Terrell County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Terrell County, seat of Dawson: 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 Terrell County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Terrell County Tax Commissioner's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No sale calendar is published on any Terrell County website. The Tax Commissioner page lists only office contact details and vehicle e-services, with no tax sale dates, levy notices, or auction schedule. Georgia's statutory default applies (sales cried on the first Tuesday of the month at the courthouse under O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4, Article 1). Confirm the next sale date directly with the Tax Commissioner at 229-995-5151.
Registration and deposit
Not published online. No registration form, bidder packet, or deposit rule appears on the county Tax Commissioner page. Contact the office at 229-995-5151 before the sale to confirm bidder requirements and accepted payment.
Terrell County (seat: Dawson, population under 9,000) runs no online tax sale platform that could be verified. The county maintains two thin static sites, terrellcountyga.gov for the Board of Commissioners and terrellcountycourthouse.com for constitutional offices, and neither carries a tax sale page, a delinquent tax list, an excess funds list, or a bidder registration page. The courthouse site is visibly stale (its holiday schedule page still shows 2022 dates), so treat any figure from it as needing a phone confirmation. Assume an IN PERSON sale on the courthouse steps in Dawson unless the office says otherwise. Under Georgia law the levy is made and the property cried by the Tax Commissioner acting as ex officio sheriff or by the Sheriff; Terrell County does not state online which of the two conducts its sales. Sale notices for small Georgia counties run in the county legal organ newspaper rather than on a county web page, so the advertised list is a print and public-notice item here, not a downloadable file. Buyers receive a redeemable tax deed subject to the 12 month right of redemption at the statutory premium.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Terrell County
- Mary Ellen Harnage is the Terrell County Tax Commissioner. The office fax is 229-995-5529 and the published office email is [email protected].
- The Tax Commissioner page links only to Georgia's DRIVES vehicle e-services portal. No property tax sale, delinquent list, or excess funds resource is offered online.
- Property records and parcel data for Terrell County are served through qpublic (referenced by the Board of Tax Assessors), which returned a 403 to automated requests and needs a browser to open.
- Board of Tax Assessors: 499 Rountree Dr. SW, Room F, Dawson, GA 39842, phone 229-995-5210, mailing PO Box 382, Dawson, GA 39842. Use it for parcel and valuation diligence before bidding.
- Clerk of Superior Court: 499 Rountree Dr. SW, Dawson, GA 39842, phone 229-995-2631, mailing PO Box 189, Dawson, GA 39842. Deeds and liens are recorded here, and it is where a redeemable deed and any later barment notice get recorded.
- Terrell County Board of Commissioners: 235 E Lee Street, Dawson, GA 39842, phone 229-995-4476, mailing PO Box 525, Dawson, GA 39842.
- The Georgia Department of Revenue's county page for Terrell confirms the county Tax Commissioner collects ad valorem taxes and points to the county site, but publishes no sale schedule.
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 Terrell County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Terrell County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Terrell 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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