Pickens County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Pickens County, seat of Jasper: 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 Pickens County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Pickens County Tax Commissioner, as Ex-Officio Sheriff (Daniel Reeves)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Sales are advertised and cried on the statutory first Tuesday. The county's own levy notice reads: "There will be sold for cash or certified funds at public outcry, at the Pickens County Administration Building, Pickens Room, located at 1266 East Church Street, Jasper, GA 30143, between the legal hours of sale, on the first Tuesday in February 2024, the same being February 6, 2024. The following property will be sold between the legal hours of sale, 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM." Pickens does not run a sale every month; the office posts an advertisement on its Tax Sales page when a sale is scheduled, and the most recent advertisement posted there is the February 2024 sale.
Registration and deposit
Bidders complete the county's paper Tax Sale Registration form before the sale. Part A covers individual bidders (name, address, phone, email, driver's license or state ID), Part B covers corporate bidders (corporate name and address plus the authorized bidder's name, phone and email), and Part C applies to all bidders (name to be placed on the tax deed if the bid is successful, type of payment as cash or certified funds with amounts, and total bid funds available). The form states that "only approved and registered bidders will be able to bid on parcels" and that the signer must be "ready, willing and financially able to consummate each sale at the price bid." Bidders show photo identification at the sale, and the successful bidder receives a property purchase form (bill of sale).
Pickens County runs a live, in-person redeemable tax deed sale. It uses no online auction platform. The sale is a Sheriff's Sale conducted under tax fi. fa.s issued by the Tax Commissioner, who signs the advertisement as Ex-Officio Sheriff. The venue is the Pickens County Administration Building, Pickens Room, 1266 East Church Street, Jasper, GA 30143, not the courthouse steps. Bidding is oral at public outcry, parcels are called in advertisement order, and the county warns bidders to "make your bid known loud and clear or it may not be recognized." The opening bid includes all applicable taxes, penalties and costs, and property goes to the highest and best bidder. Payment is cash or a cashier's or certified check drawn on an FDIC or FSLIC insured institution; the procedures sheet says payment is due "within one hour of the sale," while the levy notice says that at the Tax Commissioner's discretion payment will be required within two hours after the sale closes, and an unpaid bid is re-offered at 2:00 PM the same day or the next day. Levies can cover paving assessments and garbage fee executions in addition to county taxes. The Tax Commissioner executes and records the tax deed 4 to 6 weeks after the sale. The county states plainly that the tax deed "is not a fee simple deed," the purchaser does not take possession, and the record owner or defendant in fi. fa. keeps possession with a right to redeem "for no less than twelve (12) months after the date of sale." A purchaser must wait one year and one day from the sale before starting foreclosure of the right of redemption. This is an as-is, buyer-beware sale with no warranty of title, subject to recorded covenants, easements and rights of way; mobile homes do not convey with the land. Purchasers owe future assessments and property taxes, including any city taxes if the parcel sits inside city limits, and the Tax Commissioner reserves the right to set a sale aside for bankruptcy, assessment error or procedural error with a full refund. Excess funds lists are published separately and are refreshed regularly. In-person public outcry auction (no online bidding platform)
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Pickens County
- Two official web presences: the county government directory page at pickenscountyga.gov/178/Tax-Commissioner and the Tax Commissioner's own site at pickensgatax.com. Tax sale material lives on pickensgatax.com.
- Daniel Reeves is the Tax Commissioner and signs sale advertisements as Ex-Officio Sheriff. Rebecca Prather is Chief Deputy Tax Commissioner and Jessica Kassow is Deputy Tax Commissioner.
- Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Fax is 706-253-8898.
- No online auction platform. Bidding is in person at the Pickens County Administration Building, Pickens Room, during the statutory legal hours of sale, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- The Tax Sales page currently links only the Tax Sale Procedures document and the Bidder Registration Form; the February 2024 advertised sale list remains hosted on the site but its link label was removed, so investors should watch that page for the next advertisement.
- Property records and tax payment search runs through pickensproperty.assurancegov.com and the assessor data through qpublic.net/ga/pickens.
- Excess funds spreadsheets are posted at pickensgatax.com/excess-funds/ and were last refreshed in March 2026, which confirms the office is actively conducting sales even though no upcoming sale advertisement was posted at the time of research.
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 Pickens County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Pickens County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Pickens 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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