Not paid by May 16; property will be sold
Escambia County (Ala.) Tax Collector Tim Pettis began advertising this week on about 400 parcels of land that will be sold at a public auction due to failure to pay property taxes by the Dec. 31 deadline.
The tax sale is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 16, in front of the Escambia County Courthouse in Brewton. Pettis said the 400 parcels represent about $145,000 in delinquent taxes.
A partial list of properties to be auctioned is being published this week in the Tri-City Ledger, the Brewton Standard and the Atmore Advance.
Although properties advertised for sale include additional costs due to being delinquent, Pettis said the bill can be paid prior to the sale. Once the property is sold at auction, the property owner will pay 12 percent interest on the sale price until the back taxes and fees are paid.
Property owners will have 10 days from the date of the sale to pay the delinquent taxes and fees before incurring the interest penalty.
Minimum bids will begin at the amount currently owed. Although there is no maximum bid, Pettis said the 12 percent paid by the property owner only goes up to about 200 percent of the property value.
Pettis also said property owners wishing to pay their delinquent tax bills prior to the sale must do so by either cash, a cashier's check or money order. It can also be paid on a credit or debit card with a 2.5 percent fee attached.
In addition to the tax collector's office in Brewton, the taxes may also be paid at the satellite courthouse in Atmore.
