Skip to content
Tax Sale Atlas

Madison County, AL tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Madison 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 Madison County, seat of Huntsville: 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
Registration is required before the online sale and opens 30 days prior to the auction.
County office
(256) 532-3370
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 27, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Madison 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)

GovEase
Run by
Madison County Tax Collector
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
First week of May each year.
Registration
Registration is required before the online sale and opens 30 days prior to the auction.
Next expected
between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Delinquent Property Tax List
When it runs
First week of May each year. The county tax sale page states: "First Week of May each year-Tax Lien Sale & Auction-Online Only". The Important Dates page repeats it: "May - Annual Tax Lein Sale and Auction will be held first week of May. Online only".
Registration and deposit

Registration is required before the online sale and opens 30 days prior to the auction. The county states: "Registration is required prior to the online sale. Registration begins 30 days prior to Auction. The registration requirements and application is posted on GovEase.com." All registrations and requirements are submitted online at GovEase.com for approval before any bidding, and each approved bidder is assigned a bidder number.

Sale format and venue
Auction is online only through GovEase. Bids are awarded on the lowest interest rate bid: the maximum bid is 12% simple interest per annum prorated monthly and the lowest acceptable bid is 0% per annum. The winning bidder pays the entire amount of taxes, interest, fees, penalties and costs by cash, certified funds or wire no later than one hour before close of business on auction day; the page also gives a 4:00 pm payment deadline. Credit cards are not accepted. A Certificate of Tax Lien is mailed after the sale is finalized. Interest starts accruing the first day after the auction and stops on the day of redemption. Liens may be recorded in the probate office. All sales are final.
Register on GovEase
Source: Tax Sale Information for Madison County, Madison County AL Tax Collector· Verified Jul 27, 2026

Madison County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Madison 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 Delinquent Property Tax List for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Registration is required before the online sale and opens 30 days prior to the auction. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Not scheduled. Bidding runs on GovEase; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.

  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 Madison County

  1. Start with the live sale list

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

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration is required before the online sale and opens 30 days prior to the auction. The county states: "Registration is required prior to the online sale. Registration begins 30 days prior to Auction. The registration requirements and application is posted on GovEase.com." All registrations and requirements are submitted online at GovEase.com for approval before any bidding, and each approved bidder is assigned a bidder number.

  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)

Madison County Tax Collector

(256) 532-3370

Madison County Service Center, 1918 Memorial Parkway NW, Huntsville, AL 35801

Official website

County notes

  • Madison County runs the tax lien auction regime, not the older tax deed sale. The Tax Collector's published notice states: "please accept this notice as a declaration of my intentions to conduct a Tax lien Auction and Sale for the collection of delinquent taxes for the year 2021 - 2022 forward. Title 40-10-180 ( c ) Code of Alabama requires that this notice be advertised once a week for three consecutive weeks, prior to October 1, 2021".
  • The certificate holder gets first right of refusal to purchase the lien on the same property at the same interest rate the following year if the parcel goes delinquent again.
  • If a lien is not redeemed and the purchaser fails to commence a foreclosure action within ten years of the purchase date, the certificate of purchase expires and the lien is void (Act 2018-577).
  • Payment deadlines shift earlier in the year: December 31 is the last day to pay without penalty, January 1 taxes are delinquent, final real estate delinquent notices mail the first week of February, and after March 31 only certified checks or cash are accepted for real estate payments.
  • The county's Delinquent Parcels listing at madisonproperty.countygovservices.com returned HTTP 200 when checked on 2026-07-25 but displayed "The Delinquent Parcels listing is currently disabled", which is expected outside the February to May delinquent window. Treat it as the seasonal list URL, not a year-round dataset.
  • The tax collecting official is Valerie Miles. Office email is mctaxcoll@madisoncountyal.gov and the fax is (256) 532-3368. Service Center hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
  • The county mails paper payments to Madison County Tax Collector, 1918 Memorial Parkway NW, Huntsville, AL 35801. The Madison County Courthouse at 100 North Side Square, Huntsville, AL 35801 is the county's other public counter location.

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 Madison 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 Madison County tax certificate sale?

First week of May each year. The county tax sale page states: "First Week of May each year-Tax Lien Sale & Auction-Online Only". The Important Dates page repeats it: "May - Annual Tax Lein Sale and Auction will be held first week of May. Online only". Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the County tax collecting official before the sale.

How often does Madison County hold tax deed sales?

Madison 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 Madison County tax sale list?

Madison County posts its tax sale list at madisonproperty.countygovservices.com. 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.

More Alabama counties

Browse all 67 Alabama counties

Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Alabama tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Madison County Tax CollectorOpen auction