Upson County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Upson County, seat of Thomaston: 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 Upson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Upson County Office of the Tax Commissioner (Tax Commissioner Andy Chastain)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Not published. Upson County posts no tax sale calendar, sale date, or sale list on its website. The Tax Commissioner FAQ refers only to "legal action (levy and advertisement of tax sale)" without giving dates, and no sale month or time appears anywhere on the county site or its Government Window portal. Georgia levy sales run under O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4 on the first Tuesday of the month at the courthouse, but that timing is the statewide statutory default and is not confirmed by any Upson County page.
Registration and deposit
Not published on any Upson County source. No bidder registration form, deposit rule, or terms of sale appear on the Tax Commissioner pages or the county website. Contact the Tax Commissioner at 706-647-8931 before a sale.
Georgia is a redeemable deed state and Upson County sells a redeemable tax deed, not a lien. The Tax Commissioner FAQ states plainly that the office does not sell liens over the counter: "Can I purchase FiFa's 'over the counter?' No. Our office does not sell tax liens." The FAQ also describes the pre-sale path: a 30-day notice of intent goes to the owner of record before a FiFa issues, tax unpaid more than 90 days past due is subject to a FiFa, and FiFas are recorded on the General Execution Docket of the Clerk of Superior Court. Late accounts accrue monthly interest at the January prime rate plus 3 percent, plus a 5 percent penalty at 120 days past due that repeats every 120 days to a 20 percent maximum. No online auction platform was found. The Tax Commissioner's only online system is a Government Window portal for paying current tax bills, which has no tax sale, bidder, or excess funds section, and Upson County does not appear on GovEase's live and upcoming auction list as of July 2026. Treat the sale as an in-person courthouse sale and confirm date, location, and terms directly with the Tax Commissioner.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Upson County Office of the Tax Commissioner
P.O. Box 409, Thomaston, GA 30286 (mailing); 302 S Hightower St, Ste. D-120, Thomaston, GA 30286 (physical)
Official websiteNotes for Upson County
- Tax Commissioner is Andy Chastain, an elected constitutional officer serving a four year term. Chief Deputy Tax Commissioner is Angela Raines.
- Address discrepancy between official sources: the county department page lists the physical office as 302 S Hightower St, Ste. D-120, while the Tax Commissioner's Government Window payment portal lists 305 S. Hightower St. Ste D-120. Both list the same mailing address, P.O. Box 409, Thomaston, GA 30286, and the same phone, 706-647-8931. Verify by phone before mailing bid funds.
- No delinquent tax list, sale list, or excess funds list is published online. Site-wide searches of upsoncountyga.org for "tax sale", "delinquent", "levy", and "excess funds" returned no sale pages or documents, and the county sitemap has no tax sale page.
- The Government Window portal at upsoncountyga.governmentwindow.com is a current-bill payment and search tool only. Probing it confirmed no tax sale, excess funds, or bidder pages exist on that host.
- The Upson County Sheriff's Office page carries no sheriff sale, levy sale, or auction content, which is consistent with the Tax Commissioner running levies as ex-officio sheriff.
- Statutory advertisement of Upson County levy sales runs in the county legal organ newspaper rather than on a county web page, so investors should track the legal organ and call the Tax Commissioner for the sale calendar.
- Related offices from official pages: Tax Assessors 706-647-8176; Clerk of Superior Court at 116 W. Main St., Thomaston, GA 30286 (where FiFas are recorded); Sheriff at 235 Aviation Drive, Thomaston, GA 30286, 706-647-7411.
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 Upson County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Upson County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Upson 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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