Georgia Tax Deed Investing: The Complete Investor Guide

How Georgia Redeemable Tax Deeds Work

Georgia is not a tax lien state and not a traditional tax deed state. It's a redeemable tax deed state, and that distinction is critical.

When a Georgia property owner fails to pay their property taxes, the county Sheriff (or Tax Commissioner, depending on the county) conducts a tax sale on the courthouse steps. The winning bidder receives a tax deed, a legal conveyance of title issued under Georgia law. But that deed comes with a significant string attached: the original owner has 12 months from the date of sale to redeem the property by paying you back, plus a statutory premium.

What You Own After Winning the Bid

You own the tax deed and hold title to the property. But during the 12-month redemption period:

• The original owner retains the right of redemption, the right to buy the property back

• You cannot physically dispossess the occupant during this period without additional legal action

• You can pay subsequent property taxes (which get added to the redemption amount owed to you)

• You can take steps to protect the property, but your control is limited

This is meaningfully different from Florida, where a tax deed triggers a clean break. In Georgia, you're in a holding pattern for at least a year.

The 20% Premium, How Redemption Math Works

If the original owner (or any party with an interest in the property) redeems during the 12-month period, they must pay you back under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-42:

• The amount you paid at the tax sale

• Plus any subsequent taxes you paid on the property after purchase

• Plus a 20% premium on the total of the above amounts for the first year (or any fraction of a year)

• Plus 10% per year for each additional year after the first (if redemption extends beyond 12 months after a barment notice is filed)

Example: You win a tax deed for $15,000. The owner redeems at month 10. They owe you $15,000 + 20% = $18,000. That's an 20% return in under a year regardless of whether you ever take possession of the property, and that's the core yield play for Georgia tax deed investors who don't want to deal with the property at all.

If the owner doesn't redeem and you want full, marketable title, you move to the barment process.

How Georgia Tax Sales Are Conducted

Georgia tax sales are live, in-person auctions held on the courthouse steps, one of the few states that still primarily operates this way. Most sales are not online.

When auctions are held:
Sales are typically held on the first Tuesday of the month, though counties vary. Major metro counties like Fulton hold auctions monthly; smaller rural counties may hold them quarterly or annually.

Registration:
Most counties require bidders to register with the Tax Commissioner's office before the sale. Requirements vary by county, some require a deposit, others simply require identification.

Payment:
Payment is due immediately or same-day at most Georgia county auctions. Cash or certified/cashier's check is the standard requirement. Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted.

Minimum bid:
The minimum bid at a Georgia tax sale is the total amount of delinquent taxes, penalties, interest, and costs of sale. Properties can sometimes be acquired well below market value, particularly in rural counties.

What you receive:
A Sheriff's Tax Deed (or Tax Commissioner's Deed), recorded in the county deed records. This is your legal conveyance of title under Georgia law.

What Liens Survive a Georgia Redeemable Tax Deed Sale

This is the section that determines whether your deal pencils out. Georgia's tax deed does extinguish most private liens, but there are critical exceptions investors routinely miss.

Liens Extinguished by a Georgia Tax Deed Sale

• Private mortgages and deeds of trust

• Judgment liens held by private creditors

• Most mechanic's and materialman's liens

• Junior tax certificates

• HOA/COA assessment liens that accrued before the date of the tax sale (the tax lien is superior to the HOA lien, so the sale wipes the prior HOA arrearage)

Liens and Encumbrances That Survive, Or Require Careful Review

1. Federal / IRS Tax Liens

The federal government is not bound by Georgia's tax deed process. Under 26 U.S.C. § 7425, the IRS retains a 120-day right of redemption after a tax sale if proper advance notice was not given to the IRS. If an IRS lien is recorded against the prior owner and the IRS was not properly notified before the sale, that lien survives, and the IRS can redeem the property and take it back from you.

A Current Owner Search before you bid identifies any recorded federal tax liens so you can assess this risk before auction day.

2. State and County Tax Liens (Subsequent Years)

Georgia tax liens have super-priority status under O.C.G.A. § 48-2-56, liens for taxes owed to the state or any county or municipality are superior to all other liens. If additional property taxes accrue after the sale date and you don't pay them, new tax liability attaches. Staying current on taxes after purchase is not optional.

