DeKalb County, GA
First-Tuesday tax sale on the courthouse steps in Decatur — Nov 3, then Dec 1
DeKalb County's tax commissioner holds tax sales most months from April through December, on the first Tuesday, on the steps of the DeKalb County Courthouse at 556 N. McDonough Street in Decatur. The office's calendar lists the next ones on November 3 and December 1, 2026, each from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Notice of each sale runs once a week for the four weeks before it in The Champion Newspaper, the county's legal organ. The office keeps no mailing list: the newspaper, its official Tax Sale Property Listings and its Tax Sale Pre-Registration Portal are where to look, and it asks anyone planning to bid to pre-register through that portal. It also posts the conditions of sale, a basic property description form and a bidder advance registration form.
Bidding on each parcel starts at the taxes plus costs — levy, recording, advertising and commissions — and the property goes to the highest bidder; if nobody bids, the county may bid the opening amount itself. The buyer gets a tax deed but no immediate control of the property. The owner, or anyone with a right, title, interest in or lien on it, can redeem within twelve months by paying what you paid plus any taxes you paid since, plus 20% for the first year or part of a year and 10% for each year after, and you aren't entitled to rents or profits in the meantime. After twelve months you can begin to bar the right of redemption by serving notice on everyone with a recorded interest, with sheriff's service and advertising fees on top. Until that's done the title is defeasible, and DeKalb's own page tells buyers to bring in a real estate attorney.
Georgia rules at a glance
Georgia sells the property itself at a sheriff's or tax commissioner's sale (O.C.G.A. § 48-4-1), and the buyer receives a tax deed that stays defeasible while the right of redemption lasts. The owner or anyone with an interest can redeem within 12 months, and afterwards until the buyer forecloses the right with a barment notice under § 48-4-45, by paying the full bid plus taxes the buyer paid and a premium of 20% for the first year or fraction of a year and 10% for each year after (§ 48-4-42). Overbids become excess funds payable to the owner and lienholders (§ 48-4-5).
The statute, the bidding and what goes wrong for new buyers are on the Georgia page; every sale date we have sourced for DeKalb County is on the DeKalb County page.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in DeKalb County pays $3,310 a year in property tax — above the Georgia median of $2,341 (U.S.: $3,119). That is roughly what a typical home here owes for each year it goes unpaid — the debt that the opening bid at a deed sale is usually built from, plus interest and costs. Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $3,483; homes owned outright, $2,873.
On a home with a mortgage, the lender has its own reason to pay a delinquent tax bill: the tax lien outranks the mortgage, and a tax deed can wipe out the loan. On a home owned outright, nobody but the owner — or the heirs — has that reason. In DeKalb County, 29.9% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Georgia: 36.6%, U.S.: 39.4%). That is less than the state as a whole: more of the delinquent bills here sit on mortgaged homes, where the lender often steps in.
13.2% of all housing units in DeKalb County are vacant. The figure that matters for a buyer at the tax sale is the Census “other vacant” category — not for rent, not for sale, not a holiday home, but a catch-all that includes foreclosures, homes held up by legal proceedings or family reasons, homes needing repairs, and abandoned ones. Here it is 5.9% of all units (Georgia: 4.6%, U.S.: 3.6%). That is above the state rate, so expect more empty properties on the delinquent list: the ones least likely to redeem, and the most likely to need work if the deed ends up yours. Drive by before you bid.
Half of the homes in DeKalb County were built in or before 1984 (Georgia: in or before 1992). The typical tax bill is 4.1% of the median household income of $80,644 (Georgia: 3.0%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25081, B25002, B25004, B25035, B19013) — see the figures on data.census.gov. Survey estimates with margins of error; anything too uncertain to state is left out.
Before you bid: The tax commissioner reserves the right to add or cancel sales, so confirm the November 3 list on the Tax Sale Property Listings page and pre-register before sale day. Questions go to the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner's Office at 404-298-4000.
Official source: dekalbtaxga.gov — checked October 4, 2026
More sales: 38 other county sales are on the calendar in November 2026 — see them by date; or the upcoming sales in Georgia.
This page reflects publicly posted county auction notices as of publication and is general information, not financial or legal advice. Sale details can change — always confirm current terms with the county directly.