Tift County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Tift County, seat of Tifton: 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 Tift County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Tift County Tax Commissioner, acting as Ex-Officio Sheriff (R. Chad Alexander)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the sale month, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The July 2026 advertisement reads: "There will be sold for cash or certified funds at public outcry, in the Administration Building in Court Room # 100, Tifton, Tift County, Georgia, between the legal hours of sale, on the first Tuesday in July 2026, the same being July 7, 2026. The following property will be sold between the legal hours of sale, 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM."
- Sale list
- 2026 Tax Sale (Tax Commissioner)
Registration and deposit
No online bidder registration or pre-registration is published on the county site. Bidders attend the live outcry sale in Court Room #100. The county states: "Bidding on a piece of property is a binding agreement between the Levying Authority and the bidder/purchaser. Once the Levy Officer recognizes a bid, it is the considered an official bid (and a binding agreement)." The opening bid includes all applicable taxes, penalties and costs. Payment must be cash, money order or certified check, and the July 2026 ad adds that "At the discretion of the Tax Commissioner's office, payment will be required within two (2) hours after the completion of the tax sale." Buyers also pay for title, transfer costs, fees, advertising cost and recording fees.
Tift County runs a traditional Georgia redeemable tax deed sale in person, not online. The Tax Commissioner levies and cries the sale as Ex-Officio Sheriff under O.C.G.A. 48-5-137, and the county cites O.C.G.A. Title 48 Chapter 3 (tax executions) and Chapter 4 (tax sales). The sale list is published as a PDF titled "2026 Real Property Sale" linked from the 2026 Tax Sale page, giving file number, map/parcel number, defendant in fi. fa., current owner, reference deed, legal description and years due for each parcel. The county confirms the redeemable-deed structure: "Properties are sold under the power of a tax sale deed with specific rights of redemption," and "State law prohibits the purchaser from taking possession and/or trespassing prior to twelve (12) months from the sale date. Twelve (12) months after the sale date, the purchaser may forever 'bar' or 'foreclose' the right of redemption." The Levy Officer executes and records a Sheriff's Tax Deed after the sale, which is not a fee simple deed. If a bid is not properly paid, the property may be re-offered later the same day or the following day. Properties receiving no minimum bid may be re-offered after the regular sale at the Levy Officer's discretion. The county labels these buyer beware sales with no warranty of title. Municipal tax sales follow the same procedures as county tax sales. No excess-funds page was found on the Tax Commissioner site. In person, live public outcry at the Tift County Administration Building, Court Room #100, Tifton. No online auction platform is used.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
225 Tift Avenue, Room 106, Tifton, GA 31794 (mailing: P.O. Box 930, Tifton, GA 31793)
Official websiteNotes for Tift County
- Sale is held in person at the Tift County Administration Building, Court Room #100, Tifton. There is no online bidding platform, so plan to attend or send an agent.
- Timing follows the Georgia first-Tuesday rule. The county advertised July 7, 2026 with legal hours of sale from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Payment is cash, money order or certified check, and the Tax Commissioner may require payment within two hours after the sale closes. Bring cleared funds.
- Winning bidders receive a Sheriff's Tax Deed subject to the owner's 12-month right of redemption. Possession and entry before 12 months are prohibited.
- The parcel list is posted as the '2026 Real Property Sale' PDF on the Tax Commissioner's 2026 Tax Sale page and includes parcel number, legal description and delinquent tax years.
- Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Fax numbers are (229) 386-7833 and (229) 386-7958.
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 Tift County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Tift County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Tift 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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