3. Municipal Code Enforcement Liens

Governmental liens, including municipal code enforcement liens, can survive or re-attach depending on when they were recorded and the nature of the violation. Properties in municipalities with active code enforcement (particularly in metro Atlanta counties) can carry lien exposure that isn't fully wiped by the tax deed. Always verify with the city or county code enforcement department directly.

4. HOA and COA Assessments

HOA assessments that accrue after the tax deed is issued become your obligation. If the property is in an HOA, contact the association before bidding to identify any outstanding balances, pending special assessments, or deferred maintenance fees that may immediately attach to you as the new owner.

5. Easements and Deed Restrictions

Recorded easements, use restrictions, and covenants running with the land survive the tax deed sale. You take the property subject to all recorded encumbrances of this type. These don't create financial liability, but they affect what you can do with the property.

Mineral Rights and Georgia Tax Deed Sales

Georgia has significant mineral extraction history, gold in the North Georgia mountains, kaolin clay in the central piedmont, granite quarrying, and timber operations across the state. Mineral rights severance is common, and it is an issue tax deed investors frequently overlook.

How Severance Works in Georgia

Under Georgia law, when you own a tract of land you hold both the surface estate and the mineral estate, unless those interests have been separated. Severance can occur through a prior deed conveying the mineral rights to another party, a grantor reserving the mineral rights when selling the surface estate, or a testamentary instrument. Once severed, the mineral estate becomes a completely distinct property interest that can be bought, sold, leased, and inherited separately from the surface.

A 2026 advisory from Fox Rothschild confirms the core risk: "If you are purchasing land in Georgia, you cannot assume you are acquiring the mineral estate along with the surface. Always ask, and always check the deed history."

What This Means for Tax Deed Investors

Georgia's tax deed system does not automatically reunite severed mineral interests with the surface. When you win a Georgia tax deed, you receive whatever interest the taxpayer held. If the mineral rights were severed prior to the tax delinquency and belonged to a separate owner, you are buying the surface only. The mineral rights owner was a distinct party who would need to be separately addressed in any tax proceedings affecting their interest.

The practical impact varies:

• A severed mineral interest on a residential lot in suburban Atlanta has minimal real-world consequence

• A severed mineral interest on 200 acres of North Georgia mountain land where timber or mineral extraction is possible is a materially different situation

• Rural parcels in gold country (Lumpkin, Dahlonega area), kaolin territory (Wilkinson, Twiggs, Washington counties), or granite quarry regions (Elbert, Heard counties) carry higher mineral severance risk

Identifying Severances Before You Bid

Mineral right severances are recorded in the county deed records as part of the historical chain of title. A Current Owner Search may not surface a severance that occurred 40 years ago in a prior deed, for rural parcels and any property with extraction history, a Full Title Search tracing the complete historical chain is the only reliable way to confirm whether minerals have been severed. Do not skip this step on rural Georgia land.

Reclaiming Abandoned Mineral Rights

Georgia provides a statutory mechanism under O.C.G.A. § 44-5-168 for surface owners to petition the Superior Court to reunite abandoned severed mineral rights with the surface estate, based on the mineral rights owner's prolonged non-use and failure to pay taxes. This is not a straightforward process, it requires filing in the Superior Court of the county where the land is located, identifying and serving all potential interest holders, and demonstrating abandonment. But it is an available path if you acquire surface title and the mineral rights have been dormant for decades.

Counties with highest mineral severance risk:

• North Georgia (Lumpkin, Union, Towns, Fannin, Gilmer), gold, timber, hardrock mining history

• Central Georgia kaolin belt (Wilkinson, Twiggs, Washington, Baldwin, Putnam), kaolin clay extraction

• Elbert County and surrounding granite region

• Any rural county with multi-generational family ownership where deed chains haven't been examined in decades

HOA and COA Assessment Liability

If the property you're bidding on is in a homeowners association or condominium association, Georgia law creates a clear and important liability framework for tax deed purchasers.

Pre-Sale HOA Arrears Are Extinguished

Georgia's tax lien holds super-priority status under O.C.G.A. § 48-2-56, superior to all other liens including HOA assessment liens. This means the tax sale wipes the HOA's recorded lien for unpaid assessments that accrued before the date of the tax sale. The prior owner's HOA debt does not follow you.

Post-Sale Assessments Are Your Obligation, Immediately

The Georgia Court of Appeals in Canady v. Cumberland Harbour Prop. Owners Ass'n, Inc., 797 S.E.2d 674 (2017) confirmed this unequivocally: a tax deed purchaser is liable for HOA assessments that come due after the date of the tax sale, even during the redemption period. The court held that a tax deed purchaser holds sufficient title to render them liable for post-sale assessments regardless of whether the property is eventually redeemed.

