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Tax Sale Atlas

Limestone County, AL tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Limestone 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 state rules plus what the county publishes on Jul 27, 2026.

How tax lien sales work in Limestone County, seat of Athens: 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
In person
Registration
No online pre-registration is published.
County office
(256) 233-6433
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 27, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Limestone 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)

In person
Run by
Limestone County Revenue Commissioner (G. Brian Patterson), the combined tax assessor and tax collector office for Limestone County
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
The county publishes no fixed calendar month.
Registration
No online pre-registration is published.
Next expected
between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Limestone County Delinquent Property Search
When it runs
The county publishes no fixed calendar month. Its collection page states: "Tax sales are held annually for all unpaid tax properties" and "Properties are for sale in commission chambers in a public outcry auction, usually beginning at 10:00 A.M., on the day specified in the Notice of Sale." The same page states "Properties are advertised in the local newspaper, prior to the sale," so the newspaper Notice of Sale is the operative date announcement. Ad valorem taxes become delinquent January 1 and interest accrues at 1% per month.
Registration and deposit

No online pre-registration is published. The Revenue Commissioner states that anyone wishing to purchase must appear in person, and the property interest goes to the highest bidder. Purchasers may pay by certified check or cash on the day of the sale. The buyer receives a paid receipt at the time of purchase and, after ten business days, a certificate of purchase rather than a tax deed. Separately, state-held parcels not sold at the county sale are bought from the Alabama Department of Revenue by submitting an electronic price-quote application, with payment due within 10 calendar days of the price quote date.

Sale format and venue
Limestone County runs its tax sale IN PERSON. There is no online bidding platform. The Revenue Commissioner's collection page describes a public outcry auction held in the county commission chambers, usually starting at 10:00 A.M. on the date named in the published Notice of Sale, with bidders required to attend in person and the interest going to the highest bidder. Winning bidders pay by certified check or cash that day, receive a paid receipt immediately, and receive a certificate of purchase after ten business days. The county states the owner may redeem at any time within the first three years through the Revenue Commissioner's Office, with principal plus interest refunded to the certificate holder at a present rate of 8% per year, which voids the certificate. A tax deed cannot issue until three years from the date of the tax sale, at which point the purchaser surrenders the certificate to the Judge of Probate. Parcels that draw no bid are returned to the State of Alabama; investors then apply to the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division, and the state accepts only certified checks. The county lists that mailing address as Post Office Box 327210, Montgomery, Alabama 36132-7210. The Department of Revenue publishes a Limestone County transcript of state-held tax delinquent land, updated weekly. Note that this published county process is the traditional public outcry tax sale producing a certificate of purchase, not the online tax lien auction that some Alabama counties have adopted. In person, public outcry auction in the Limestone County Commission chambers
Source: Tax Collection Information for Limestone County, Alabama (Limestone County Revenue Commissioner Citizen Access Portal), including the TAX SALE INFORMATION FOR LIMESTONE COUNTY section· Verified Jul 27, 2026

Limestone County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Limestone 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.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use Limestone County Delinquent Property Search for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    No online pre-registration is published. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Not scheduled. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.

  4. 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 Limestone County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Limestone County Delinquent Property Search. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    No online pre-registration is published. The Revenue Commissioner states that anyone wishing to purchase must appear in person, and the property interest goes to the highest bidder. Purchasers may pay by certified check or cash on the day of the sale. The buyer receives a paid receipt at the time of purchase and, after ten business days, a certificate of purchase rather than a tax deed. Separately, state-held parcels not sold at the county sale are bought from the Alabama Department of Revenue by submitting an electronic price-quote application, with payment due within 10 calendar days of the price quote date.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

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)

Limestone County Revenue Commissioner

(256) 233-6433

100 South Clinton Street, 1st Floor Suite A, Athens, AL 35611

Official website

County notes

  • Limestone County combined the offices of tax assessor and tax collector into a single Revenue Commissioner office by public vote; the first revenue commissioner took office October 1, 1987.
  • The sale is in person only. Bidders must appear at the Limestone County Commission chambers; there is no verified online auction platform for this county.
  • Payment on sale day is certified check or cash. Plan liquidity accordingly, since no wire or card option is published.
  • The bid document is a certificate of purchase issued about ten business days after the sale, not a deed. A tax deed is only available three years after the sale date and is issued by the Judge of Probate on surrender of the certificate.
  • The county quotes a present redemption interest rate of 8% per year over a three-year redemption window handled through the Revenue Commissioner's Office.
  • Sale dates are announced through a newspaper Notice of Sale rather than a standing county web calendar, so track the local legal advertisements and call (256) 233-6433 to confirm.
  • Unsold parcels go to the State of Alabama. The Department of Revenue Property Tax Division publishes a weekly Limestone County transcript of state-held tax delinquent land, and purchases run through an electronic price-quote application with payment due 10 calendar days after the quote.
  • The Alabama Department of Revenue warns that neither an assignment nor a tax deed conveys clear title, and the county page repeats a buyer-beware warning on tax title.
  • Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fax is (256) 233-6692. Property taxes are due October 1 and become delinquent January 1, with interest at 1% per month.

Alabama rules

Max interest rate
12% per year, bid down at auction
Minimum return
No statutory minimum; interest accrues at your bid rate
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.
Governing statute
Ala. Code § 40-10-180

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.

See the full Alabamarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Limestone County, Alabama sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In Alabama investors buy the lien, not the property; the County tax collecting official runs the sale.

When is the Limestone County tax certificate sale?

The county publishes no fixed calendar month. Its collection page states: "Tax sales are held annually for all unpaid tax properties" and "Properties are for sale in commission chambers in a public outcry auction, usually beginning at 10:00 A.M., on the day specified in the Notice of Sale." The same page states "Properties are advertised in the local newspaper, prior to the sale," so the newspaper Notice of Sale is the operative date announcement. Ad valorem taxes become delinquent January 1 and interest accrues at 1% per month. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County tax collecting official before the sale.

How often does Limestone County hold tax deed sales?

Limestone County holds its tax deed sale none (court action, not a scheduled auction). Not scheduled. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Alabama's redemption rule: Redeemable until the circuit court enters judgment; the holder cannot file to foreclose until 4 years after the tax lien auction, and the certificate expires 10 years after it. Call the Circuit court of the county; the circuit clerk executes the deed as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Where can I find the Limestone County tax sale list?

Limestone County posts its tax sale list at limestonerevenue.net. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

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.

Alabama tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Limestone County Revenue Commissioner