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Forsyth County, GA

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Forsyth County, Georgia — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

Local operations layer. The legal framework (redemption periods, surplus rights, statutes, case law) lives on the parent page → georgia. This page covers how Forsyth County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Cumming, GA 30040
  • Population: ~251,283 (2020 census)
  • FIPS: 13117
  • Recording unit: county
  • Parent legal framework: georgia

C1. Local Tax Sale

  • Conducts own sale? Yes — the Tax Commissioner’s Office (acting as levying officer) conducts the sale. Sale documents are styled “FORSYTH COUNTY TAX SALE SHERIFF’S SALE MATTHEW C. LEDBETTER” (Tax Commissioner), consistent with the levying-officer authority under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-1.
  • Platform: In-person auction at the courthouse steps, Cumming, Georgia. Delinquent tax-sale parcels are also listed through the county’s AssuranceGov property portal at https://forsythproperty.assurancegov.com/Property/TaxSaleParcels (listing disabled between sales). No third-party online auction vendor identified.
  • Calendar: First Tuesday of the month, between the legal hours of sale (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM); sales are conducted on an “as needed” basis — not every first Tuesday produces a sale. Next known sale: August 4, 2026. — Source: forsythcountytax.com/delinquent-tax-sale/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Delinquent list location: Published in the Tuesday edition of The Forsyth County News for four consecutive weeks before the sale; also available via the AssuranceGov portal linked above. — Source: forsythcountytax.com/tax-sales-excess-funds/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Registration / deposit: No pre-registration portal or advance deposit confirmed. Payment (cash or certified funds) required within two (2) hours of sale completion at the discretion of the Tax Commissioner’s Office. If a winning bidder fails to pay, the property is re-offered at the sale. — Source: search-confirmed from county sale documents; direct PDF unavailable (old forsythcountypay.com domain now redirects). needs_verification
  • Bidder requirements: Buyer-beware; all property sold “as is.” No online pre-registration step confirmed. needs_verification for any ID or registration form requirement.
  • Rate within statutory range: Forsyth County applies the statewide redeemable-deed framework. The redemption premium is 20% (first year) / 10% (each subsequent year) — set by O.C.G.A. § 48-4-42, not locally varied. → georgia

C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption

  • Where to redeem: Redemption is accomplished by tendering the full redemption amount directly to the tax-sale purchaser (not to the Tax Commissioner). The Tax Commissioner’s Office (1092 Tribble Gap Rd., Cumming, GA 30040) can provide the recorded tax deed and redemption price information.
  • Local fees: None beyond the statewide formula: purchase price + subsequent taxes paid by purchaser + 20%/10% premium. — georgia C2; O.C.G.A. § 48-4-42
  • Redemption contact:
  • Deviations from state default: None identified. Standard 12-month minimum post-sale period applies; barment via § 48-4-45 notice required to close.

C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds

  • Claim filing venue:
  • Claim form: The Tax Commissioner’s Office does not provide a claim form. Claims must be submitted in writing, signed, and notarized, along with:
    • Photo identification
    • Certified title report (current through request date; strongly encouraged)
    • Copies of all supporting documentation (deeds, security agreements, assignments, powers of attorney)
    • Lienholders must include written payoff amounts current through claim date All claims are reviewed by counsel before disbursement. — Source: forsythcountytax.com/tax-sales-excess-funds/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)
  • Local deadline notes: After 5 years from the tax-sale date with no pending action, unclaimed excess funds are paid over to the Georgia Department of Revenue Unclaimed Property Division (O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5). The 5-year clock is statewide, not a local variation.
  • Third-party recovery rules (local policy):
    • 24-month cooling-off period: Private agreements between claimants and third parties (finders/recovery agents) are unenforceable for 24 months following the date funds were first placed in escrow.
    • Fee cap: Third-party fees for assisting recovery cannot exceed 10% of the excess funds recovered.
    • Direct payment: Excess funds must be paid directly to the owner, not channeled to a third-party fee collector. — Source: forsythcountytax.com/tax-sales-excess-funds/ (retrieved 2026-06-02). Note: the statutory basis for the 24-month cooling-off period and 10% cap is O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5 (as amended 2021); county policy mirrors state law.
  • Competing/disputed claims: In cases of competing claims, the Tax Commissioner may file an interpleader action in the Superior Court of Forsyth County; legal fees paid from excess funds first.
  • Unclaimed list published? Yes — the county maintains an online excess funds listing updated periodically.
  • Contact:

▸ For Investors / Operators — Forsyth County conducts an in-person courthouse-steps auction (Tax Commissioner as levying officer) on the first Tuesday of each month as needed (next confirmed: August 4, 2026; 10:00 AM–4:00 PM). Payment is due within two hours of sale completion in cash or certified funds; no advance deposit or pre-registration confirmed. The property is sold “as is”; the buyer receives a redeemable tax deed under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-1. The 12-month minimum redemption period applies (20% first year / 10% each subsequent year); barment requires delivery of a § 48-4-45 notice. The county’s competing-claim process is an interpleader action in the Forsyth County Superior Court.

