Worth County, GA tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Worth County, seat of Sylvester: 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 Worth County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Worth County Tax Commissioner
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No sale date, month, or time is published on any Worth County page. The Tax Commissioner's General Information page describes the run-up to a sale without naming a date: "Your property will also be posted and photographed at some point before the sale. The four weeks prior to the sale your property will be advertised in the Sylvester Local newspaper with additional advertising cost added." Georgia levy sales otherwise follow the statewide first-Tuesday courthouse schedule under O.C.G.A. 48-4-1, but Worth County does not confirm that schedule on its own site. Confirm the next sale date with the office before relying on any calendar.
Registration and deposit
No bidder registration procedure, deposit rule, or bidding terms are published on the Tax Commissioner's site or the county site. Call the office at (229) 776-8204 to confirm terms before a sale date.
Worth County publishes no dedicated tax sale page and names no online auction platform, so treat this as an in-person levy sale conducted by the county rather than an online auction. The Tax Commissioner's General Information page is the only county source describing the process: "Property Taxes are due by November 15th of each year. If taxes are not paid on the property, it may be levied upon and ultimately sold," and "If you still remain unpaid, your account will be turned over to DTS and admin/levy fees will be added to your account. These fees will cover the cost of certified notices as well as a title search to prepare your property for tax sale." Notice of sale runs in the Sylvester Local newspaper for the four weeks before the sale, which is the practical way to find the property list. The tax office site has no tax-sales page (worthcountytax.com/tax-sales.html returns 404), the Government Window portal at worthcountyga.governmentwindow.com is search-and-pay only with no tax sale tab, and the county site's Tax Commissioner page is an unfinished stub with contact details only.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Worth County
- Tax Commissioner is Lakeysia McGill. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, at 201 North Main St, Room 15, Sylvester, GA 31791. Fax is (229) 776-8251 and the listed office email is [email protected].
- The official tax office site is worthcountytax.com, a Government Window portal. Search and pay runs through worthcountyga.governmentwindow.com, which lists the same office address and a pay-by-phone line of 1-844-314-4868.
- No tax sale page exists on the county's own sites. worthcountytax.com/tax-sales.html returns HTTP 404, and the county site page at worthcountyboc.com/tax-commissioner shows only an unfinished Tax Commissioner entry with only a phone number and address.
- No online auction platform, bidder registration form, deposit rule, or property list URL is published anywhere on the tax office site, the Government Window portal, or the county website. Site search on the county site for "tax sale" and "excess funds" returned only commission meeting minutes, no sale notices.
- Real property taxes are due November 15 each year; mobile home taxes are due April 1. Past due real property accrues interest on the 16th of each month at prime plus 3% divided by 12, a fi. fa. is filed in the Clerk of Courts office 30 days after the delinquent notice, and a 5% penalty is added after 120 days and every 120 days thereafter to a 20% maximum.
- The FAQ states that "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."
- Delinquent accounts are turned over to a third-party vendor the site abbreviates as "DTS" for levy preparation; the site does not expand the abbreviation or link to the vendor.
- The Worth County Sheriff's Office site publishes no tax sale, levy sale, or civil process listings.
- Redemption and excess funds are not addressed on any Worth County page reviewed. Statewide Georgia rules under O.C.G.A. 48-4-40 et seq. apply by default.
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 Worth County, Georgia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Worth County follows Georgia's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Worth 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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