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Tax Sale Atlas

Franklin County, NC tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Franklin County, seat of Louisburg: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how North Carolina tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
No fixed annual month.
Format
In person
Registration
No advance registration.
County office
(919) 496-2172, option 1
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 18, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Franklin County sells delinquent taxes

No tax lien certificate sale

North Carolina counties do not sell tax lien certificates to investors; the taxing unit holds its own lien and enforces it by judicial foreclosure.

Tax deed sale

In person
Run by
Franklin County Tax Collector's Office (Collections Department); tax foreclosure sales are conducted for the county by the contracted law firm Zacchaeus Legal Services (ZLS)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
No fixed annual month.
Registration
No advance registration.
Sale list
ZLS property-for-sale listings (Franklin County tax foreclosures)
When it runs
No fixed annual month. Sales are scheduled case by case as individual foreclosures conclude, and each sale is followed by a 10-day upset bid window: the county states that "All sales are sold subject to the 10-day upset bidding period per N.C.G.S. 1-339.25." ZLS posts opening bid amounts the day before each sale.
Registration and deposit

No advance registration. Bid in person at the courthouse sale. ZLS requires that "a cash deposit of 20% of the highest bid is required immediately upon conclusion of the sale at the courthouse." Upset bids are filed afterward at the Clerk of Superior Court on the NCAOC Notice of Upset Bid form with a deposit of 5% of the current bid or $750, whichever is greater, and upset bidding continues until 10 consecutive days pass without a new bid.

Sale format and venue
Sales are held in person; no online bidding platform is used for Franklin County tax foreclosures. The county's Foreclosures page directs bidders to the ZLS property-for-sale site, where listings sit behind a disclaimer agreement; at the time of research ZLS showed zero Franklin County properties for sale, so check the list for current inventory. ZLS states each sale is made subject to all outstanding city and county taxes and local improvement assessments not included in the judgment authorizing the sale, and that buyers should rely on the legal description in the Notice of Sale. County-owned surplus real estate is sold separately through the Clerk to the Board at (919) 496-5994. In person, live courthouse auction conducted by Zacchaeus Legal Services
Source: Franklin County Tax Administration, Foreclosures· Verified Aug 18, 2026

Franklin County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Franklin County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use ZLS property-for-sale listings (Franklin County tax foreclosures) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    No advance registration. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    No fixed annual month. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Franklin County Tax Collector's Office (Collections Department); tax foreclosure sales are conducted for the county by the contracted law firm Zacchaeus Legal Services (ZLS) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Franklin County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from ZLS property-for-sale listings (Franklin County tax foreclosures). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    No advance registration. Bid in person at the courthouse sale. ZLS requires that "a cash deposit of 20% of the highest bid is required immediately upon conclusion of the sale at the courthouse." Upset bids are filed afterward at the Clerk of Superior Court on the NCAOC Notice of Upset Bid form with a deposit of 5% of the current bid or $750, whichever is greater, and upset bidding continues until 10 consecutive days pass without a new bid.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the North Carolina due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.

  4. Set a walk-away number

    Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax sale office

Franklin County Tax Collector's Office (Collections Department)

(919) 496-2172, option 1

P.O. Box 503, Louisburg, NC 27549 (office: 127 S. Bickett Blvd., Shannon Village Shopping Center, Louisburg, NC 27549)

Official website

County notes

  • Franklin County is a confirmed client of Zacchaeus Legal Services: the county's own Foreclosures page links to the ZLS property-for-sale site, and ZLS's clients page lists Franklin County alongside a link to the county tax office.
  • The county page and ZLS terms describe two different deposits that both apply: 20% of the highest bid in cash immediately at the conclusion of the courthouse sale (ZLS sale terms), and 5% of the current bid or $750 minimum to file an upset bid at the Clerk's Office during the 10-day window (county page, N.C.G.S. 1-339.25).
  • Delinquent bills can be searched through the county's collections search portal at secure.webtaxpay.com (county=franklin, state=NC), linked from the Collections Department page.
  • Property taxes are due September 1 and become delinquent January 6, after which the county pursues enforced collection under the Machinery Act.

North Carolina rules

Redemption
North Carolina has no fixed redemption period of the certificate-state type and no post-sale redemption right. In a G.S. 105-374 foreclosure, redemption is allowed before confirmation of the foreclosure sale: paying the taxes, penalties, interest, and costs discontinues the action, and the clerk may confirm the sale once 10 days pass after the report of sale with no upset bid or exception. In an in rem foreclosure, payment in full of the docketed judgment with interest and costs requires the tax collector to certify the payment and cancel the judgment. Because every sale also sits through the 10-day upset bid window, an owner in either path retains a last window to pay after the auction itself but before the sale is final.
Deed deposit
At a G.S. 105-374 sale the commissioner may require the successful bidder to make a deposit of up to 20 percent of the bid; no deposit may be required of a taxing unit. An upset bidder always files a deposit of 5 percent of the upset bid, minimum $750, with the clerk.
Surplus proceeds
Sale proceeds are applied first to the costs of the action, including the commissioner's and attorneys' fees, then to the taxes, penalties, and interest of the foreclosing unit, then to special assessments and the taxes of other taxing units. Any surplus is paid as the court directs or held by the clerk of superior court, where the former owner, junior lienholders, and other claimants can file a special proceeding under G.S. 1-339.71 to establish ownership of the funds.
Governing statute
N.C.G.S. Chapter 105, Article 26

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.

See the full North Carolinarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Franklin County, North Carolina sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax deeds. North Carolina sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the Court-appointed commissioner sells the property itself at a public tax sale.

How often does Franklin County hold tax deed sales?

Franklin County holds its tax deed sale once a year. No fixed annual month. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. North Carolina's redemption rule: Until the foreclosure sale becomes final; no redemption after confirmation. Call the Franklin County Tax Collector's Office (Collections Department); tax foreclosure sales are conducted for the county by the contracted law firm Zacchaeus Legal Services (ZLS) as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Where can I find the Franklin County tax sale list?

Franklin County posts its tax sale list at zls-nc.com. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

Verified Aug 18, 2026 against official county and state sources.

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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

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Call Franklin County Tax Collector's Office