Richmond County

November 3 at the Municipal Building

The office's Tax Sale Lists page says there will be no tax levy sale on October 6, 2026, and that the next one is on November 3. Sales are held at 535 Telfair Street, the Augusta Richmond County Municipal Building, which also houses the tax commissioner's office in Suite 100. Bidding begins at 10 a.m.; the presale information session at 9:30 a.m. is the place to hear the rules before the first parcel is called. If you cannot find the room, the office tells you to call 706-821-2391 or ask at Suite 100.

Richmond's sales are held on the first Tuesday of the month, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the office has one scheduled; its brochure says a sale can move to Wednesday when that Tuesday is a legal holiday. Every parcel is advertised for four consecutive weeks before the sale in the Thursday edition of the Augusta Chronicle, the county's legal organ, with the owner's name, a description and the tax due. The office links a current list for each type of sale from its page, and gives the current lists by phone.

Which list you are bidding from

The non-judicial list is the usual Georgia tax sale. The delinquent taxpayer can redeem within twelve months by paying what the winning bidder paid, which already includes taxes, interest, penalties and legal costs, plus a 20% premium. Under state law the premium rises by 10% for each further year, and the right to redeem continues past the first year until the buyer serves a barment notice (O.C.G.A. §§ 48-4-40, 48-4-42, 48-4-45).

The judicial in rem list comes from a Superior Court case against the property. There the owner can redeem only within 60 days, by paying the winning bid plus applicable fees, and the bidder receives no premium. If nobody redeems, the title is cleaner than after a regular sale, because a judicial sale clears most liens on the property (O.C.G.A. § 48-4-79). The office publishes a brochure for each kind of sale; read the one that matches the list your parcel is on.

Bidding and paying

Parcels are auctioned in the order of the advertisement. The opening bid is the tax due plus penalties, interest and costs, and the property goes to the highest bidder. Once the levy officer recognizes your bid, it is a binding agreement with the county. If no one bids at least the amount due, the parcel becomes a "No Bid", which the officer can offer again that day.

Payment is due within two hours of the end of the sale, at Suite 100, in cash, a certified check or a money order, and you sign a statement that you bought the property for the bid price. The office quotes O.C.G.A. § 9-13-170: a buyer who does not pay is liable for the purchase money, and the tax commissioner can either sue for it or resell and pursue you for the shortfall.

After the sale, the office prepares and records the sheriff's tax deed and the transfer tax form, normally by the Friday afternoon after the sale. The deed and every future tax notice go to the mailing address you give at the sale.

Twelve months without possession

The brochure is specific about the year that follows a regular sale. The buyer cannot take possession, or trespass, for twelve months. Nor can the buyer collect rents, improve any structure or grade any lot before then. You do owe every assessment and tax that comes due. When the owner, a creditor or anyone with an interest redeems, you issue a quitclaim deed, and the title goes back subject to every lien that existed at the sale.

To end the right of redemption after twelve months, the notice must be served by the sheriff of the county where the land is, at least 45 days before the deadline it sets, and published once a week for four weeks in the Augusta Chronicle. If the owner redeems more than 30 days after the notice, the costs of service and publication are added to the price. After that, the office recommends a petition to quiet title (O.C.G.A. § 23-3-60). The alternative is to wait for the deed to ripen by prescription, four years for deeds executed since July 1, 1996.

Excess funds

If the winning bid exceeds what was owed, the difference is held as excess funds, subject first to the claim of the mortgagee or other security interest holder. After the sale, the office sends a notice to everyone notified of the levy, with the buyer's name and address, the opening bid, the sale price and the excess amount. To claim, you send a written request on the office's Excess Fund Request Form. An owner with no liens can claim with an affidavit and an indemnification agreement; if there are liens, the lienholder must release its interest, or the office may file an interpleader action in Superior Court.

Our Market Pulse note has the sale in brief, and the other Georgia counties selling on November 3 are on our November 3 Georgia list.

Three ways people lose money here

1. 1. Bidding without checking which list

   A judicial parcel can be redeemed for only 60 days and pays no premium; a non-judicial one pays 20% but leaves a longer, messier title.

2. 2. Arriving with a personal check

   Cash, a certified check or a money order, within two hours of the end of the sale. Nothing else is accepted.

3. 3. Moving in before the year is up

   The brochure rules out possession, rents, improvements or grading for twelve months after a regular sale.