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Tax Sale Atlas

Shelby County, AL tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Shelby 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 Shelby County, seat of Columbiana: 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
Register online at GovEase.
County office
(205) 670-6900
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 27, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Shelby 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
Shelby County Property Tax Commissioner (Jacob Tidmore), Columbiana
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Annual online tax lien auction in early April.
Registration
Register online at GovEase.
Next expected
between March 1 and June 15, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Sale list
Delinquent property search (Property Tax Commissioner portal)
When it runs
Annual online tax lien auction in early April. The county calendar states "Tax Lien Auction is April 1, 2026 beginning at 8:30am CST" and the Real Property page says the auction "is held annually (usually the first week of April) for all unpaid property taxes."
Registration and deposit

Register online at GovEase. The county states "Our tax lien auction is online, you may register as a bidder by going to www.govease.com. After registration, you must still arrange payment and let the Property Tax Commissioner Office know the amount of your projected investment to submit for approval. This must be done prior to any bidding. Bidder registration cutoff is 4:00 p.m. the day before the Tax Lien Auction." The 2026 GovEase flyer adds that registration opened March 3, 2026 and closed March 30, 2026, that bidders create an account and complete online registration documents before approval, and points to liveauctions.govease.com/Bidder/UserProfile for sign-up and govease.com/bidderhelp for training. A W-9 is required before a certificate is processed.

Sale format and venue
Alabama tax lien auction under Title 40, Chapter 10, Article 7. Bidding is bid-down interest: the county states "Bids are awarded on the lowest interest rate bid. 1. The maximum bid is 12% simple interest per annum prorated monthly. The lowest acceptable bid is 0% per annum." The winning bidder buys a lien, not the property, and pays the full amount of taxes, interest, fees, penalties and costs as of auction day, with guaranteed funds due no later than one hour before the property tax office closes on auction day. All sales are final. The Certificate of Purchase carries a first right of refusal on the following year's lien at the same rate. Interest accrues from the first day after the auction and stops on the day of redemption. A certificate expires and the lien is void if no foreclosure action is commenced within ten years of purchase (Act 2018-577). There is a $5.00 endorsement fee per certificate. Auction notice is mailed, advertised or posted about 30 days ahead, by March 1 in the 2026 cycle. Liens not sold at the county auction roll into the Alabama Department of Revenue state-held inventory, which is bought by price quote rather than at the county auction.
Register on GovEase
Source: Shelby County Tax Lien Auction - Important Dates to Remember· Verified Jul 27, 2026

Shelby County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Shelby 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 search (Property Tax Commissioner portal) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Register online at GovEase. 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 Shelby County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Delinquent property search (Property Tax Commissioner portal). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Register online at GovEase. The county states "Our tax lien auction is online, you may register as a bidder by going to www.govease.com. After registration, you must still arrange payment and let the Property Tax Commissioner Office know the amount of your projected investment to submit for approval. This must be done prior to any bidding. Bidder registration cutoff is 4:00 p.m. the day before the Tax Lien Auction." The 2026 GovEase flyer adds that registration opened March 3, 2026 and closed March 30, 2026, that bidders create an account and complete online registration documents before approval, and points to liveauctions.govease.com/Bidder/UserProfile for sign-up and govease.com/bidderhelp for training. A W-9 is required before a certificate is processed.

  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)

Shelby County Property Tax Commissioner

(205) 670-6900

102 Depot Street, Columbiana, AL 35051 (mailing: PO Box 1298, Columbiana, AL 35051)

Official website

County notes

  • Shelby County runs its own dedicated tax lien auction site at taxlienauction.shelbyal.com, separate from the main property tax portal at ptc.shelbyal.com.
  • The auction site says "The Tax Lien Auction will be held online at www.govease.com. Registration will open on March 3rd and close March 30th. All bidders must be registered and approved prior to bidding."
  • Bidding is a bid-down-interest format capped at 12% simple interest per annum prorated monthly, with 0% the lowest acceptable bid.
  • Auction-day payment must be guaranteed funds delivered no later than one hour before the property tax office closes on the day of the auction. All sales are final.
  • Property taxes are due October 1 and delinquent January 1, when a $5.00 fee plus 1% per month interest is added; delinquent notices are mailed by January 31.
  • The county calendar also lists a first-right window: "First right will be paid in our office and will open on March 2, 2026 at 10am and close on March 30, 2026 at 4pm." This covers existing certificate holders buying the subsequent year's lien, not new bidders.
  • Final settlement for the 2026 cycle is listed as May 30.
  • Research tools on the Property Tax Commissioner portal include Delinquent Search, Redemption Search and Insolvent Search; the county states "All research must be done by you. Property information may be found at https://ptc.shelbyal.com".
  • Bidder support for the platform is GovEase (support@govease.com, (769) 208-5050 per the county flyer); investor portal support is E-Ring, Inc. at auctionsupport@ering-cad.com.
  • Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Auction questions go to (205) 670-6900, menu option 1.

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 Shelby 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 Shelby County tax certificate sale?

Annual online tax lien auction in early April. The county calendar states "Tax Lien Auction is April 1, 2026 beginning at 8:30am CST" and the Real Property page says the auction "is held annually (usually the first week of April) for all unpaid property taxes." 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 Shelby County hold tax deed sales?

Shelby 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 Shelby County tax sale list?

Shelby County posts its tax sale list at ptc.shelbyal.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.

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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 Shelby County Property Tax CommissionerOpen auction