Jones County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Jones County, seat of Gray: 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 Jones County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Jones County Tax Commissioner
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- About once a year, with no fixed calendar month published. The Tax Commissioner's home page states: "Our last delinquent tax sale was November 05, 2024. We customarily do one sale annually. NO sale is scheduled at this time but a late spring 2026 date is anticipated." Parcels are sold as advertised, and the procedures add that "If the tax sale is not completed by 4:00pm on the first day of sale, the sale will resume at 10:00am the following day."
- Sale list
- Tax Sales page (Tax Commissioner)
Registration and deposit
No online pre-registration portal is published. The county's Tax Sale Procedures state the sale runs "in the manner of a public auction with the parcels sold as indicated in the advertisement," the property "will go to the highest and best bidder," and "The opening bid will be equal to the amount of taxes due plus costs." Winning bidders must pay "on the sale date, before 3pm, at the office of the Jones County Tax Commissioner, 166 Industrial Blvd, Gray, GA 31032," with a completed sale sheet, using "cash or cashiers or certified check issued or certified by a financial institution which is insured with the FDIC or FSLIC." A defaulting high bidder's parcel "may be resold at 4pm at the courthouse, and the first bidder will be held responsible for any deficiency arising." Purchasers must give the Tax Commissioner a current mailing address "upon sale registration or tender of payment." Call 478-986-6538 to confirm requirements before a sale.
Jones County runs a traditional in-person redeemable tax deed sale conducted by the Tax Commissioner, not an online auction. No auction platform is used, so there is no platform URL. The Tax Commissioner's Tax Sales page exists but currently carries only the "Tax Sale" heading with no parcel list, consistent with the home-page notice that no sale is scheduled. Sale parcels are published by advertisement. After the sale, "Property purchasers will have a tax sale deed filed by the Tax Commissioner's Office," and the procedures confirm the redeemable structure: "The property owner has a minimum of 12 months in which to redeem the property from the high bidder." Mobile home buyers apply for a title ($18.00) at the time of payment. If no one bids above the opening bid, "the property may be 'knocked off' to the county for the minimum purchase price," and county bidding is optional. Once a sale closes, a parcel "WILL NOT be sold until the next advertised sale." Excess funds and the county's excess funds policy are posted on the Tax Commissioner's site.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
166 Industrial Blvd., Gray, GA 31032 (mailing: Jones County Tax Commissioner, PO Box 417, Gray, GA 31030)
Official websiteNotes for Jones County
- Tax Commissioner is Brian Jackson; office hours are 8:00am to 4:45pm and the fax is 478-986-4206 (Contact page).
- The Tax Commissioner's site is hosted on Government Window; the Search & Pay Taxes portal at jonescountyga.governmentwindow.com is for paying current bills, not for bidding at tax sales.
- The 2024 sale date of November 5, 2024 fell on the first Tuesday of that month, matching the O.C.G.A. Title 48 first-Tuesday sale day, but the county does not publish a standing month.
- Delinquency path per the county FAQ: 1% monthly interest after December 1, a 10% penalty on taxes unpaid 90 days past the deadline, a tax fi. fa. recorded with the Clerk of Superior Court after 90 days, then levy and sale.
- The Jones County Board of Tax Assessors (478-986-6300) handles values; parcel research is at qpublic.net/ga/jones.
- Because no sale is currently scheduled, investors should call the Tax Commissioner or watch the Tax Sales page and the county legal organ advertisement for the next sale list.
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 Jones County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jones County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Jones 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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