How to Find Tax Lien Properties: A Complete County-by-County Guide
About this article: “Marcus” is TaxLienSimple's educational narrator. First-person stories and dollar examples are illustrative scenarios written to explain real tax-sale concepts, they are not the personal trading history of a specific investor. Rate and legal information is sourced separately to official statutes and government records (see About and each guide's citations).
TL;DR
- →Every county publishes a delinquent tax list before auction free of charge.
- →The best properties are small residential lots with low back taxes relative to appraised value.
- →I found my first five certificates by spending two hours per week on county assessor websites.
Watch how it works
A narrated walkthrough: find tax liens by county, read the Research Score, risk flags and sources, set your maximum bid and save a Deal Radar.
Read the transcript
If you came here for tax liens, start in Property Research and choose Tax Lien.
Liens without a set sale date sit under Timing not assigned yet. That includes over the counter liens you can buy now, with no auction.
Pick a state and a county. I'll use Maricopa County, Arizona.
Tick Mapped only to see each lien on the map, and switch to aerial imagery to look at the property from above.
Open a lien to see the full research.
The Research Score grades it from A to D, out of one hundred, and shows where the points come from.
Estimated value and confidence gives you a value range, and tells you how far to trust it. It's a starting point, not an appraisal.
Risk flags come up before you buy: whether it's still available, liens that may survive, and a source that may be out of date. Open one to see what to check.
The due diligence checklist shows the lien to value ratio and the back taxes, and what you still need to verify yourself.
Sources and freshness links every fact back to the county's own record.
Then calculate your maximum bid. You get a comfortable range, a caution range, and the price where you should stop.
Back in Research, mark it as a bid candidate, and add private notes that only you can see.
Save your search as a Deal Radar, and new matches come to you by email.
That's tax liens: from a county to a lien worth buying, with every fact sourced to the county.
Where Beginners Should Look
Every county that sells tax liens publishes a list of delinquent properties before auction. These lists are public records. No paid service needed. In Texas, check the tax assessor-collector website under Tax Sales. In Florida, the county clerk site under Tax Deed Sales. In Arizona, the Treasurer Office. I built my entire portfolio using free public data.
What to Look for on the Auction List
First, sort by the ratio of back taxes to appraised value. Properties under 5% are ideal. Second, filter out commercial and industrial properties. Stick to residential lots. Third, check for mortgages. Banks redeem certificates aggressively. Fourth, check owner history. Long-term owners are more likely to redeem. Fifth, check bankruptcy filings. Frozen properties are not worth the hassle.
Best States for Tax Sale Investing
Texas is a great state for beginners, but understand what you're actually buying: a redeemable deed with a flat 25% premium if the owner redeems (50% year two, homestead only) - not a lien-certificate rate. Arizona offers true bid-down lien certificates. Florida runs both certificate and deed sales depending on the county. New Jersey has high statutory rates but complex laws. Cameron County and El Paso County in Texas are beginner-friendly with low bidder turnout.
Watch the lesson: TaxLienSimple Academy
Finding tax lien sales: auctions, OTC, and calendars
Real tax-lien sales are published by the county treasurer or tax collector, not by a marketing calendar, start at the source.
Marcus Field: Start With One County
Pick one county and learn it completely before expanding. Download the auction list. Study the properties. Watch an auction without bidding. Once you understand the rhythm, bid on small certificates. Each county has unique quirks. Trying to learn five at once invites costly mistakes.
Finding tax lien properties is the single most common question I get from new investors. The answer is simpler than most people expect. Counties are required by law to publish delinquent tax lists before their annual or monthly auctions. These lists are public records. You do not need a paid subscription or a fancy software tool to access them.
Start by identifying which system your target state actually uses. True lien-certificate states include Arizona, Colorado, and Florida (for its certificate sales) and New Jersey. Texas is a redeemable-deed state - you're buying the property, not a certificate, with a flat 25%/50% penalty if the owner redeems. Each county publishes its auction schedule and delinquent list on the county tax assessor or treasurer website, regardless of which system the state uses.
Once you have the list, the real work begins. I spend about two hours per week reviewing auction lists across the four counties I actively invest in. I look for properties where the back taxes are small relative to the property value. I check for mortgages, bankruptcy filings, and owner history. I build a shortlist of properties that meet my criteria.
The properties that look best on paper often attract the most competition. I have had my best results targeting mid-tier properties that other bidders overlook. A $75,000 lot with $1,500 in back taxes and a minor title issue that I have researched thoroughly is worth more to me than a pristine property that ten other bidders are chasing.
Tracking is essential. I use TaxLienSimple to monitor my certificates, deadlines, and interest calculations. Before I built TaxLienSimple, I used a spreadsheet. Either works as long as you are consistent. Missing a redemption deadline because you lost track is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make in this business.
Mapping tools: Parcel Fair
Parcel Fair describes itself as tax maps, download lists and research tools for tax deeds, liens and certificates across the US. At our check on 19 September 2026 we found one independent comment, a positive BiggerPockets post, and no review-site profiles. Our Parcel Fair review says what is and is not verifiable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about finding properties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are tax liens listed?↓
On county websites. Free.
Need a paid service?↓
No. All info is free.
Best properties?↓
Residential, under 5% tax ratio.
Invest out of state?↓
Yes. One county at a time.
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Learn more in the TaxLienSimple Academy
Reading an auction listing: fields and red flags
A listing's parcel ID, assessed value, and prior-sale history tell you more than the advertised interest rate does.
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