Chatham County

Where and when

Chatham holds its tax sales on the second floor of the Savannah Civic Center, Bryan Room, 301 West Oglethorpe Avenue, on the first Tuesday of the month when a sale is scheduled, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The office's Tax Sale page gives the next one as November 3, 2026. Not every month has a sale: its October 2026 list is marked "No Tax Sale", and the office's results page runs from January to July 2026.

On October 10 the November list had not been posted yet; the October slot still read "No Tax Sale", and the judicial sale list read "No Sale Scheduled". The list and a photo list usually appear on the same page in the weeks before the sale. Questions go to the tax commissioner's office at 222 West Oglethorpe Avenue, Suite 107, or (912) 652-7100.

How the auction runs

Each sale is a public auction. The opening bid includes all taxes, penalties and costs, and the office states that once the levy officer recognizes a bid it is official and binding between the levying authority and the bidder. The office suggests you not buy a property you have not seen, and says plainly that there are no guarantees, expressed or implied. Caveat emptor applies (O.C.G.A. § 9-13-167): you are charged with knowing the title and its defects, and any title search done by or for the office is not an opinion you can rely on.

Pre-register through the office's online bidder form before the sale. The time to pay is set on the day of the sale, but the office's rule is payment by 2 p.m. the same day, in cash, a cashier's check or a money order. At the levy officer's discretion, properties that drew no minimum bid can be offered again the same day at 2:30 p.m.

Two kinds of sale: sheriff's deed or judicial

When a judicial in rem sale is scheduled, Chatham starts with it and follows with the regular sheriff's sale. The office has authority for the judicial sale through a Superior Court civil action, and its page says title vests absolutely in the purchaser at the sale, so there is no barment or quiet title action afterwards. Under Georgia's judicial in rem statute, the record owner still has 60 days to redeem by paying the minimum bid into court, and the buyer then gets a refund rather than a premium. For November, no judicial sale was scheduled on October 10.

The regular sale is different. The levy officer executes an ex-officio sheriff's tax deed and records it, but the deed gives only defeasible title. State law bars the buyer from taking possession, or even entering, during the twelve months after the sale. After twelve months you can forever bar the right of redemption with notice. You are also responsible for every tax and assessment from the sale on, and the deed and future tax bills go to the mailing address you give at the sale.

The redemption price

The owner, their heirs, legal assigns, or anyone with a legal interest can redeem a property sold at the regular sale. Georgia sets the price at the amount paid at the sale, plus taxes paid since, plus a premium of 20% for the first year or part of a year and 10% for each year after (O.C.G.A. § 48-4-42). The right does not end at twelve months by itself: it lasts until the buyer forecloses it with a barment notice, or until the title ripens four years after recording.

For a bidder, that means two outcomes. The owner redeems, and you get your money back plus a flat 20% in the first year, which is a strong return on a quick redemption and a modest one if it takes eleven months. Or the owner does not redeem, and you face the cost and time of barment before you can sell or insure the title. The statute in detail is on our Georgia page.

Excess funds: claimants file directly

If a property sells for more than is owed, the tax commissioner holds the difference as excess funds. The property owner at the time of sale can request it, as can an heir or beneficiary if the owner died, or a lienholder such as a mortgage lender or a homeowners' association. Chatham's page is direct: the office does not correspond with third parties and does not recognize representation by an asset recovery firm, or by a person or company holding a power of attorney. Claimants file the Excess Funds Request Form with the listed documents, by mail to PO Box 8092, Savannah, or by email.

Most reviews take three to four weeks. If claims conflict or cannot be verified, the money may be interpleaded in Superior Court. Funds nobody claims within five years of the sale go to the Georgia Department of Revenue, and after that only a court order in an interpleader action filed in Chatham County can release them. The other Georgia sales on November 3 are on our November 3 Georgia list.

Three ways people lose money here

1. 1. Assuming a sale every month

   Chatham skipped October 2026. Confirm the date and the list on the tax commissioner's page before you plan the trip.

2. 2. Missing the 2 p.m. payment deadline

   Payment is due by 2 p.m. on sale day in cash, a cashier's check or a money order. No-bid properties are re-offered at 2:30.

3. 3. Going onto the property after you win

   The office reminds buyers that state law prohibits possession, and trespass, during the twelve months after the sale.