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Calaveras County

California · Upcoming sale ·

Sale dateNovember 13, 2026
Sale typedeed
PlatformBid4Assets (online, Nov 13–16)
California rate / penaltyNone — deed sold at auction, no interest

Calaveras County, California auctions 41 tax-defaulted parcels on Bid4Assets from Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. PT to Monday, November 16, when lots close between noon and 1:00 p.m. PT. Opening bids start at $1,600. You need a $2,000 deposit at Bid4Assets by November 9, and the full price is due by November 19, by cashier's check or wire only.

The sale and its authority

On August 11, 2026 the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors approved the sale by resolution and directed the Tax Collector, Lehua Mossa, to hold it under section 3692 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. Every parcel listed is subject to the Tax Collector's power to sell.

The auction is internet-only, at bid4assets.com, to the highest bidder for not less than the minimum bid on the notice. It opens Friday, November 13 at 8:00 a.m. PT (11:00 a.m. ET) and ends Monday, November 16, with closing times between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. PT. Bid4Assets describes these as no-reserve auctions, which here means there is no hidden reserve: the published minimum is the only floor.

Owners can still redeem until Thursday, November 12 at 5:00 p.m. Parcels redeemed by then are pulled. If a parcel does not sell, the owner's right of redemption revives.

Deposit, registration and deed details

Pre-registration is required, online at Bid4Assets, by Monday, November 9. You submit a refundable deposit of $2,000 plus a $35 processing fee, which must reach Bid4Assets by 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) that day. Calaveras requires you to complete your vesting information, how title will be held, before Bid4Assets will even show you the deposit instructions.

The deposit is applied to your purchase if you win; non-winners get it back by eCheck within about ten business days after the auction closes. One deposit covers every parcel in the sale, and it does not cap what you can bid.

If you win, the deed information showing how title should vest is due by Wednesday, November 18.

Paying: November 19, cashier's check or wire

Full payment must reach Bid4Assets by Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT). The county accepts only cashier's check and wire transfer. On top of the bid you pay the California documentary transfer tax, $0.55 for each $500 or fraction of the price when it exceeds $100, and a $35 administrative fee for each parcel won.

Default is treated seriously. The storefront points out that under California law the county cannot turn to the second-highest bidder, so a winner who does not pay forfeits the deposit to the county, may be barred from future sales, and faces legal action from the county.

Current-year taxes are included in the minimum bid, and taxes currently due are paid from the sale proceeds, so you do not inherit this year's bill.

What you are buying

Everything is sold as is. The county makes no guarantee about title, location or condition, and says due diligence is the bidder's job: the winning bidder is legally obligated to buy. Some bonds or assessments levied by agencies other than the Tax Collector may still be owed after the sale, and the IRS can redeem within 120 days of the sale any parcel carrying a recorded federal tax lien.

Parcels are described by Assessor's Parcel Number: map book, page, block where there is one, and parcel. The Assessor's office has the maps and an explanation of the numbering. A parcel number is not an address: check the assessor's map, and the access to the parcel, before you bid.

Questions about the parcels go to the county at [email protected] or (209) 754-6350; questions about bidding to Bid4Assets.

Unsold parcels and excess proceeds

Parcels that get no bids are re-offered from January 22 to January 25, 2027 on Bid4Assets, at a minimum the county will set to attract competitive bidding. If a parcel you want draws no interest in November, the January round may open lower.

When a parcel sells for more than the liens and costs of sale, the difference is excess proceeds. Parties of interest as defined in Revenue and Taxation Code § 4675, such as the former owner and lienholders of record, can file a claim with the county for them.

Three ways people lose money here

  1. 1. Leaving the deposit to November 9

    Vesting information comes first, then the deposit instructions; the money must be at Bid4Assets by 1:00 p.m. PT that day.

  2. 2. Planning to pay by ACH or card

    Calaveras accepts only cashier's check or wire for the full price.

