Webster County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Webster County, seat of Preston: 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 Webster County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Webster County Tax Commissioner
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Not published by Webster County. The Tax Commissioner page carries no tax sale calendar, no sale date and no advertised list. Georgia's statewide default applies: sales are cried on the courthouse steps the first Tuesday of the month under O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4.
Registration and deposit
Bidders register with the county tax commissioner or tax collector under the terms published for each sale. Bidding is a price auction to the highest bidder, and Georgia sets no statewide deposit percentage. 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. Many counties require payment in full at the close of the sale, so confirm the county's payment deadline and accepted funds before bidding.
Webster County publishes no redeemable tax deed sale page. The Tax Commissioner page describes only the lien step: "Prior to the issuance of a FiFa, a 30-day notice of intent is mailed to the owner of record" and "When tax remains unpaid for more than 90 days after the due date, the tax is subject to a tax FiFa (lien) being recorded in the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court." No sale date, no registration terms, no bidder deposit rule and no delinquent or excess funds list appear anywhere on the county site. No online auction platform was found: the county's only vendor portal, webstercountygapay.com (redirects to Government Window), offers property tax bill lookup and payment only, and its menu lists a single option, "Property Taxes." The Sheriff page, the Clerk of Superior Court page and the county calendar contain no sale or auction notices. Treat any sale as an in person courthouse proceeding and confirm the date and terms by calling the Tax Commissioner at (229) 828-3690. Webster County is one of Georgia's smallest counties, so sales are infrequent and may be advertised only in the county legal organ.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Webster County Tax Commissioner
Webster County Courthouse, 6330 Hamilton St., Room 103, Preston, GA 31824 (mailing: PO Box 73, Preston, GA 31824-0073)
Official websiteNotes for Webster County
- Tax Commissioner is Marjorie R. Hine. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a 30 minute lunch between 12:00 and 1:00. Fax is (229) 828-2147.
- Real and personal property taxes are due December 20; mobile and manufactured home taxes are due April 1. Bills for real and personal property are mailed by early October.
- Fi. fa. liens are recorded on the General Execution Docket of the Clerk of Superior Court, Webster County Courthouse, Room 102, 6330 Hamilton Street, Preston, GA 31824, phone (229) 828-3525. That docket is where a buyer confirms an execution before a sale.
- Property records are searchable through qPublic for Webster County, linked from the Tax Assessor page. The Tax Assessor is a separate office at (229) 828-6462.
- No online auction platform serves Webster County. webstercountygapay.com is a Government Window bill payment portal only and does not host auctions or publish sale lists.
- No delinquent tax list, sale list or excess funds list is published online. Request these directly from the Tax Commissioner.
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 Webster County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Webster County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Webster 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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