Houston County, AL tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Houston County, AL tax sale, one of 2,553 counties in 30 states. Alabama sells tax lien certificates paying up to 12%. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Jul 27, 2026.
How tax lien sales work in Houston County, seat of Dothan: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Alabama tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- Not scheduled.
- Format
- GovEase
- Registration
- Bidders register online with GovEase ahead of the sale.
- County office
- 334-677-4715
On this page
How Houston County sells delinquent taxes
From lien to deed
Alabama holds no routine county tax deed auction under the tax lien regime. A holder of all the sold, unexpired, outstanding tax lien certificates on a parcel may file an action in circuit court to foreclose the right to redeem and quiet title, but only once four years have passed since the tax lien auction and no later than ten years after it. The holder must mail a notice of intent at least 30 days and no more than 180 days before filing, to the owner of record, every recorded lienholder, the tax collecting official, and anyone else who may reasonably be believed to hold an interest.
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Houston County Revenue Commissioner's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annually in early May.
- Registration
- Bidders register online with GovEase ahead of the sale.
- Next expected
- between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Bidders register online with GovEase ahead of the sale. The county's GovEase flyer states registration "Begins April 3rd, 2026" and instructs bidders: "You can create an account and register by visiting www.govease.com" (bidder login at liveauctions.govease.com/Account/Login). Online bidder training is offered at www.govease.com/bidderhelp. The county directs questions to "GovEase at 769-208-5050 Option 2 or email their support at support@govease.com."
Sale format and venue
Houston County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Houston County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid.
Get the advertised list
Use Tax sale list (parcels for 2025 taxes) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
Not scheduled. Bidding runs on GovEase; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Circuit court of the county; the circuit clerk executes the deed as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Houston County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Tax sale list (parcels for 2025 taxes). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Bidders register online with GovEase ahead of the sale. The county's GovEase flyer states registration "Begins April 3rd, 2026" and instructs bidders: "You can create an account and register by visiting www.govease.com" (bidder login at liveauctions.govease.com/Account/Login). Online bidder training is offered at www.govease.com/bidderhelp. The county directs questions to "GovEase at 769-208-5050 Option 2 or email their support at support@govease.com."
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Alabama due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.Set a walk-away number
Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
unsold certificates
Liens that draw no bid at the auction stay with the county. At any time after the auction date the tax collecting official may sell an unsold lien at private sale for no less than all taxes, interest, penalties, costs and fees due, plus any amount owed to a prior certificate holder. The rate is agreed with the tax collecting official and cannot exceed 12 percent, so over-the-counter liens often carry the full rate. Ask the county for its list of unsold liens.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Alabama calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Houston County Revenue Commissioner's Office
Mailing: P.O. Drawer 6406, Dothan, AL 36302. Physical: 5th Floor, Administration Building, 462 N. Oates St., Dothan, AL 36303
Official websiteCounty notes
- Revenue Commissioner is Greg Holland; the 334-677-4715 line is the Collections division, which handles delinquent taxes.
- Houston County operates under the tax lien auction regime, so the annual May sale transfers tax liens rather than deeds.
- The auction is fully online on GovEase; the county publishes no in-person bidding option.
- Sale list is an Excel workbook linked from the Revenue Commissioner Tax Sale page and updated before the sale date.
- Office hours listed as Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Alabama rules
- Redemption
- A tax lien can be redeemed at any time before the circuit court enters judgment in a foreclosure action, and the holder cannot file that action until four years after the auction or the tax official's private sale. If the holder does not commence a foreclosure action within ten years of the auction or sale, the certificate expires and the lien becomes void. A certificate holder has no right to enter or possess the property, make repairs, or charge rents before it receives the circuit clerk's deed. In a county that uses the Article 1 property tax sale instead, land sold to a purchaser other than the state may be redeemed within three years from the date of sale, and land bid in for the state may be redeemed at any time before title passes out of the state.
- Surplus proceeds
- In a court-ordered auction the proceeds pay the cost of the auction first, then the certificate holder up to the redemption amount plus taxes it paid before filing and the court-allowed costs and fees. Any surplus goes to the owner or the owner's heirs or successors as the court determines, and Alabama's unclaimed property law applies to whatever is left. In a county that instead uses the Article 1 property tax sale, the excess over the decree is held in a separate county account for three years for a party who redeems, and Section 40-10-28 opens later windows in which the owner or a redeeming party can claim it.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Houston County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?
When is the Houston County tax certificate sale?
How often does Houston County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Houston County tax sale list?
Verified Jul 27, 2026 against official county and state sources.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.