This is one of the most practically important rules in Georgia tax deed investing:

• From the moment your deed is recorded, you owe HOA dues going forward

• If the property is redeemed, the 2016 amendment to O.C.G.A. § 48-4-42 requires the redeeming party to reimburse you for HOA assessments you paid during the redemption period, those amounts get added to the redemption price

• If you don't pay and the HOA records a new lien, that lien attaches to your ownership interest

Before bidding on any HOA property:

• Contact the association directly to identify the monthly or annual assessment amount

• Identify any pending special assessments for capital improvements or deferred maintenance

• Factor the full HOA carrying cost into your cost basis for the entire anticipated hold period

HOA Lien Foreclosure, A Separate Proceeding

Under O.C.G.A. § 44-3-109, a Georgia HOA can foreclose an assessment lien. No foreclosure action is permitted unless the lien amount is at least $2,000. An HOA that is owed post-sale assessments you haven't paid can initiate foreclosure proceedings against your deed. Do not treat HOA dues as optional during the redemption period.

Special Circumstances: Military, Incapacitated Owners, and Foreign Ownership

Active Duty Military, SCRA Protections

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) creates protections for active duty military that materially affect your timeline as a Georgia tax deed investor. Under the SCRA:

• A court can stay or postpone tax sale enforcement proceedings against an active duty servicemember for the duration of military service plus up to 180 days after discharge

• If a tax sale was conducted against an active duty servicemember who was not properly protected under the SCRA, meaning the court did not appoint counsel or obtain proper waiver, the judgment may be voidable

• The SCRA applies to National Guard and reserve members called to active duty, not just career military

Investor action items:

• Properties near Georgia's major military installations carry statistically higher military ownership risk: Fort Moore (Columbus/Muscogee County), Fort Stewart (Hinesville/Liberty County), Hunter Army Airfield (Savannah/Chatham County), Moody Air Force Base (Valdosta/Lowndes County), Robins Air Force Base (Warner Robins/Houston County), and Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base (Camden County)

• If a pre-auction title search surfaces an owner of record with a military rank, APO/FPO address, or active duty indicators in the deed history, consult a Georgia attorney before bidding

• A voided sale from an SCRA violation is not a negotiable problem, you lose the property and have limited recourse

Incapacitated and Legally Incompetent Owners

Georgia law does not provide a separate extended statutory redemption period specifically for incapacitated owners. However, a person who lacked legal capacity during the tax sale proceeding may have grounds to challenge the proceeding under general principles of due process, particularly if no guardian ad litem was appointed by the court to represent their interests.

This is not a common risk but a real one on properties where the chain of title shows estate filings, guardianship or conservatorship proceedings, or prolonged unexplained vacancy with an elderly owner of record. A pre-auction title search that surfaces these indicators is your early warning. If you identify a potential incapacity situation, have a Georgia attorney assess the tax sale proceeding before you bid.

Foreign Ownership

Georgia does not currently have a blanket prohibition on foreign nationals purchasing tax deed properties comparable to Arkansas Act 241 or Texas SB 17. However, investors purchasing through entities with foreign national participants from countries designated as adversaries under federal law should monitor both federal-level regulations and developing Georgia legislative activity. Confirm compliance with a Georgia attorney before bidding through any multi-national entity structure.

Contacting the Prior Owner During the Redemption Period

Georgia law does not prohibit you from contacting the prior owner during the redemption period. There is no statute restricting communication between a tax deed holder and the prior owner, and reaching out is a legitimate and common investor strategy.

Two reasons investors contact prior owners during the redemption period:

1. To negotiate a voluntary conveyance

The prior owner can voluntarily execute a quitclaim deed conveying their remaining interest to you before the redemption period expires. If the owner has no realistic path to raising the redemption funds, some owners prefer a clean exit rather than waiting out the clock. A negotiated conveyance eliminates your redemption risk entirely, accelerates your path to marketable title, and can sometimes include a payment to the owner for their cooperation. BiggerPockets practitioners confirm this directly: "Yes you can contact the owner if you can find him. You are trying to get the deed to property before the 1 year right of redemption has expired."

2. To gauge redemption likelihood

Understanding early whether a redemption is likely affects how you manage the property, how aggressively you pursue barment after 12 months, and how you plan your exit. An owner who has already moved out of state and has no interest in the property is a different situation than one who is actively trying to raise funds.

