McDuffie County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in McDuffie County, seat of Thomson: 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 McDuffie County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- McDuffie County Tax Commissioner
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the sale month, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The county's most recent published notice reads: "They will be sold for cash or certified funds at public outcry, in the Board of Commissioners Meeting Room at the Administration Building in Thomson, McDuffie County, Georgia, between the legal hours of sale, on the first Tuesday in August, 2025, the same being August 5th, 2025, and continuing on August 6th, 2025, if necessary between the legal hours of sale, 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM." McDuffie does not run a sale every month; it advertises a sale only when levies are ready, and the list is republished weekly during the advertising run.
Registration and deposit
No online bidder registration and no published pre-registration form. Bidding is live, in person, at public outcry in the Board of Commissioners Meeting Room at the Administration Building in Thomson. The Tax Commissioner's notice states properties are "sold for cash or certified funds" and that "Purchaser shall pay for title, all transfer costs, all taxes, advertising costs and recording fees." The payment portal instructs: "You need to contact the office to get current payoff for paying delinquent taxes at 706-595-2132." Call that number to confirm the next sale date and day-of procedure.
The sale is IN PERSON, not online. There is no auction platform and no online bidding vendor. Sales are levied under tax fi. fa.s issued by the Tax Commissioner and cried at public outcry in the Board of Commissioners Meeting Room at the Administration Building in Thomson, GA, on the first Tuesday of the month between the legal hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, continuing to the next day if needed. What is sold is a redeemable tax deed under O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4, so the owner keeps a 12 month right of redemption at the statutory premium. The county has no standing tax sale landing page; the Tax Commissioner posts the notice and the parcel list as PDFs in the Document Center Tax Commissioner folder, republished weekly while the sale is advertised (July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28 and August 4, 2025 versions were all posted for the August 5, 2025 sale). Parcels are struck from the list as owners pay, so check the newest PDF before bidding. The same folder holds the Excess Funds List, last updated June 18, 2026. As of this research date no 2026 sale notice was posted on the county site.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for McDuffie County
- Tax Commissioner is Stacey W. Thomas, who signs the delinquent property tax sale notices.
- The county and the City of Thomson share a website and a main line at 706-595-1781; the Tax Commissioner's direct line is 706-595-2132 per the county's own department directory.
- A fi. fa. (tax lien) is filed with the Clerk of Superior Court 30 days after a bill goes delinquent, with a 5% penalty every 120 days to a 20% maximum, per the county's Search and Pay Property Taxes page.
- Deed books referenced in the sale notice are held at the McDuffie County Courthouse, Clerk of Superior Court's Office, which is where buyers should run title before bidding.
- McDuffie County operates a Land Bank Authority that acquires vacant, abandoned, blighted and tax delinquent property, so some inventory can move outside the tax sale.
- The Tax Commissioner's payment portal at mcduffiecountyga.governmentwindow.com sits behind a Cloudflare bot check; it may need a real browser session to load.
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 McDuffie County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- McDuffie County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does McDuffie 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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