White County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in White County, seat of Cleveland: 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 White County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- White County Tax Commissioner (Cindy Cannon), acting as Ex-officio Sheriff
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Sales are held on the first Tuesday of a month when one is scheduled, not every month. The Tax Commissioner's page states a levied property "will be advertised for 4 consecutive weeks in the White County News before being sold on the first Tuesday of any month for which a sale is planned on the steps of the White County Courthouse."
Registration and deposit
No online bidder registration is published. Bidding happens in person on the courthouse steps, and the county states that "Properties sold in this manner must be purchased with certified funds." Confirm registration, identification, and payment requirements with the Tax Commissioner's office at 706-865-2225 before a sale date.
White County sells redeemable tax deeds at an in person auction on the White County Courthouse steps in Cleveland. There is no online bidding platform. The Tax Commissioner's page says the property "will be advertised for 4 consecutive weeks in the White County News before being sold on the first Tuesday of any month for which a sale is planned on the steps of the White County Courthouse," so sales run only in months when the county has properties ready. The county describes the sale as an auction and states "Properties sold in this manner must be purchased with certified funds." After a sale "the Tax Commissioner will issue a receipt and Sheriff's tax deed," and "the original delinquent tax holder has one year to reclaim the property." Lien holders and mortgage holders may also redeem. "After a year has passed, the new purchaser may foreclose and remove the delinquent tax holder's right of redemption." White County does not post a sale list on its website; the list is advertised in the White County News. In person at the White County Courthouse steps, Cleveland, GA
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for White County
- The sale is run by the Tax Commissioner acting as Ex-officio Sheriff. The county Excess Funds page directs written claims to "Cindy Cannon, White County Tax Commissioner, Ex-officio Sheriff, P.O. Box 970, Cleveland, GA 30528."
- No online auction platform is used. Plan to attend in person in Cleveland with certified funds.
- No sale list is published on the county website. The list runs for four consecutive weeks in the White County News before the sale, so track that paper and call the Tax Commissioner at 706-865-2225 to confirm whether a sale is scheduled for a given first Tuesday.
- The county page confirms the Georgia redeemable deed structure: the buyer receives a Sheriff's tax deed, the owner has one year to redeem, lien and mortgage holders may also redeem, and after that year the purchaser may foreclose the right of redemption.
- Do not confuse the Tax Commissioner's tax sale with the Sheriff's Office fi. fa. sales. The Sheriff's Office sells property seized under civil writs of fieri facias on the first Tuesday between 10 am and 4 pm, a separate process from the tax sale.
- Excess funds from prior tax sales are held by the Tax Commissioner, and a claim form is posted on the county Excess Funds page. Filing a claim requires no fee and no attorney.
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 White County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- White County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does White 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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