Three rules for doing this correctly:

• Any voluntary conveyance must be properly documented and recorded. A verbal agreement is worthless. If the owner agrees to sign over their interest, that quitclaim deed must be properly executed and recorded promptly in the county deed records.

• Do not pressure or deceive. Courts look unfavorably on investors who use aggressive or deceptive tactics to pressure distressed owners into surrendering redemption rights for inadequate consideration. If you are offering something to the owner in exchange for their deed, have your attorney structure the transaction.

• Confirm with your attorney before approaching. If the owner has an attorney, communication should go through counsel. If a bankruptcy filing appears in the title chain, direct contact with the owner may be restricted by the automatic stay.

What Happens When a Party Redeems

Understanding the redemption process in detail is essential, both to protect your investment if a redemption occurs and to avoid procedural errors that cost you money.

Who Can Redeem

Under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-40, the right of redemption may be exercised by:

• The owner of the property at the time of the tax sale

• Any creditor of the owner who holds a lien or other interest in the property

• Any person having an interest in the property

This is broader than it may appear. A mortgage lender, judgment creditor, HOA, or even a family member with an equitable interest in the property can redeem, not just the prior owner. Any party who successfully redeems has the effect of restoring the property to the prior owner.

How Much the Redeeming Party Must Pay

Under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-42, the full redemption amount includes:

• The amount you paid at the tax sale

• Plus any subsequent taxes you paid on the property after purchase

• Plus any HOA/COA assessments you paid after purchase (added by 2016 amendment)

• Plus a 20% premium on the aggregate total for redemption within the first 12 months (or any portion of a year)

• Plus 10% per year for each year after the first if redemption occurs after you have filed barment notice

The Form of Payment Matters, Strictly

The Georgia Court of Appeals in Moxie Capital v. Delmont 21 (2021) held that redemption funds must be paid in cash or certified funds. A personal check was found insufficient because O.C.G.A. § 48-4-42 requires payment in "lawful money of the United States," and a personal check is a promise to pay, not payment itself. The court also held that the tax deed holder has no obligation to act in good faith in responding to a party attempting to redeem.

What this means for you as the deed holder:

• You are not obligated to cooperate with a redeeming party beyond accepting proper tender of the correct amount in certified funds

• If a party attempts to redeem with a personal check, you are not required to accept it

• If a party misses the redemption deadline, even by one day, the right of redemption is extinguished if you have acted correctly

What Happens to Title When Redemption Occurs

This is where many investors have an incorrect mental model. The Sheriff's Tax Deed you recorded at auction is never cancelled. It remains in the deed records as a permanent historical instrument in the chain of title. What happens instead is a reconveyance.

Under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-44, once you receive the full redemption amount in certified funds, you are required to execute and deliver a quitclaim deed back to the prior owner. That quitclaim deed is then recorded in the county deed records, completing the chain of title by showing the reconveyance. The obligation to execute and record that deed rests entirely on you as the investor, the county does not handle it, no court order is required, it is your affirmative obligation upon receipt of proper payment.

Under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-43, the legal effect of the completed redemption is that title conveyed by the tax sale is put back into the prior owner (the "defendant in fi. fa."), subject to all liens that existed at the time of the original tax sale.

One additional mechanic worth knowing: If a creditor rather than the owner redeems the property, the amount that creditor expended to redeem constitutes a first lien on the property under § 48-4-43, repaid before any other claims, provided the quitclaim deed is recorded as required by law.

The complete redemption sequence:

1. Redeeming party tenders the full redemption amount in cash or certified funds

2. You verify the amount is correct and the funds are proper

3. You execute a quitclaim deed conveying your interest back to the prior owner

4. The quitclaim deed is recorded in the county deed records

5. The Sheriff's Tax Deed remains in the record as a historical instrument, it is not removed or cancelled

6. Title is restored to the prior owner subject to all pre-existing liens

What You Recover and What You Don't

You recover your full redemption amount, including your original bid price, subsequent taxes paid, HOA assessments paid, and the statutory premium. That is your total compensation.

What you do not recover:

• General improvements, repairs, or renovations you made to the property

• Costs of property management, maintenance labor, or capital expenditures beyond the specifically allowable amounts

• Any profit margin based on property appreciation during your hold period

This is why experienced Georgia investors treat the physical property conservatively during the redemption period. Any dollars spent improving a property that gets redeemed are lost dollars, the statute does not compensate for them.

