Pickens County, AL tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •The county advertises the delinquent list for three consecutive weeks in the local newspaper and on the county tax site during March and April. The Important Dates page says the delinquent property tax list becomes available in March.
• •Certified court notices are mailed to delinquent taxpayers during the month of March.
• •Taxes are due October 1 and become delinquent January 1. The county charges a $5 delinquent fee plus 12 percent annual interest on payments made on or after January 1.
• •The Revenue Commissioner's property page states that property sold for non-payment of taxes "may be redeemed within 3 years of sale" and directs redemption amount questions to the Revenue Commissioner's office.
• •The Alabama Department of Revenue publishes a weekly per-county transcript of state-held tax delinquent land. The Pickens County transcript dated July 20, 2026 contained only the report header and listed no parcels, so no state-held inventory was shown for Pickens on that date. State-held purchases run through the Department's electronic price quote application, and the Department warns that neither an assignment nor a tax deed gives the holder clear title.
• •Office hours are 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday. The appraisal department line is 205-367-2043 and the collections line is 205-367-2040.
• •The county site warns that the Revenue Commissioner's office will never request payment information by phone.

Alabama rules

Max interest rate

12% per year, bid down at auctionCode of Alabama 1975, Section 40-10-184 - Auction procedures; winning bidsAla. Code § 40-10-184Verified Jul 25, 2026

Minimum return

No statutory minimum; interest accrues at your bid rateCode of Alabama 1975, Section 40-10-184 - Auction procedures; winning bidsAla. Code § 40-10-184Verified Jul 25, 2026

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.Code of Alabama 1975, Section 40-10-193 - Redemption of a tax lienAla. Code § 40-10-193Verified Jul 25, 2026

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.Code of Alabama 1975, Section 40-10-28 - Disposition of excess arising from saleAla. Code § 40-10-28Verified Jul 25, 2026

Governing statute

Ala. Code § 40-10-180Code of Alabama 1975, Section 40-10-180 - Purpose; choice of remedy by tax collecting officialAla. Code § 40-10-180Verified Jul 25, 2026

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.

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