Washington County, GA tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Tax Commissioner is J. Neil Pittman; Deputy Tax Commissioner is Kodi Wimberly. Office email neilP@washingtoncountyga.gov. Source: tc_page.
• •Tax Commissioner office phone is 478-552-2144 per the county staff directory. The 478-552-2325 number published in the website footer is the Board of Commissioners / general county line, not the tax office. Sources: county_directory, county_home.
• •Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM. Source: tc_page.
• •No tax sale page, sale calendar, or parcel list is published on washingtoncountyga.gov. The only tax sale artifacts on the county site are the Tax Sale Bidding Registration Form and the Weissman excess funds request form. Sources: county_site_search, tc_bid_form, excess_funds_letter.
• •Bidding is in person with a numbered bid card issued at registration; picture ID is required and bid cards must be returned to the tax office. Source: tc_bid_form.
• •The county's tax sale advertisement, notice G26-024 "DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX SALE", ran in the Sandersville Georgian on May 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2026. The Sandersville Georgian is the publication carrying Washington County legal notices. Source: gpn_search.
• •Excess funds from non-judicial tax sales are administered by outside counsel Weissman, P.C. (Atlanta). Claim requests go to excessfunds@weissman.law; the firm's letter lists direct contact (404) 926-4615. Sources: tc_page, excess_funds_letter.
• •The excess funds claim release refers to "Ex-Officio Sheriffs" among Washington County officers, consistent with the Georgia practice of the Tax Commissioner levying as ex-officio sheriff. Source: excess_funds_letter.
• •The City of Sandersville holds its own separate municipal delinquent tax sale before the city hall door on the first Tuesday of the sale month, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, cash or certified funds at public outcry, under fi. fa.'s issued by the City Clerk as tax collector. Purchaser pays title, transfer, tax, advertising, and recording costs. Source: city_sale_notice.
• •Property tax payments are taken online through washingtoncountyga.governmentwindow.com (Government Window) or by phone at 1-877-575-7233; that portal is for current bills, not for tax sale bidding. Source: tc_page.
• •Full text of the Washington County tax sale advertisement could not be read: Georgia Public Notice returned "You are not permitted to view public notices from this computer at this time" on the notice detail page, so the sale date, hour, and venue stated in the notice are unverified. Source: gpn_search.

Georgia rules

Redemption

The right to redeem runs for 12 months from the date of the sale and does not end there. It continues after the year until the tax deed purchaser forecloses it by serving and publishing the statutory barment notice, which cannot be started until 12 months have passed. The purchaser delivers the notice to the sheriff at least 45 days before the redemption deadline named in it, and publishes it once a week for four consecutive weeks in the six months immediately before that deadline. Redemption puts title back in the defendant in fi. fa. subject to the liens that existed at the sale, and the purchaser must execute and record a quitclaim deed. Title under a tax deed recorded on or after July 1, 1996 ripens by prescription four years after recording. Judicial in rem foreclosures under Article 5 run on a different clock: the owner has 60 days after the sale to redeem by paying the minimum bid price into the superior court.O.C.G.A. 48-4-40, who may redeem and when (2024 Code of Georgia)O.C.G.A. 48-4-40Verified Jul 30, 2026

Deed deposit

Georgia sets no statewide percentage deposit. A purchaser at a judicial sale may tender cash or a cashier's or certified check drawn for the purchase price and issued or certified by a federally insured financial institution. Counties publish their own payment terms, and many require payment in full at the close of the sale, so confirm the terms with the tax commissioner before bidding.O.C.G.A. 48-4-1, Procedures for sales under tax levies and executions (2024 Code of Georgia)O.C.G.A. 48-4-1Verified Jul 30, 2026

Surplus proceeds

Excess funds left after taxes, costs, and the expenses of the sale belong to the former owner and to recorded lienholders in order of priority. The officer who sold the property must mail notice of the excess funds by first-class mail within 30 days to the record owner at the time of the sale, to the holder of each security deed, and to every other party with a recorded equity interest or claim, and may file an interpleader action in superior court. Funds still unclaimed five years after the sale are paid over to the Georgia Department of Revenue, after which only a court order from an interpleader action releases them.O.C.G.A. 48-4-5, Payment of excess (2024 Code of Georgia)O.C.G.A. 48-4-5Verified Jul 30, 2026

Governing statute

O.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4Official Code of Georgia Annotated, public access published for the Georgia General Assembly by the Georgia Code Revision CommissionO.C.G.A. Title 48, Chapter 4Verified 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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