Barment: How to Foreclose the Right of Redemption

After 12 months from the date of the tax sale, you have the right to permanently cut off the original owner's ability to redeem. This process is called barment, formally, the foreclosure of the right of redemption, and it's governed by O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45.

The Barment Process

Step 1: Wait at least 12 months from the sale date.
You cannot initiate barment before this window closes.

Step 2: Send written notice to all parties with a recorded interest in the property, prior owners, lienholders, mortgagees, and any other party in the chain of title. Notice must be sent by certified mail to the last known address of each party. Publication alone is not sufficient if a party's name and address can be reasonably ascertained (Hamilton v. Renewed Hope, Inc., 277 Ga. 465).

Step 3: Publish notice in the county's official legal organ once a week for four consecutive weeks.

Step 4: Wait 30 days after notice is given. If redemption occurs more than 30 days after notice, an additional 10% premium is added to the redemption amount.

Step 5: If no redemption occurs, the right of redemption is permanently foreclosed and you hold full, unencumbered title (subject to surviving encumbrances noted above).

Critical compliance note: Georgia courts require strict compliance with the barment notice requirements. Errors in the notice process, wrong parties, improper service method, missed lienholders, can invalidate the barment and expose you to redemption claims even after the process is complete. Barment is best completed by a real estate attorney. If the investor does choose complete the barment process themself, start with a full title search to discover all lien holders in the chain of title.

Title Ripening by Prescription

Under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-48, a tax deed that was properly executed at a valid sale will ripen by prescription after four years, meaning after four years of open, continuous possession, the title is treated as settled without a formal barment action. However, Georgia courts have narrowed this provision significantly, and actual physical possession of the property is generally required. For investors who want insurable, marketable title on a clear timeline, the barment process is the more reliable path.

Georgia's Judicial In Rem Tax Sale

Georgia counties have the option to use an alternative tax sale process called the Judicial In Rem Tax Sale, authorized under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-75 through § 48-4-81. This process is specifically designed to produce cleaner title than the traditional tax deed sale, and several metro Atlanta counties use it heavily.

How it differs from the traditional tax deed sale:

In a standard Georgia tax sale, you receive a redeemable deed with a 12-month redemption period and must go through barment and quiet title to get marketable title. The Judicial In Rem process is a court-supervised foreclosure that, when properly executed, produces a fee simple title that is immediately insurable, without a separate quiet title action.

How the process works:

1. The county files a petition in Superior Court to foreclose the tax lien against the property

2. All interested parties, owners, lienholders, mortgagees, are served with notice by the court

3. A judge enters a Final Order and Decree vesting fee simple title in the county

4. The county then sells the property at public auction

5. The winning bidder receives a Judicial In Rem Tax Deed, which is treated as fee simple, marketable title

What this means for investors:

• No 12-month redemption period, the judicial process handles this before the auction

• No barment required, the court order forecloses all redemption rights prior to sale

• Immediately insurable title, most title underwriters will issue a policy on a Judicial In Rem deed without a quiet title action, because the court has already adjudicated ownership

• IRS lien risk still applies, the 120-day IRS right of redemption under 26 U.S.C. § 7425 still applies if the IRS was not properly notified before the sale

Which counties use Judicial In Rem:

Fulton County uses this process extensively. Several other metro Atlanta counties have adopted it. Always verify with the Tax Commissioner's office which process a specific sale is being conducted under, it materially affects your title risk and exit strategy.

The tradeoff:

Because the title is cleaner and more immediately marketable, Judicial In Rem properties tend to attract more competitive bidding and sell closer to market value than traditional tax deed sales. The discount is smaller, but the risk is too.

Georgia Tax Deed Pre-Auction Due Diligence Checklist

Run this list on every Georgia property before you bid:

☐ Order a Current Owner Search, identify all recorded mortgages, judgments, liens, IRS encumbrances, HOA membership, and governmental liens before the auction

☐ Search federal court records for IRS tax liens against the property owner, a recorded federal lien triggers the 120-day IRS redemption risk

☐ Check for municipal code enforcement liens, contact city/county code enforcement directly, especially in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and other metro Atlanta counties with active enforcement programs

