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Tuscaloosa County, AL

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Tuscaloosa County, Alabama — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

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

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Tuscaloosa · Population: ~227,037 · Recording unit: county
  • FIPS: 01125
  • Parent legal framework: alabama
  • System in use: Tuscaloosa County conducts the Article 7 Sale of Tax Liens auction (Ala. Code §§ 40-10-180 through 40-10-200), not the historic sale-of-land probate auction. “The Tax Collector has chosen to utilize the sale of tax lien method for collecting delinquent property taxes.” The lien auction runs online via GovEase.com. — Sources: tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02); altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/delinquent.aspx (retrieved 2026-06-02); see alabama for the dual-system framework.

C1. Local Tax Sale

Tuscaloosa County uses the Article 7 bid-down-interest online tax lien certificate auction. “You are not purchasing the property but a tax lien against the property in the amount of all taxes, interest, penalties, fees, and cost due on the property.” Bidders “go online and bid interest percents” and “the lowest bid interest wins.” — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).

  • Conducts own sale? Yes — the Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector (Susan Jones) conducts the lien auction as the Tax Collecting Official under Ala. Code §§ 40-10-180 et seq. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Platform: GovEase.com — online auction; registration, bidding, and payment all run through GovEase. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Sale calendar:
    • Taxes due Oct. 1; delinquent after Dec. 31 (penalties/interest added beginning Jan. 1). — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector (retrieved 2026-06-02).
    • Personal checks no longer accepted after March 15; tax-lien fees applied by end of March. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector (retrieved 2026-06-02).
    • Auction date: late April annually; the 2025 tax-year auction is scheduled for April 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM CST at GovEase.com. — altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/delinquent.aspx (retrieved 2026-06-02).
    • Registration: “begins a few weeks prior to sale in April” via GovEase. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
    • Statutory auction window: held no earlier than March 1 or later than June 15 (Ala. Code § 40-10-182; alabama).
  • Bidding method: Bid-down interest. Bidding starts at the 12% per annum statutory ceiling and bidders bid the rate down to a 0% floor; the lowest interest bid wins. — Ala. Code § 40-10-184; tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Rate within statutory range: Certificate interest is market-determined at auction (0%–12% per annum); the standing/unredeemed redemption interest is “currently 12% annually.” — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Registration deposit: Through GovEase; specific deposit percentage needs_verification — the county page directs bidders to register and pay through GovEase but a Tuscaloosa-specific deposit figure was not stated on retrieved official pages (Alabama GovEase counties commonly require a 10% deposit; confirm on GovEase at registration).
  • Payment: “Payment IN FULL is required” through GovEase.com; “all bids must be paid to GovEase.com.” — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Fees (recovered in the lien amount / at redemption):
    • Administrative fee $45 added to each tax lien sold. — altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/delinquent.aspx (retrieved 2026-06-02).
    • Tax auction certificate fee $5.00 added to each sale. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale; altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/delinquent.aspx (retrieved 2026-06-02).
    • Redemption fee $10. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02); Ala. Code § 40-10-193.
    • Delinquency fee $5.00 per parcel plus interest at 1% of the tax per month accruing from Jan. 1. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Certificate issuance: “A Tax Lien Certificate will be tendered after the sale is finalized and will be mailed out within 10–15 days.” — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Bidder requirements: A GovEase account and approved registration are required before bidding. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Statutory authority cited by the county: Code of Alabama 1975, Title 40, Ch. 10, §§ 40-10-180 through 40-10-200 (incl. §§ 40-10-193, 40-10-199). — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Delinquent / parcel list location: Published online at altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/delinquent.aspx (Flagship/AlTags revenue portal) — a static table listing account number, parcel ID, owner name(s), current-year taxes, prior-year balances, and total due. The county warns: “WE DO NOT ASK FOR YOU TO WIRE ANY PAYMENTS AT ALL,” directing taxpayers to its secure site and to call (205) 464-8230 / (205) 464-8232 to verify before the auction. — altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/delinquent.aspx (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • No surplus in Article 7 sales: Because the auction bids down the interest rate rather than up a cash price, there is no overbid/excess bid and thus no surplus arising from Tuscaloosa County’s tax lien auctions. — alabama § 40-10-184.

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

Tuscaloosa County uses Article 7; redemption is governed by Ala. Code §§ 40-10-193 and 40-10-197.

