office.
- The Jefferson County Clerk of Superior Court, where tax executions and tax deeds are recorded, is at 202 E Broad Street, Louisville, GA 30434, mailing P.O. Box 151, phone 478-625-7922.
- The Tax Sales page publishes only the sale location, the 10:00am start and the current Tax Sale List. It carries no bidder registration, deposit, redemption or excess funds instructions. The General Information and FAQ pages cover billing, exemptions and appeals, and confirm only that if taxes stay unpaid "the tax commissioner has the right and responsibility to levy on the property for non-payment."
- No excess funds list is published on any official Jefferson County page, so post-sale surplus claims have to go through the Tax Commissioner directly.
- The Tax Commissioner site links out to the county's qPublic property record search and to the Government Window payment portal for tax bill lookup and payment. Neither is an auction platform.
- Real estate and business personal property taxes are normally due November 15 and mobile or modular homes are due April 1, which sets the delinquency clock feeding the following spring's 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 Jefferson County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jefferson County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Jefferson 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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