☐ Investigate mineral rights status, for any rural, agricultural, or historically extractive parcel, determine whether mineral rights have been severed from the surface; a Full Title Search is the only reliable way to identify historical severances in the chain of title; highest risk counties: Lumpkin, Union, Wilkinson, Twiggs, Elbert, and surrounding mineral/timber regions

☐ Check for CID obligations, for any commercial property in metro Atlanta, verify whether the parcel falls within a Community Improvement District; contact the CID administrator to identify outstanding assessment balances and the ongoing annual assessment rate

☐ Confirm HOA/COA status, if the property is in an association, contact them directly to identify outstanding balances and pending special assessments

☐ Screen for military or incapacitated prior owners, properties near Fort Moore, Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, Moody AFB, Robins AFB, and Kings Bay carry higher military ownership risk; if the title chain shows APO/FPO addresses, military rank, or active duty indicators, consult a Georgia attorney before bidding; similarly, estate filings, guardianship indicators, or conservatorship proceedings in the chain deserve attorney review

☐ Verify the property is occupied or vacant, during the 12-month redemption period, dispossessing an occupant requires additional legal action; factor this into your timeline and cost basis

☐ Verify the auction type, confirm whether the sale is a traditional redeemable tax deed or a Judicial In Rem proceeding; it materially changes your title risk, redemption exposure, and exit timeline

☐ Calculate your true cost basis including purchase price + subsequent taxes you'll carry during the redemption period + barment attorney fees + quiet title costs + carrying costs for 12–24 months

☐ Identify your exit strategy before you bid, cash buyer, retail financed buyer, or hold, and confirm whether quiet title is required for that exit

☐ Confirm the county's payment requirements, most Georgia counties require cash or certified check, same day or at the sale; wire transfers are not universally accepted

Top Georgia Counties for Tax Deed Investing

Georgia has 159 counties, the most of any state except Texas. All hold tax sales, though frequency, volume, and process vary considerably.

Note on Fulton County: Fulton is unique in that it outsources delinquent tax collection to private investors, giving those investors significant control over the auction process. This creates a more complex bidding environment and heightened due diligence requirements, particularly around code enforcement and municipal liens in Atlanta city limits.

For first-time Georgia investors: Smaller suburban or rural counties often offer cleaner processes, less municipal lien complexity, and less auction competition than the metro Atlanta market.

How Blazer Title Search Supports Georgia Tax Deed Investors

Blazer Title Search was built specifically for real estate investors, including tax deed investors working in Georgia's unique redeemable deed environment.

Before the Auction, Current Owner Search

The Current Owner Search (O&E Report) is the standard pre-auction due diligence tool for Georgia tax deed investors. It identifies all recorded encumbrances, mortgages, judgments, liens, IRS filings, HOA membership, and municipal liens, so you know what survives the sale before you bid. Average turnaround: 2–4 business days, with rush service available.

After Barment, Full Title Search

Once you've completed the barment process, a Full Title Search gives your quiet title attorney the complete historical chain of title needed to prepare the complaint, identify all necessary defendants, and build the case for court. This is the search that clears the path to insurable title.

What Makes Blazer Different

We understand the specific title issues unique to Georgia tax sales, IRS lien timing, the barment notice requirements, municipal lien survival, and the chain-of-title documentation your attorney needs for quiet title. Generic title search companies miss these nuances. We don't.

Order a Georgia Title Search

Georgia Tax Deed Statute Reference

Georgia's tax sale process is governed by Title 48, Chapter 4, Article 3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.).

Key sections for investors:

• § 48-4-1, Tax sale authority and process

• § 48-4-20, Conduct of tax sales

• § 48-4-40, Persons entitled to redeem

• § 48-4-42, Amount required for redemption (the 20% premium)

• § 48-4-43, Effect of redemption

• § 48-4-45, Notice of foreclosure of right of redemption (barment)

• § 48-4-46, Effect of barment

• § 48-4-48, Ripening of tax deed by prescription (4-year rule)

• § 48-2-56, Priority of tax liens

View Title 48, Chapter 4 O.C.G.A. →

Ready to Bid at a Georgia Tax Deed Auction?

Don't bid blind. A Blazer Title Search Current Owner Search gives you the full lien picture on any Florida property before auction day, so you know exactly what survives, what your real cost basis is, and whether the deal makes sense before you raise your hand.

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The information on this page is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Tax sale laws vary by state and county and are subject to change. Always verify current statutes and consult a licensed real estate attorney in your state before making investment decisions. Blazer Title Search is a title search company and does not provide legal or investment advice.