  • Where to redeem: Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office — “the owners … can redeem this property through the Tax Collector’s Office.” Office: 714 Greensboro Ave, Room 124, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Local fees: $10 redemption fee to the Tax Collector (Ala. Code § 40-10-193). Total redemption = delinquent taxes + interest + penalties + fees and costs paid by the holder + interest owed to the holder at the certificate's bid rate + the$10 redemption fee. The standing/unredeemed interest is “currently 12% annually.” — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02); Ala. Code § 40-10-193.
  • Redemption window: Any time after the auction closes until a judgment of foreclosure is entered in a § 40-10-197 circuit-court action. The county states the property “can be redeemed at any time within the first 3 years from the date of the Tax Lien Sale”; a certificate holder cannot commence foreclosure earlier than 3 years after the auction, and the lien expires if not foreclosed within 10 years. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02); Ala. Code §§ 40-10-193, 40-10-197(a); see alabama.
  • After foreclosure action filed: A party with the right to redeem may still redeem before final judgment by paying the redemption amount into the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court (6th Judicial Circuit). — Ala. Code § 40-10-197(c).
  • Redemption contact:
  • Deviations from state default: None identified. Tuscaloosa County operates under the standard Article 7 framework. For any pre-Article-7 sale-of-land parcels bid in for the State, redemption runs through the ADOR price-quote process (https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/property-tax/tax-delinquent-property-and-land-sales/) — see alabama §9 (sold-to-state track).

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

Important: Tuscaloosa County’s Article 7 lien auctions generate no surplus (bid-down interest, no cash overbid). The county’s published process describes only the tax-lien auction and redemption — there is no excess-bid distribution mechanism in the current system. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).

  • Claim filing venue (legacy sale-of-land only): To the extent any pre-Article-7 “sale of land” auction with a cash overbid exists, Ala. Code § 40-10-28 governs: the county (Tax Collecting Official / county commission, with release on a circuit-court order or owner release-and-waiver in the 3–10-year window) holds and releases the excess bid. See alabama Module 3 / 3b for the § 40-10-28 waterfall and 10-year escheat.
    • Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector: 714 Greensboro Ave, Room 124, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 · (205) 464-8230
  • Claim form: needs_verification — No Tuscaloosa County-specific excess-bid/surplus claim form was located on a directly-retrieved official page (consistent with the county running only the no-surplus Article 7 system). Contact the Tax Collector for any legacy procedure.
  • Local deadline notes: For any legacy sale-of-land surplus, the § 40-10-28 framework applies: release on proof of redemption (or, for 2016-or-later sales, a release-and-waiver in the 3–10-year window), then escheat to the county after 10 years. — Ala. Code § 40-10-28; alabama § 3b.
  • Unclaimed list published: needs_verification — No Tuscaloosa County public listing of unclaimed excess bids was located; the county publishes only a delinquent-tax / auction parcel list (not a surplus-funds list).
  • Contact: Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector, (205) 464-8230, collector@tuscco.com, https://www.tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/

▸ For Investors / Operators — Tuscaloosa runs the Article 7 bid-down-interest system, so there is no cash overbid to chase — the return is the certificate’s bid interest rate (0%–12%) plus recoverable costs, subject to the redemption exposure in alabama §2/2b (the lien can be redeemed any time until a § 40-10-197 foreclosure judgment, which cannot even be filed for 3 years after the auction). The path to marketable title runs through the § 40-10-197 circuit-court foreclosure, which itself quiets title (alabama §5b); watch surviving liens and the IRS § 7425 120-day redemption (alabama §7b). The venues you will work are the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court (6th Judicial Circuit) and the Tax Collector for redemption payoffs.

▸ For Former Owners — Tuscaloosa’s tax-lien auction produces no surplus fund to claim. Your remedy is redemption: pay the Tax Collector (714 Greensboro Ave, Room 124, Tuscaloosa) the certificate amount plus the bid-rate interest and the $10 fee, any time before a § 40-10-197 foreclosure judgment is entered. After a foreclosure action is filed you can still redeem by paying into the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court before final judgment. See alabama §2 for your full redemption rights.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Tax Collector (Tax Collecting Official)Susan Jones714 Greensboro Ave, Room 124, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401(205) 464-8230 / (205) 464-8232https://www.tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/
Probate Judge (Recording / Register of Deeds)Ward D. “Rob” Robertson, III714 Greensboro Ave, Room 121, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401; Mailing: P.O. Box 20067, Tuscaloosa, AL 35402Probate (205) 464-8204; Records & Recording (205) 464-8206https://www.tuscco.com/government/departments/probate/
Circuit Court Clerk (6th Judicial Circuit)Magaria H. Bobo714 Greensboro Ave, 2nd Floor, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401; Mailing: P.O. Box 38993, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403(205) 464-8259https://tuscaloosa.alacourt.gov/
Tax AssessorLeigh Ann Fair714 Greensboro Ave, Room 108, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401(205) 349-3870 ext. 240https://www.tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-assessor/
SheriffRon Abernathy714 1/2 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401(205) 752-0616https://www.tuscco.com/government/county-officials/sheriff/

