Seminole County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Seminole County, seat of Donalsonville: 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 Seminole County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Seminole County Tax Commissioner
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Not published. The Tax Commissioner site names no sale date, month, or calendar. Its Property Tax FAQ confirms only that delinquency can reach "legal action (levy and advertisement of tax sale)". Georgia tax sales run on the first Tuesday of the month at the courthouse under O.C.G.A. Title 48 Chapter 4, but Seminole County posts no schedule online, so confirm the next sale date with the Tax Commissioner at (229) 524-2238.
Registration and deposit
Not published on any official Seminole County page. No bidder registration form, deposit rule, or pre-registration deadline appears on the Tax Commissioner site. Contact the office at (229) 524-2238 ahead of a sale date to confirm what registration is required.
Seminole County runs its redeemable tax deed sale offline. No online auction platform appears on any official source: the Tax Commissioner site (seminoletaxoffice.com) has no tax sale page, and the county government site (seminolecountyga.com) returns no tax sale content from its own site search. Expect a traditional in-person cry sale at the courthouse in Donalsonville. The Tax Commissioner handles billing and collection of ad valorem taxes; the office does not state online whether it levies as ex officio sheriff. Purchasers take a redeemable tax deed subject to the 12-month right of redemption at a 20 percent premium, with barment needed to foreclose that right. The county legal organ, where sale advertising runs, is the Donalsonville News per the Clerk of Superior Court record.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Seminole County
- Tax Commissioner is Leslie Johnson. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with no title business after 4:30 p.m.
- Office fax is (229) 524-8984 and email is [email protected].
- No delinquent tax list, sale list, or excess funds list is posted. The Excess Funds page on the Tax Commissioner site is an unfinished stub with contact details and no content.
- No online auction platform is referenced anywhere on the county's official pages. Treat this as an in-person courthouse sale until the office says otherwise.
- Property tax bills can be searched and paid through the county's online billing portal, but that portal is a bill search, not a tax sale list.
- FiFas are recorded on the General Execution Docket of the Clerk of Superior Court and stay in effect for seven years, per the Tax Commissioner FAQ. A 30-day notice of intent precedes issuance.
- Late payment interest runs monthly at prime plus 3 percent per annum, with a 5 percent penalty at 120 days past due and another 5 percent every 120 days up to 20 percent of principal.
- The county is small, roughly 9,000 residents per the Clerk of Superior Court record, so sale volume is low and sales may not occur every month.
- Board of Tax Assessors sits at 230 Cherry Street, Donalsonville, reachable at (229) 524-5831 for valuation questions before bidding.
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 Seminole County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Seminole County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Seminole 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.
Explore all 159 Georgia counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.