Lake County, FL tax sales
Lake County, Florida sells both tax lien certificates and tax deeds. The Tax Collector runs an annual certificate sale (18% maximum, bid down), and unredeemed certificates move to a Clerk of the Circuit Court tax deed auction after about two years, under Florida Statutes Chapter 197.
Verified Jul 4, 2026 against official county and state sources.
New here? Read how Florida tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Lake County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Lake County Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- On or before June 1 annually
- Next expected
- on or about June 1, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
Register and fund a deposit on LienHub before the sale. Bidding is a reverse auction on the interest rate, starting at 18 percent. Funds must be drawn from a US financial institution.
Most Florida counties run the certificate sale online. Confirm the exact platform and list on the county Tax Collector page.
Register on LienHubTax deed sale
- Run by
- Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller
- Frequency
- As scheduled online; see the Clerk's tax deed sales calendar
Registration and deposit
Register on RealAuction and fund the advance deposit before the sale. Under the standard Florida requirement the deposit is the greater of 5 percent of the bid or $200, with the balance due promptly after the sale.
Tax deed auctions run online at lake.realtaxdeed.com (RealAuction). The Clerk posts the sales calendar and Lands Available on lakecountyclerkfl.gov and taxdeeds.lakecountyclerk.org.
Register on RealTaxDeed (RealAuction)Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
County-held certificates can be bought from the Tax Collector through LienHub. Separately, parcels not sold at a tax deed sale go on the Clerk's Lands Available list.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
David W. Jordan
Clerk of the Circuit Court (runs the deed sale)
Notes for Lake County
- Lake follows the standard Florida split: the Tax Collector runs the annual LienHub certificate sale, and the Clerk runs the online tax deed auctions on lake.realtaxdeed.com (RealAuction).
- Both the Tax Collector and the Clerk are based in Tavares.
- Check the Clerk's sales calendar for scheduled tax deed dates and the Lands Available list for unsold parcels.
Florida statewide rules
- Redemption
- The owner (or anyone) can redeem a certificate at any time after it is issued and before a tax deed is issued. The two-year clock that lets a certificate holder apply for a tax deed runs from April 1 of the year the certificate was issued.
- Deed deposit
- The high bidder posts a nonrefundable deposit of 5 percent of the bid or $200, whichever is greater, at the time of the sale, applied to the final price.
- Homestead deeds
- If the property was assessed as homestead on the latest roll, the opening bid also adds one-half of its latest assessed value. This sharply raises the floor price on homestead parcels and suppresses investor demand for them.
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 Lake County, Florida sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Lake County follows Florida's hybrid system. The Tax Collector sells tax-lien certificates each year, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court holds tax deed auctions on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed after about two years.
When is the Lake County tax certificate sale?
- On or before June 1 annually. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the Tax Collector before the sale.
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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