Note: In Alabama, the county Probate Office’s Records & Recording division performs register-of-deeds functions (recording deeds, mortgages, liens, plats) — there is no separate standalone Recorder/Register of Deeds office. Recording-request contact: recordingrequest@tuscco.com; copy-request: copyrequest@tuscco.com. — tuscco.com/government/departments/probate (retrieved 2026-06-02).

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • Article 7 adoption: Tuscaloosa County’s Tax Collector “has chosen to utilize the sale of tax lien method” (Act 2018-577 lets the taxing official elect the sale of a tax lien instead of the sale of land) and runs the auction online through GovEase. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Two separate revenue offices: Unlike consolidated “Revenue Commissioner” counties, Tuscaloosa splits the function — assessment sits with the elected Tax Assessor (Leigh Ann Fair, Room 108) and collection / the lien auction sits with the elected Tax Collector (Susan Jones, Room 124). Redemption and the lien sale are handled by the Tax Collector. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector; tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-assessor (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Anti-fraud warning: The county explicitly warns it never asks taxpayers to wire payments and routes payment only through its secure portal — relevant to redemption-payoff and surplus-recovery solicitations. — altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/delinquent.aspx (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • No surplus from lien auctions: Because Article 7 bids down interest rather than cash, there is no overbid mechanism and no surplus pool in Tuscaloosa County.
  • Stiff v. Equivest note: The in-person courthouse-location defect at issue in stiff-v-equivest-financial-2020 (Ala. 2020) is moot for Tuscaloosa’s online Article 7 lien auction; the void/no-prejudice rule remains relevant for any legacy sale-of-land parcels. — alabama §6.
  • Office hours: Tax Collector Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–5:00 PM; Probate Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–4:30 PM. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector; tuscco.com/government/departments/probate (retrieved 2026-06-02).

C6. Records Access

C8. Title & Quiet Title → framework: alabama §5b

  • Title type: tax lien certificate (Article 7). The certificate is not title — the purchaser buys “a tax lien against the property,” not the property. — tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale (retrieved 2026-06-02); alabama §5b.
  • Quiet title required? A § 40-10-197 foreclosure to bar the right to redeem is the path to title, and that circuit-court action is itself the quiet-title proceeding — the judgment vests good and marketable fee-simple title once the court finds the sale valid, proper notice given, the holder holds all outstanding certificates, and the lien unredeemed. A separate general quiet-title action is not required after a successful § 40-10-197 judgment. — Ala. Code § 40-10-197; alabama §5b.
  • Court: Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court (6th Judicial Circuit of Alabama), Tuscaloosa — the county where the property lies. — tuscaloosa.alacourt.gov (retrieved 2026-06-02); Ala. Code § 40-10-197.
  • Timeline / cost: Foreclosure may not be filed earlier than 3 years after the auction and must be filed within 10 years; statutory pre-filing certified-mail notice runs 30–180 days before filing (alabama §5/5b). General Alabama quiet-title actions (where used for legacy sale-of-land deeds) typically run ~4–14 months and cost roughly $8,000 in attorney fees plus filing fees — see alabama §5b. County-specific Tuscaloosa filing-fee/timeline figures: needs_verification.
  • Title insurers active locally: needs_verification — No Tuscaloosa-specific list of title underwriters/agents was retrieved from an official source. Statewide, underwriters generally will not insure until redemption is conclusively barred (§ 40-10-197 judgment or, for legacy deeds, 3 years’ adverse possession); non-judicial certification (Tax Title Services) is accepted by some Alabama agents. — alabama §5b.

C9. Purchaser Obligations → framework: alabama §10b

  • Subsequent-tax payment office: Subsequent-year taxes are paid to the Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector (714 Greensboro Ave, Room 124; or online at alproptax.com). Amounts the holder pays are added (with interest) to the redemption price recoverable from a redeemer. — Ala. Code § 40-10-122; tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector (retrieved 2026-06-02); alabama §10b.
  • Notice to owner procedure: In Article 7, the Tax Collector mails statutory post-auction notice, and the certificate holder must serve 30–180 days’ certified-mail notice of intent on the owner, recorded lienholders, and the tax official before filing a § 40-10-197 foreclosure, plus file a § 35-4-131 lis pendens. — Ala. Code §§ 40-10-187(e), 40-10-197(b)-(c); alabama §6/§10b.
  • Redemption payment office: Owners redeem through the Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector (+ $10 fee) before a foreclosure judgment; after an action is filed, by paying into the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court. — Ala. Code §§ 40-10-193, 40-10-197(c).
  • Occupancy / access during redemption: Governed by state law — the former owner may remain in possession until barred; Article 7 title passes only on the § 40-10-197 judgment and clerk’s deed. No Tuscaloosa-specific local possession practice was retrieved (needs_verification). — alabama §10b.