▸ For Former Owners — Excess funds are held by the Forsyth County Tax Commissioner (1092 Tribble Gap Rd., Cumming, GA 30040; tax@forsythco.com; David D. Hicks, 770.781.2112); the unclaimed list is published at forsythcountytax.com/excess-funds-listing-2/. Claims must be submitted in writing, signed, notarized, with photo ID and a certified title report. The 5-year clock before funds escheat to the Georgia Department of Revenue Unclaimed Property Division (O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5) runs from the tax-sale date. Private recovery-firm agreements are unenforceable for the first 24 months after funds are escrowed, and fees are capped at 10% of the amount recovered.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Tax CommissionerMatthew Ledbetter1092 Tribble Gap Rd., Cumming, GA 30040 (main); 1950 Sharon Rd., Cumming, GA 30041 (Sharon Springs branch)(770) 781-2110https://forsythcountytax.com/
Clerk of Superior Court (Recorder / Deed Records)Greg G. Allen101 E. Courthouse Square, Rm 1007 (1st Floor), Cumming, GA 30040(770) 781-2120https://www.forsythclerk.com/
Board of AssessorsJoel T. Benton, Chief Appraiser110 E. Main St., Suite 260, Cumming, GA 30040(770) 781-2106https://www.forsythco.com/Departments-Offices/Board-of-Assessors
SheriffRon H. Freeman100 E. Courthouse Square, Cumming, GA 30040770.781.2222 (general) / 770.781.3091 (Civil Process)https://www.forsythsheriff.org/

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • The Tax Commissioner styled as “SHERIFF’S SALE” in official sale documents (consistent with O.C.G.A. § 48-4-1, which designates the levying officer — here the Tax Commissioner — to conduct the sale as a public outcry on courthouse steps). The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office maintains a Civil Process Unit (SOCivilUnit@forsythco.com / 770.781.3091) but the tax sale itself is run by the Tax Commissioner.
  • Sales are “as needed,” not automatic every first Tuesday; in recent history the county has held sales in June and August (2025 documents confirmed June 3, 2025 and August 5, 2025 sales).
  • Payment is due within two hours of sale completion; unpaid bids result in the property being re-offered. No advance deposit or pre-registration confirmed. needs_verification
  • The county’s excess-funds policy explicitly enforces the 24-month third-party cooling-off and 10% fee cap consistent with O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5 (post-2021 amendments). Recovery firms cannot collect fees or enforce agreements in the first 24 months after funds are escrowed.
  • No county-specific ordinances or local rules varying from state law were identified.

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

sources:

needs_verification:

  • Bidder pre-registration or advance-deposit requirement: county sale documents referenced via search mention payment-within-2-hours rule but the old PDF domain (forsythcountypay.com) now redirects; no current official brochure directly retrieved confirms this.
  • Explicit statutory basis for the 24-month third-party cooling-off: county page references O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5 (post-2021 amendment); the specific text of the 2021 amendment to § 48-4-5 adding the 24-month / 10% provisions was not directly retrieved.
  • Whether in-person registration or any ID requirement applies to bidders at the courthouse-steps auction.
  • Sheriff’s exact role in conducting the sale vs. Tax Commissioner: documents are styled “Sheriff’s Sale” but conducted/listed by the Tax Commissioner; statutory authority confirmed (O.C.G.A. § 48-4-1) but Forsyth-specific practice not explicitly confirmed from a directly fetched document.
  • qPublic parcel search direct access (403 on fetch; URL confirmed via official Board of Assessors page).
  • Clerk’s deed search portal (forsythclerk.com) returned HTTP 307; URL confirmed via GSCCCA directory and official links.

cross_links: georgia, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, third-party-recovery-rules, due-process-notice, tyler-v-hennepin-county, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, ripening-by-prescription

changelog:

  • 2026-06-02 — Initial population (autoresearch wave 1). Primary county-office pages retrieved; sale platform, calendar, excess-funds policy confirmed from Tax Commissioner site. Old PDF domain (forsythcountypay.com) redirects; sale-document details search-confirmed only.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Forsyth County conducts an in-person courthouse-steps auction (Tax Commissioner as levying officer) on the first Tuesday of each month as needed (next confirmed: August 4, 2026; 10:00 AM–4:00 PM). Payment is due within two hours of sale completion in cash or certified funds; no advance deposit or pre-registration confirmed. The property is sold “as is”; the buyer receives a redeemable tax deed under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-1. The 12-month minimum redemption period applies (20% first year / 10% each subsequent year); barment requires delivery of a § 48-4-45 notice. The county’s competing-claim process is an interpleader action in the Forsyth County Superior Court.

▸ For Former Owners — Excess funds are held by the Forsyth County Tax Commissioner (1092 Tribble Gap Rd., Cumming, GA 30040; tax@forsythco.com; David D. Hicks, 770.781.2112); the unclaimed list is published at forsythcountytax.com/excess-funds-listing-2/. Claims must be submitted in writing, signed, notarized, with photo ID and a certified title report. The 5-year clock before funds escheat to the Georgia Department of Revenue Unclaimed Property Division (O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5) runs from the tax-sale date. Private recovery-firm agreements are unenforceable for the first 24 months after funds are escrowed, and fees are capped at 10% of the amount recovered.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Forsyth County, Georgia tax sale and surplus procedures from official county sources as of the last_verified date. Law changes and office practice varies; verify against the cited statutes, current O.C.G.A., official county pages, and counsel before acting. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

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