Georgia Tax Deed Sales: How Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett & Cobb County Auctions Work (2026)

If you are researching a Fulton County tax deed sale, start with the fact that shapes everything else: Georgia does not hand you clean title on auction day. You win a tax deed, but the former owner and anyone with a recorded interest can redeem it by paying you back plus a statutory premium. Hours of research can end in a property or in a refund, so you have to underwrite for both.

The mechanics are manageable. The hunting is not. Each metro county runs its sale on its own website, with its own schedule, registration process and sale list, often a PDF or a newspaper notice. Add a comparison spreadsheet and hand-tracked redemption dates, and research eats your margin.

This guide explains how Georgia tax deed sales work under O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4, how the Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb sales run as of October 2026, and how to underwrite a parcel the former owner may redeem.

What Is a Georgia Tax Deed Sale?

A Georgia tax deed sale is a public auction where a county sells a delinquent property to the highest bidder, who receives a tax deed that stays defeasible, meaning it can be undone, until the right to redeem ends. An execution (a fi. fa.), a legal order to collect unpaid tax by levy and sale, comes first. Bidding opens at the taxes and costs owed, and the winner takes a deed, not a lien. Cobb County states that it does not sell tax liens.

Fulton County's Sheriff makes the same point about title. A sheriff's tax deed conveys only "defeasible title," and the buyer must foreclose the right to redeem or let title ripen by prescription to hold fee simple. For how this differs from lien states, see tax lien states vs tax deed states and tax lien vs tax deed investing.

How the Georgia Redemption Right and Premium Work

The 12-Month Window Is Not the End

Under O.C.G.A. 48-4-40, the defendant in execution or anyone with a right, title, interest or lien may redeem within 12 months of the sale, and after that until the right is foreclosed by the notice in O.C.G.A. 48-4-45. Month 13 does not make you the owner. Only the foreclosure notice process closes the window.

The Redemption Price and Premium

Under O.C.G.A. 48-4-42, for sales after July 1, 2002, the redeemer pays your bid as shown in the tax deed, plus any taxes you paid after the sale, any special assessments, and a premium of 20 percent of the amount for the first year or fraction of a year, then 10 percent for each year or fraction after that. Notice costs can be added if redemption comes more than 30 days after the notice. This table runs the arithmetic on a hypothetical $10,000 bid. It illustrates the statute, not an outcome to expect.

The "fraction of a year" wording matters. A redemption on day 30 costs the redeemer the same 20 percent as one on day 360, so a quick redemption is a normal outcome.

Foreclosing the Right to Redeem

After 12 months you may foreclose the right to redeem by serving notice under O.C.G.A. 48-4-45 on the defendant in execution, any occupant, and everyone with a recorded interest or lien, then publishing it once a week for four consecutive weeks. Under O.C.G.A. 48-4-46, the sheriff must receive the notice at least 45 days before the date the right expires. This is attorney work; a missed step can cost you the position.

Prescription and the Court-Supervised Variation

For a deed properly executed on or after July 1, 1996, title can also ripen by prescription four years after recording, under O.C.G.A. 48-4-48. Treat that as a backstop for counsel. Separately, some sales run through judicial foreclosure, where O.C.G.A. 48-4-81 gives the owner of record 60 days to redeem, not 12 months. Fulton's October 6, 2026 list is headed "Delinquent Tax Liens & Judicial Foreclosure Liens," so confirm the route for each parcel.

Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb Tax Sales at a Glance

The four counties share a first-Tuesday rhythm but differ on who runs the sale and how you register. This table reflects each official page as of October 2026. Confirm with the county.

Fulton County Tax Deed Sale

The Fulton County Sheriff's tax sale page links the October 6, 2026 sale list and says properties are advertised in the South Fulton Neighbor for four weeks. The levy officer may rescind a sale within 30 days with a full refund of your bid.

DeKalb County Tax Sale List

The DeKalb Tax Commissioner's page publishes a property listing and says there is no mailing list, so you watch the listing and the legal organ, currently The Champion Newspaper.