C10. Local Restrictions → framework: alabama §11b

  • Right of first refusal active locally? No general municipal/CDC right of first refusal at the tax-lien auction was identified. Alabama’s land-bank preferential acquisition applies only to state-held inventory, not fresh auctions. — alabama §11b.
  • Land bank: No dedicated Tuscaloosa County land bank authority was located. Alabama has a statewide Alabama Land Bank Authority (Ala. Code §§ 24-9-1 et seq.) that can acquire properties tax-delinquent and held by the State; the active municipal implementations are the Birmingham Land Bank Authority (Jefferson County) and the Gadsden Land Bank (Etowah County) — no Tuscaloosa-County equivalent confirmed. needs_verification for any Tuscaloosa land-bank/intergovernmental agreement. — alabama §11b; revenue.alabama.gov/property-tax/tax-delinquent-property-and-land-sales (retrieved 2026-06-02).
  • Entity / insider notes: No Tuscaloosa-specific entity-eligibility or insider restriction beyond statewide rules was located. Statewide, LLCs/corporations/trusts/foreign entities may bid; no Title 40 natural-person-only or express insider bar (general Ethics Act applies). GovEase registration requirements apply. — alabama §11b.

C7. Meta

sources:

  • {type: official, url: https://www.tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/tax-lien-sale/, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector tax lien sale page — Article 7; ‘chosen to utilize the sale of tax lien method’; GovEase.com platform; registration a few weeks prior in April; bid-down 12%→0%, lowest interest wins; ‘not purchasing the property but a tax lien’; $5.00 tax auction certificate fee;$10 redemption fee; payment in full to GovEase; certificate mailed within 10–15 days; redeem within first 3 years through Tax Collector’s Office; current interest 12% annually; cites Title 40 Ch.10 §§40-10-180 to -200, -193, -199; office 714 Greensboro Ave Room 124, (205) 464-8230, collector@tuscco.com, Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm”}
  • {type: official, url: https://www.tuscco.com/government/departments/tax-collector/, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “Tax Collector Susan Jones; 714 Greensboro Ave Room 124; (205) 464-8230; collector@tuscco.com; taxes due Oct 1, delinquent Jan 1; personal checks not accepted after Mar 15; interest 1%/month + $5 delinquency fee per parcel from Jan 1; late-April online tax lien sale; online payment alproptax.com (fee), phone (205) 263-1573”}
  • {type: official, url: https://altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/delinquent.aspx, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “Delinquent tax / auction list (AlTags/Flagship revenue portal); 2025 tax-year auction 4/29/2026 9:00 AM CST at govease.com; $45 administrative fee per lien sold; static table of account#, parcel ID, owner, current-year taxes, prior balances, total; anti-wire-fraud warning; verify at (205) 464-8230 / (205) 464-8232”}
  • {type: official, url: https://altags.com/tuscaloosa_revenue/property.aspx, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “Tuscaloosa County Revenue property search — search by owner/company, address, parcel, PPIN, BPPIN, account, subdivision, receipt#; tax-year filter 2019–2025”}
  • {type: official, url: https://www.tuscco.com/government/departments/probate/, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “Probate Judge Ward D. ‘Rob’ Robertson III; 714 Greensboro Ave Room 121 / PO Box 20067; Probate (205) 464-8204, Records & Recording (205) 464-8206; records deeds/mortgages/liens; online records portal probate.tuscco.com/ProbateRecords (B2C sign-in); emails probatejudge@/recordingrequest@/copyrequest@tuscco.com”}
  • {type: official, url: https://www.tuscco.com/government/county-officials/sheriff/, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “Sheriff Ron Abernathy; 714 1/2 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa AL 35401; (205) 752-0616; sheriffsoffice@tuscco.com”}
  • {type: official, url: https://tuscaloosa.alacourt.gov/, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “6th Judicial Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County; Circuit Clerk Magaria H. Bobo; 714 Greensboro Ave 2nd Floor / PO Box 38993, Tuscaloosa AL 35403; (205) 464-8259”}
  • {type: official, url: https://www.alabamagis.com/Tuscaloosa/, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “Tuscaloosa County public GIS hosted by Flagship GIS Inc., managed by Tax Assessor Leigh Ann Fair; parcel/owner/address lookup; desktop + mobile map; support (770) 886-4645 / GIShelp@FlagshipGIS.com”}
  • {type: official, url: https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/property-tax/tax-delinquent-property-and-land-sales/, retrieved: 2026-06-02, note: “ADOR state-held delinquent land / price-quote process for any Tuscaloosa parcels bid in for the State; Alabama Land Bank Authority context”}
  • {type: statute, url: https://mobilecopropertytax.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/40-10-197-Action-to-foreclose-the-right-to-redeem-and-quiet-title-notice-requirements-effect-of.pdf, retrieved: 2026-06-01, note: ”§ 40-10-197 full text — 3-yr min / 10-yr max foreclosure window; 30-180 day certified-mail pre-filing notice; redemption into circuit court before judgment; clerk’s deed; quiets title — per alabama.md log”}

