Chesterfield County, SC tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Chesterfield County, seat of Chesterfield: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how South Carolina tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- The county does not publish a sale date, time, or location online.
- County office
- 843-623-2563
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 6, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Chesterfield County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Chesterfield County Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county does not publish a sale date, time, or location online.
When it runs
The county does not publish a sale date, time, or location online. Its Tax Collector page states that "Each year, taxes become delinquent on March 17th, unless this day falls on a holiday or weekend," and that delinquent properties "will be advertised in one or more county newspapers for 3 (three) consecutive weeks prior to the tax sale each year." The newspaper advertisement is therefore the only announced schedule, and the sale month should be confirmed with the Tax Collector.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
No online auction platform is confirmed for this county. A page-by-page review of the county website on 2026-08-06 found no auction vendor named anywhere, and the Tax Collector page directs bidders and taxpayers to the office rather than to a portal. The county's online tax payment site handles current taxes only: the Treasurer states "Only current taxes are payable online and by phone. No delinquent taxes," and the Tax Collector adds that delinquent taxes "can only be paid in our office or mailed to our post office box." Treat the sale as an office-run process and verify the format, location, and platform directly with the Tax Collector. Once the tax sale process begins the office stops accepting personal checks. Be careful with third-party auction aggregators and lien-list resellers that advertise South Carolina counties: several publish courtesy notices while disclaiming that they conduct the sale, and none of them is the county's stated channel here.
Source: Chesterfield County Tax Collector· Verified Aug 6, 2026
Chesterfield County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Chesterfield 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.
Get the advertised list
A county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the office and platform details on this page before relying on a copied list.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
The county does not publish a sale date, time, or location online. The auction platform is still being verified. Confirm the next sale date and registration window with the county before you bid.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Chesterfield County Tax Collector as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Chesterfield County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
The county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the county office contacts below and confirm the advertised parcels directly before you price a bid.Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the South 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.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.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
unsold properties
South Carolina has no over-the-counter certificate list. Parcels that draw no bid above the mandatory forfeited land commission bid are struck to that county commission, which is made up of the treasurer, the auditor, and the clerk of court or register of deeds. The commission may assign its bid at any time before the title deed is made, for no less than the taxes, penalties, and costs the property sold for. The chairman or a designee may accept sealed bids for assignments for a designated period, after which assignments go first come, first served, and each county keeps a list of available forfeited land commission properties. Several counties run that as a scheduled second sale rather than a standing counter: Charleston County puts the parcels left over from the annual tax sale into a sealed-bid silent auction about a month later and publishes the list only while that sale is open. Ask the delinquent tax office where the list lives and what the commission's current terms are.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter purchases work.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax sale office
County notes
- Chesterfield County lists the Tax Collector as a department separate from the Treasurer. The Tax Collector page names Carmen L. Spencer and handles all delinquent tax and tax sale questions. The Treasurer, Fred Harris, handles current tax collection from the same building at 178 Mill St.
- Both offices share the main phone line 843-623-2563 and are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The Treasurer's office lists fax 843-623-6352 and email [email protected].
- Property taxes become delinquent on March 17 each year unless that date falls on a holiday or weekend.
- On redemption, the county states an owner may redeem "by paying to the person officially charged with the collection of taxes, assessments, penalties and cost, together with 3%, 6%, 9% or 12% interest for 1 (one) year following the sale date."
- The delinquent list is not posted online. The county advertises delinquent properties in one or more county newspapers for three consecutive weeks before the sale, so investors need the published legal notice or a call to the Tax Collector to obtain the list.
- A crawl of every URL in the county sitemap on 2026-08-06 found no dedicated tax sale page, no bidder registration page, no downloadable sale list, and no Forfeited Land Commission page. The Tax Collector FAQ is the county's only published tax sale content.
- The Auditor's office, reachable at 843-623-2338, handles billing and penalty abatement questions that arise before a parcel reaches the sale.
South Carolina rules
- Redemption
- The redemption clock runs twelve months from the date of the sale. Neither more than forty-five days nor less than twenty days before it ends, the delinquent tax officer must mail a notice by certified mail, return receipt requested and restricted delivery, to the defaulting taxpayer and to any grantee, mortgagee, or lessee of record, stating the amount needed to redeem and the date the tax title passes. Certified mail returned undelivered is not grounds to withhold the tax title. If nobody redeems, the officer makes a tax title to the purchaser within thirty days or as soon after that as possible. Personal property sold at a delinquent tax sale has no redemption period at all. A mobile or manufactured home runs on the same twelve-month clock, but it must not be moved from its location during that year without notice to the purchaser and the delinquent tax collector, and the redeeming owner or lienholder also owes the purchaser rent of up to one twelfth of the last completed tax year's taxes for each month between sale and redemption, with a ten dollar monthly minimum. If the official in charge discovers before the tax title passes that a required step was not properly performed, the official may void the sale and refund the bidder the amount paid plus the interest the county actually earned on it.
- Deed deposit
- South Carolina fixes no percentage deposit. The successful bidder pays the full amount of the bid on the day of the sale in legal tender, meaning cash, a cashier's check, a certified check, or a money order. If a defaulting taxpayer has more than one item advertised, the officer stops selling once enough has been raised to cover the delinquent taxes, assessments, penalties, and costs.
- Surplus proceeds
- If the sale produces more cash than the taxes, assessments, penalties, and costs, the overage first pays any outstanding municipal tax liens on the property. What remains belongs to the owner of record immediately before the end of the redemption period, to be claimed or assigned according to law. Those sums are payable ninety days after execution of the deed unless another claimant files a judicial action inside that window, and they escheat to the general fund of the governing body if neither claimed nor assigned within five years of the sale. Once a tax deed has been issued, Section 12-51-60 requires the delinquent tax collector to notify the defaulting taxpayer and that owner of record in writing that an excess is due, mailed the same certified way the officer took possession, and the cost of that notice counts as a cost of the sale.
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 Chesterfield County, South Carolina sell tax liens or tax deeds?
Tax deeds. South Carolina sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the county sells the property itself at a public tax sale.
How often does Chesterfield County hold tax deed sales?
Chesterfield County holds its tax deed sale once a year. The county does not publish a sale date, time, or location online. 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. South Carolina's redemption rule: 12 months from the date of the delinquent tax sale. Call the Chesterfield County Tax Collector 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.
Verified Aug 6, 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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