  3. 3. Assuming a loser can step in

    California law does not let the county sell to the runner-up; a defaulting winner faces legal action.

Sources

Checked against these sources on 2026-10-16.

County snapshot

Population (2024)46,505
Change since 2020+2.5%
Net migration (2024)+157

Calaveras County has grown 2.5% since 2020 and still shows positive net migration (157 people in 2024). Demand for housing usually means owners redeem rather than walk away — good for the interest, less good if you were hoping to take the deed.

By population, Calaveras County is the 44th largest of California's 58 counties. It has grown faster than the state average (-0.3% across California), so competition at the auction is likely to be heavier here than in the quieter counties. Of the 2024 change, 157 came from people moving in and 231 from deaths outnumbering births.

Counties of similar size in California with a sale on our calendar: Del Norte County, Shasta County, El Dorado County. Useful if this county's sale has already closed and you want the next comparable one.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Census population estimates. Population figures are estimates, not a count.

Property & tax profile

Median home value$457,200
Median tax / year$3,319
Tax / home value0.7%
Owned outright45.7%
“Other vacant”3.3%
Median year built1986

The median homeowner in Calaveras County pays $3,319 a year in property tax — below the California median of $5,124 (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 $3,569; homes owned outright, $2,890.

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 Calaveras County, 45.7% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (California: 32.6%, U.S.: 39.4%). That is more than the state as a whole, so a larger share of the delinquent bills here have no lender behind them.

33.4% of all housing units in Calaveras County are vacant. 28.1% of all units are seasonal or vacation homes, empty by design rather than abandoned. 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 3.3% of all units (California: 2.1%, 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 Calaveras County were built in or before 1986 (California: in or before 1976) — newer than most of the state. The typical tax bill is 4.2% of the median household income of $78,647 (California: 5.2%).

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.

Note

41 parcels from $1,600. $2,000 deposit by Nov 9; full payment by Nov 19 (cashier's check or wire). Unsold parcels re-offered Jan 22–25, 2027.

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Quick answers

When is the Calaveras County tax sale?+

The Calaveras County, California tax sale is scheduled for November 13, 2026, hosted via Bid4Assets (online, Nov 13–16).

Is Calaveras County a good county to buy tax deed properties in?+

Calaveras County has grown 2.5% since 2020 and still shows positive net migration (157 people in 2024). Demand for housing usually means owners redeem rather than walk away — good for the interest, less good if you were hoping to take the deed. Population in 2024: 46,505. These are U.S. Census Bureau estimates, not a recommendation — the county's own delinquency and redemption history matters more, and only the California treasurer publishes that.

How much is the property tax in Calaveras County?+

The median homeowner in Calaveras County pays $3,319 a year, about 0.7% of the median home value of $457,200 (California: 0.7%). Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $3,569, homes owned outright $2,890. These are U.S. Census Bureau survey estimates (American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates); the exact bill for a parcel depends on its assessed value and local rates, and the county tax collector has it.

What type of sale is it?+

Calaveras County holds a tax deed sale. California's statewide system: tax deed. What the buyer earns: none — deed sold at auction, no interest.

What's the redemption period in Calaveras County?+

Calaveras County follows California's statewide redemption period: None after the sale.

Other California sales near this date

Every California page →

Other sales in November 2026

All November 2026 sales →

Want the full statutory picture for California, not just Calaveras County? Read the California state page for the rate, redemption period, and every other county we've sourced, or compare it with tax lien interest rates in every state. If a past sale left money over, how surplus funds are claimed in California.

Before you bid: how to research a tax sale property, what a tax lien or deed really costs and the risks investors run.

See every other scheduled sale on the full auction calendar, every sale in November 2026, the upcoming California sales, or sign up for deal alerts to hear about new California dates as soon as we add them.

This page is general information, not financial or legal advice. Auction dates get postponed, cancelled, or rescheduled — always confirm against the official source above before showing up or bidding. Verified 2026-10-16.