Washington County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Washington County, seat of Sandersville: 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 Washington County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Washington County Tax Commissioner's Office (J. Neil Pittman, Tax Commissioner)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county publishes no tax sale calendar or sale date on its website. The sale is advertised only in the county legal organ. The 2026 advertisement, notice G26-024, is headed "DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX SALE" and opens "Under and by virtue of certain tax Fi. Fa.'s issued by the Tax Commissioner of Washington County, Georgia, in favor of the State of Georgia and County of Washington County, against the following named person(s) and the property as described next to their respective name(s)". It ran in the Sandersville Georgian on four consecutive Wednesdays: May 6, May 13, May 20 and May 27, 2026. Georgia levy sales are held on the first Tuesday of the month during the legal hours of sale, so a four week run ending May 27 is consistent with a June 2026 sale, but that is an inference and not verified: Georgia Public Notice returned "You are not permitted to view public notices from this computer at this time" for the full notice text, so the stated sale date, hour and venue were not read at the source. Confirm the next sale date with the Tax Commissioner at 478-552-2144 before relying on any date.
Registration and deposit
Bidders register in person with the Tax Commissioner's Office. The county publishes a "Washington County Tax Commissioner's Office TAX SALE BIDDING REGISTRATION FORM" in its Document Center. The form states "Picture ID Required" and collects name, address, telephone number, driver's license number, email, bidder signature, company, and registered agent, plus a separate "NAME & ADDRESS ON DEED" block for the deed vesting. A numbered bid card is issued to each registered bidder ("Card # Issued") and the form closes with "PLEASE RETURN BID CARDS TO TAX OFFICE". No online registration, deposit portal, or bidder deposit is published. Call 478-552-2144 for the registration cut-off and payment terms.
Washington County runs its redeemable tax deed sale IN PERSON, not online. No auction platform, bidding website, or online registration exists for this county; bidding is by numbered bid card issued at the Tax Commissioner's Office. The county website carries no tax sale page: a site search for "tax sale" on washingtoncountyga.gov returns only the Tax Sale Bidding Registration Form and the Weissman excess funds request form, and a site search for "delinquent" returns a single hit inside a 2013 audit report. The parcel list, sale date, and terms therefore appear only in the statutory newspaper advertisement in the Sandersville Georgian, the county legal organ, which ran for four consecutive weeks in May 2026. Sales are non-judicial: the county's excess funds paperwork states that "Weissman, P.C. has been retained by ... Tax Commissioner of Washington County, to assist in managing the excess funds arising from non-judicial tax sales," and the claim release names the "Washington County Sheriff and all of the Sheriff's employees, including Ex-Officio Sheriffs." Excess funds are not handled at the courthouse: the Tax Commissioner's page directs claimants to "send an email to [email protected]" to request a current list or file a claim. Separately, the City of Sandersville advertises and conducts its own municipal tax fi. fa. sale, sold "at public outcry, before the city hall door in Sandersville, Washington County, Georgia" on the first Tuesday of the sale month between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, under fi. fa.'s issued by the City Clerk as tax collector. That is a separate sale from the county sale and should not be confused with it.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Washington County Tax Commissioner's Office
Physical: 115 Jones St., Sandersville, GA 31082. Mailing: P.O. Box 469, Sandersville, GA 31082
Official websiteNotes for Washington County
- Tax Commissioner is J. Neil Pittman; Deputy Tax Commissioner is Kodi Wimberly. Office email [email protected]. Source: tc_page.
- Tax Commissioner office phone is 478-552-2144 per the county staff directory. The 478-552-2325 number published in the website footer is the Board of Commissioners / general county line, not the tax office. Sources: county_directory, county_home.
- Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM. Source: tc_page.
- No tax sale page, sale calendar, or parcel list is published on washingtoncountyga.gov. The only tax sale artifacts on the county site are the Tax Sale Bidding Registration Form and the Weissman excess funds request form. Sources: county_site_search, tc_bid_form, excess_funds_letter.
- Bidding is in person with a numbered bid card issued at registration; picture ID is required and bid cards must be returned to the tax office. Source: tc_bid_form.
- The county's tax sale advertisement, notice G26-024 "DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX SALE", ran in the Sandersville Georgian on May 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2026. The Sandersville Georgian is the publication carrying Washington County legal notices. Source: gpn_search.
- Excess funds from non-judicial tax sales are administered by outside counsel Weissman, P.C. (Atlanta). Claim requests go to [email protected]; the firm's letter lists direct contact (404) 926-4615. Sources: tc_page, excess_funds_letter.
- The excess funds claim release refers to "Ex-Officio Sheriffs" among Washington County officers, consistent with the Georgia practice of the Tax Commissioner levying as ex-officio sheriff. Source: excess_funds_letter.
- The City of Sandersville holds its own separate municipal delinquent tax sale before the city hall door on the first Tuesday of the sale month, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, cash or certified funds at public outcry, under fi. fa.'s issued by the City Clerk as tax collector. Purchaser pays title, transfer, tax, advertising, and recording costs. Source: city_sale_notice.
- Property tax payments are taken online through washingtoncountyga.governmentwindow.com (Government Window) or by phone at 1-877-575-7233; that portal is for current bills, not for tax sale bidding. Source: tc_page.
- Full text of the Washington County tax sale advertisement could not be read: Georgia Public Notice returned "You are not permitted to view public notices from this computer at this time" on the notice detail page, so the sale date, hour, and venue stated in the notice are unverified. Source: gpn_search.
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 Washington County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Washington County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Washington 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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