National reference
Tax deed states
17 of the 30 states Tax Sale Atlas has mapped sell the property at a tax deed sale: 11 outright, 4 as redeemable deeds the owner can buy back, and 2 alongside a certificate sale. Each classification is read from the state's own statute, checked Aug 28, 2026.
In a tax deed state, the county sells the property itself at auction to recover unpaid taxes, and you can walk away owning real estate. A redeemable deed state adds a redemption window with a penalty before the sale becomes final. Either way, a tax deed does not convey marketable title on its own, so most buyers budget for a quiet title action. It is the property play, as opposed to the yield play of a tax lien state.
States that sell tax deeds
This includes pure deed states and redeemable-deed states (where the owner can still redeem with a penalty for a set time). Hybrid states like Florida run a tax deed sale after the lien-certificate stage, so they appear here and on the lien list. If the parcels you are after are raw acreage rather than houses, the state-by-state guide to buying land at a tax sale adds the auction platform each state’s counties use and what happens to parcels nobody bids on.
- ArkansasTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption Until 4:00 p.m. Central time on…. 75 counties mapped.
View Arkansas rules - CaliforniaTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption Until the close of business on t…. 58 counties mapped.
View California rules - FloridaHybrid state (liens and deeds)
Max lien rate 18%, deed eligible ~2 years. 67 counties mapped.
View Florida rules - GeorgiaRedeemable deed state
Max redemption penalty 20%, redemption 12 months, then open. 159 counties mapped.
View Georgia rules - KansasTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption Runs BEFORE the sale and ends on…. 105 counties mapped.
View Kansas rules - MichiganTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption Until the March 31 immediately s…. 83 counties mapped.
View Michigan rules - MinnesotaTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption 3 years. 87 counties mapped.
View Minnesota rules - NevadaTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption 1 or 2 years by type. 17 counties mapped.
View Nevada rules - North CarolinaTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption Until the foreclosure sale becom…. 100 counties mapped.
View North Carolina rules - OhioHybrid state (liens and deeds)
Max lien rate 18%, redemption 1 year, then open. 88 counties mapped.
View Ohio rules - OklahomaTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption Until the June resale auction st…. 77 counties mapped.
View Oklahoma rules - PennsylvaniaTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption None after the sale in the 65 Re…. 67 counties mapped.
View Pennsylvania rules - South CarolinaRedeemable deed state
Max redemption penalty 12%, redemption 12 months. 46 counties mapped.
View South Carolina rules - TennesseeRedeemable deed state
Max redemption penalty 12%, redemption Up to 1 year from entry of the o…. 95 counties mapped.
View Tennessee rules - TexasRedeemable deed state
Max redemption penalty 50%, redemption 180 days or 2 years. 254 counties mapped.
View Texas rules - VirginiaTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption Until the date set for the sale.…. 133 counties mapped.
View Virginia rules - WashingtonTax deed state
Sale type Deed auction, redemption Until the close of business the…. 39 counties mapped.
View Washington rules
Every tax deed and redeemable deed state
The complete list of states that sell the property at the tax sale, split between straight deed states and redeemable deed states where the former owner can still buy it back for a set penalty. Each entry is classified from its own statute or revenue authority. States we have mapped in full link through to their rules and counties.
Not sure which model your state uses?
A state can sell tax deeds in three ways: a straight deed auction, a redeemable deed sale with a post-sale buyback right, or a hybrid lien-to-deed system. If you are checking one specific state rather than browsing the deed list, the state-by-state classification answers name the model for all 50 states and DC in a sentence each. Georgia is a redeemable deed state, so start with how Georgia tax sales work rather than this national list.
Redeemable deed states are a separate subgroup
Redeemable deed states give the owner months to redeem at a penalty after the deed sale. If that is the structure you are comparing, use the dedicated redeemable deed table rather than this broader tax deed list.
A deed sale that draws no bid does not end there. The parcel is struck off to a taxing unit, a commission or a trust, and most states sell it later without an auction. The names change at every state line, so state-held and struck-off land by state maps each one to the same mechanism.
A deed also does not clear the same claims in every state. Some legislatures publish a closed list of what rides through, some publish nothing, and several answer differently depending on which sale route the county ran, so what survives a tax deed by state sets out six classes of lien against each state’s own statute.
Florida runs both paths
Certificates first, then a tax deed sale after the redemption window. All 67 counties, sourced.