Gwinnett Tax Sale List

The Gwinnett Tax Commissioner's page advertises sales in the Gwinnett Daily Post for four weeks and says purchasers must keep paying property taxes as they come due.

Cobb County Tax Deed Sale

The Cobb Tax Commissioner's page issues bidder cards from 9 to 10 a.m. against photo ID, requires payment in full when the sale concludes, and posts its list about four weeks before a sale.

How to Underwrite a Georgia Tax Deed When the Owner May Redeem

Underwriting a redeemable deed means pricing two futures: the owner redeems, or nobody does. Run these steps on every parcel.

1. Pull the List and Confirm the Sale Route

Note whether the parcel is in an ordinary levy sale or a judicial foreclosure sale, since the owner's window differs. To build candidates first, see how to find tax delinquent properties.

2. Identify Everyone Who Can Redeem

Anyone with a right, title, interest or lien can redeem, so a mortgage holder can too. Pull ownership and recorded liens before you bid, because those parties must be served if you later foreclose.

3. Compare the Opening Bid to Value

DeKalb and Gwinnett open bidding at taxes plus costs. Compare that to assessed and market value, tax history, mortgage and lien data and MLS status. MarketplacePro attaches those fields to the record, so weak parcels drop out in minutes. Our due diligence checklist and guide to researching tax liens online cover the broader process.

4. Model Both Outcomes

If the owner redeems, you get your bid back with the premium and no property. If nobody redeems, foreclosing the right costs legal fees and time. Either way your capital sits idle: Cobb states the purchaser cannot take possession, make improvements or evict tenants, and DeKalb says you are not entitled to rents. Deal analysis scoring helps you rank parcels on distress signals and economics.

5. Read the Liens of Record

Cobb notes that redemption restores title to the owner of record subject to liens that existed at the sale. Ask a Georgia real estate attorney which liens survive.

6. Calendar Every Deadline

You are managing registration, payment day, the 12-month mark, the foreclosure notice timeline and the prescription period at once. Opportunity tracking keeps those dates in one place, which is cheaper than a lost position.

Where Software Fits in a Georgia Tax Deed Workflow

The legal steps are fixed; the research does not have to be manual. MarketplacePro's tax deed research pairs filters for auction date, size, distress and county with property intelligence and deal scoring, cutting 3+ hours of per-property research to a single focused session across all 50 states. Working lien states too? See tax lien research or our roundup of tax sale property search tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Fulton County tax deed sale held?

The Fulton County Sheriff holds its tax sale on the first Tuesday of each month, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., on the courthouse steps at 136 Pryor Street SW in Atlanta. As of October 2026 the county has posted its October 6 list. Confirm before you go.

Can the former owner take the property back after I win the bid?

Yes. The owner and anyone with a recorded interest or lien can redeem within 12 months, and keep redeeming until you foreclose the right with proper notice. Redemption returns title to the owner and refunds your bid plus the statutory premium, so treat it as a normal outcome.

How much is the Georgia redemption premium?

The premium is 20 percent of the amount you paid for the first year or fraction of a year, and 10 percent for each year or fraction after that, under O.C.G.A. 48-4-42. Taxes you paid after the sale and special assessments are added. It is a statutory formula, not a promised return.

Are Georgia metro tax sales held online?

The four county pages describe in-person sales, and Cobb says bidding is in person only. Fulton and DeKalb offer online registration, but the bidding is at the venue.

Do I get possession of the property right away?

No. During the redemption period you hold defeasible title, and Cobb states that the purchaser cannot take possession, make improvements or evict tenants. Ask a Georgia attorney about possession after foreclosure.

Where can I find the DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb sale lists?

Each county publishes its own: DeKalb posts an online property listing, Gwinnett lists upcoming sales on its page, and Cobb posts its list about four weeks before a sale. A centralized platform saves you checking each one by hand every month.

Next Steps: Turn Sale Lists Into a Ranked Shortlist

Pick one county, pull its next list, and run the six steps on three parcels. To see that work compressed, Book a live walkthrough on your own target counties, or View Demo first.

Related reading: Tax Lien States vs Tax Deed States | Tax Deed Software | Tax Lien Due Diligence Checklist