Gwinnett County, GA
Tax sale in front of the Justice & Administration Center in Lawrenceville, Dec 1 — after an Oct 6 sale
Gwinnett County's tax commissioner can hold a tax sale on the first Tuesday of any month but usually holds them only a few months a year. The office lists two upcoming sales: October 6, 2026, with its property list already posted, and December 1, 2026. Every sale takes place in front of the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville and is advertised in the Gwinnett Daily Post for the four weeks before, with the date and time. Bidders must register with the tax commissioner's office before the sale starts; turning in the Bidder Registration Form at the office in advance speeds that up. Properties go to the 'highest and best bidder' — which the office defines as the one who bids the most and can actually pay that day — from an opening bid equal to the taxes due plus costs, and payment must be in certified funds: cash, a cashier's check or a certified check from an FDIC-insured institution.
Gwinnett's page is unusually direct about what a buyer does and doesn't get. The tax commissioner records a tax deed in the purchaser's name, but the buyer doesn't automatically own the property and the occupants aren't evicted: the owner, a mortgage company or any other lienholder can redeem for one year by paying the purchase price plus 20%, plus any property taxes the buyer paid after the sale. A year after the sale the buyer is 'strongly encouraged' to foreclose the right of redemption with written notice, and only then can take steps to become the deeded owner; the office refers those questions to an attorney and doesn't host foreclosure sales itself. From the day of purchase the taxes are the buyer's — if they go delinquent, the county files a lien in the purchaser's name. The office also says it doesn't transfer tax liens in bulk to third-party investors, so this auction is the way in.
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 Gwinnett County is on the Gwinnett County page.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in Gwinnett County pays $3,617 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 $3,838; homes owned outright, $2,938.
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 Gwinnett County, 29.8% 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.
4.1% of all housing units in Gwinnett 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 1.2% of all units (Georgia: 4.6%, U.S.: 3.6%). That is below the state rate: fewer empty properties on the list than elsewhere in Georgia.
Half of the homes in Gwinnett County were built in or before 1996 (Georgia: in or before 1992). The typical tax bill is 4.1% of the median household income of $87,890 (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: Owners and lienholders get written notice before the sale and parcels drop off whenever the taxes are paid, so check the December 1 list close to the date. Staff can't give legal advice; questions go to 770-822-8800 or [email protected], and the office posts an excess funds list and sale results back to 2021.
Official source: gwinnetttaxcommissioner.com — checked October 4, 2026
More sales: 19 other county sales are on the calendar in December 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.