needs_verification:

  • Tuscaloosa-specific GovEase registration deposit percentage (county page routes deposit/payment through GovEase but no Tuscaloosa figure stated; Alabama GovEase counties commonly use 10%).
  • Tuscaloosa County excess-bid / surplus claim form for any legacy sale-of-land tax sale — no official Tuscaloosa form located (county runs the no-surplus Article 7 system).
  • Whether Tuscaloosa County publishes any unclaimed excess-bid list (only a delinquent/auction parcel list was found).
  • Tuscaloosa-specific quiet-title / § 40-10-197 filing-fee schedule and typical local timeline (state-level $8K / 4–14-month figures used as proxy).
  • Title insurers/underwriters active specifically in Tuscaloosa County (statewide practice documented in alabama §5b).
  • Any Tuscaloosa County land-bank authority or intergovernmental agreement with the Alabama Land Bank Authority.
  • Tuscaloosa-specific local possession/access practice for purchasers during the redemption period.

cross_links: alabama, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, tyler-v-hennepin-county, stiff-v-equivest-financial-2020, treasurer-sale, due-process-notice, federal-tax-lien-redemption

changelog:

  • 2026-06-02 — Initial population (autoresearch). Article 7 tax-lien system confirmed from official Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector pages (“chosen to utilize the sale of tax lien method”) and the AlTags revenue delinquent/auction page. Platform (GovEase), 2026 auction date (April 29, 2026, 9:00 AM CST), bid-down 12%→0%, fees ($45 admin +$5 certificate; $10 redemption;$5 delinquency + 1%/mo interest), payment-in-full, certificate mailed in 10–15 days, and redemption procedure all from directly-retrieved official pages. Five offices (Tax Collector, Probate, Circuit Clerk, Tax Assessor, Sheriff) with verified names/addresses/phones; records portals (AlTags property + delinquent, Probate B2C records, Flagship GIS, alproptax payment) confirmed. C8–C10 mapped to Article 7 § 40-10-197 quiet-title path and statewide restrictions; no surplus from current auctions; gaps flagged.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Tuscaloosa is a clean Article 7 county: register on GovEase a few weeks before the late-April auction (2026: April 29, 9:00 AM CST) and bid the interest rate down from 12%. The certificate is not title — plan for the § 40-10-197 circuit-court foreclosure (filable only at 3 years, with 30–180-day pre-filing certified-mail notice) that bars redemption and quiets title in one action. Pay subsequent taxes at the Tax Collector to grow the redemption payoff, and run the alabama §7b lien / IRS-§7425 due-diligence checklist before bidding.

▸ For Former Owners — There is no surplus fund here — Tuscaloosa’s auction sells only a lien at a bid-down interest rate. Your remedy is redemption: pay the Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector (714 Greensboro Ave, Room 124) the certificate amount + bid-rate interest + the $10 fee, any time before a § 40-10-197 foreclosure judgment. Once an action is filed, you can still redeem by paying into the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court before final judgment. The county warns it never asks for wired payments — verify any payoff demand directly at (205) 464-8230. See alabama §2 for your full redemption rights.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Tuscaloosa County, Alabama tax sale operations from official sources as of the last_verified date. Tuscaloosa County uses the Article 7 tax-lien certificate system (no cash surplus); the legal framework lives on alabama. Law changes and county practice varies; verify against the current Code of Alabama 1975 (Title 40 Ch. 10 Art. 7), the Tuscaloosa County Tax Collector, and counsel before acting. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

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