Long County, GA tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •No tax sale is scheduled. The Tax Commissioner's News page carries the sale announcements and reads "No Tax Sales events are currently planned," so treat Long County as an opportunistic, watch-the-page market rather than a fixed annual sale.
• •There is no online bidding platform. Neither the Tax Commissioner site nor the county site names GovEase, Bid4Assets, RealAuction or any other vendor, so expect an in-person courthouse sale in Ludowici when one is advertised.
• •The county's legal organ is The Tattnall Journal, per the Board of Commissioners' Public Notices page. The county's Legal Notices page posts notices for reference only and states that only notices published in the legal organ are official under O.C.G.A. 9-13-140 et seq., so the newspaper is the authoritative place a Long County levy and sale advertisement would appear.
• •The office is small: Becky S. Fowler is Tax Commissioner, with Lindsey Dinkins as Deputy Tax Commissioner. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed most major holidays. Email is longcountytax@gmail.com and the fax is 912-545-2023.
• •Property tax bills and payments are on the portal at https://longproperty.assurancegov.com/Property/Search. The Tax Commissioner site says its old taxpayer search and pay tab can no longer be used.
• •For values and parcel research, the Board of Tax Assessors is a separate office at 912-545-9111.
• •Bill due dates on the office site are inconsistent: the FAQ says real estate and business personal property taxes are due December 22, while the home page posts "Long County Real Estate Taxes: May 12, 2026" and a mobile home due date extended to June 1, 2026. Confirm the current year's due date with the office, since delinquency timing drives when levies are possible.

Georgia 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.O.C.G.A. 48-4-40, who may redeem and when (2024 Code of Georgia)O.C.G.A. 48-4-40Verified Jul 30, 2026

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.O.C.G.A. 48-4-1, Procedures for sales under tax levies and executions (2024 Code of Georgia)O.C.G.A. 48-4-1Verified Jul 30, 2026

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.O.C.G.A. 48-4-5, Payment of excess (2024 Code of Georgia)O.C.G.A. 48-4-5Verified Jul 30, 2026

Governing statute

O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4Official Code of Georgia Annotated, public access published for the Georgia General Assembly by the Georgia Code Revision CommissionO.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4Verified Jul 25, 2026

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.

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