Imperial County Tax-Default Property Auction — 2026

Office: Imperial County Treasurer-Tax Collector — Karen D. Vogel (verify current officeholder before publishing)

Address: 940 West Main Street, Suite 106, El Centro, CA 92243

Phone: (442) 265-1270 (main) / (442) 265-1235

Fax: (442) 265-1272

Email: taxcollector@co.imperial.ca.us

Website: https://treasurer-taxcollector.imperialcounty.org/tax-collector/

Bid4Assets — https://www.bid4assets.com/storefront/ImperialFeb26

Unchanged from prior years; Imperial has used Bid4Assets continuously, same as Riverside

Confirmed (sale completed Feb 13–26, 2026 as of update date)

Bidding opened Friday, Feb 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM PT and closed staggered through Thursday, Feb 26, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT (settlement deadline)

Right of redemption ceased at 5:00 PM PT on the last business day before sale (R&T § 4101)

Bid4Assets account required (free)

Deposit: $2,500 single deposit covers all parcels + $35 non-refundable processing fee

Deposit deadline: 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT, Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026

Accepted forms (deposit): certified/cashier's check, money order, or wire transfer ONLY

ACH, credit card, and personal money transfers explicitly rejected

Settlement deadline: 4:00 PM ET, Thursday, Feb 26, 2026 (within ~48 hours of close)

Accepted forms: certified funds / cashier's check / bank money order or wire transfer only

Default: failure to settle forfeits the $2,500 deposit to the county general fund (does not apply against delinquent taxes), and right of redemption revives — pursuant to R&T § 3693.1

Additional costs: documentary transfer tax assessed at recordation; $35 Bid4Assets fee non-refundable; minimum bid covers delinquent taxes, penalties, costs, and recording fees per § 3698.5

Parcel-level list published on the Bid4Assets storefront

Sample 2026 minimum bids range roughly $1,163–$2,580 for vacant parcels — lowest dollar barrier to entry of the top 10 CA counties (consistent with the small-acreage desert-lot pattern)

Imperial historically offers ~50–150 parcels per cycle (2025 list document was 28 pages; prior years 48–54 pages of listings)

Mix: heavily skewed toward vacant land — Salton City/Salton Sea-area subdivision lots, desert acreage, and small ag/residential parcels. Improved properties are uncommon.

Bid increment: $100 (per individual auction listing pages)

Redemption deadline: 5:00 PM PT on the last business day before the sale (§ 3707, § 4101). Once the tax deed is recorded, redemption rights extinguish

Surviving liens (R&T § 3712): tax deed conveys free of most encumbrances except — IRS liens recorded ≥30 days before sale (with 120-day federal redemption right), special assessments not satisfied by sale proceeds, easements of record, and certain restrictions/covenants

Imperial-specific: parcels in Salton Sea-adjacent subdivisions frequently carry CC&Rs, road maintenance assessments, and Imperial Irrigation District (IID) assessments that survive — verify against the recorded chain

Rescission: challenges raised by petition to Board of Supervisors within 1 year of recordation of tax deed (§ 3725 / § 3731); judicial action only after that petition

Excess proceeds (R&T § 4675): 1-year claim window from recording of tax collector's deed. Imperial's claim form, instructions, and probate affidavit are posted by the Treasurer-Tax Collector. R&T § 4674 authorizes a recovery fee — Imperial deducts costs of administering the claim from proceeds.

Sale window moved from Feb 14–17, 2025 to Feb 13–26, 2026 — a longer staggered-close window than 2025's 4-day run

Karen D. Vogel is now signed as Treasurer-Tax Collector on 2025+ notices (replacing Suzanne C. Bermudez who signed the 2024 notice)

$2,500 deposit + $35 fee structure unchanged from 2025; payment-method exclusions (no ACH/credit card) unchanged

Assuming "free of encumbrances" is absolute. § 3712 lists explicit exceptions (IRS liens, special assessments, easements, recorded restrictions). Salton-Sea-area lots commonly carry surviving IID and special-district assessments

Missing the 48-hour settlement window. Per § 3693.1 and Bid4Assets terms, failure to wire certified funds by Feb 26 forfeits the $2,500 deposit AND allows the prior owner's redemption right to revive — buyer loses both deposit and parcel

Bidding on a parcel without confirming it isn't ag-preserve / Williamson Act-restricted or subject to IID water-service area limits. The county sells "AS IS" with no warranty as to title, location, or condition. Water service to a parcel is not transferred by a tax deed and must be re-applied for through IID where applicable.

Assessor: https://assessor.imperialcounty.org/ — phone (442) 265-1300 (Parcel Quest Lite property characteristics + plat maps)

Recorder/Clerk: https://recorder.imperialcounty.org/ — 940 Main St., Ste. 202, El Centro; (442) 265-1076 / -1077

GIS / Planning maps: https://www.icpds.com/planning/maps (APN, address, lat/long search)

GIS Open Data: https://gis-imperialcounty.opendata.arcgis.com/

2026 auction (closed): https://www.bid4assets.com/storefront/ImperialFeb26

2025 Notice of Public Auction (PDF, terms template): https://treasurer-taxcollector.imperialcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Notice-of-Public-Auction-2025-TTC-Website.pdf

2025 Tax Sale terms preview: https://treasurer-taxcollector.imperialcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TAX-SALE-WORD-DOC-PREVIEW-COUNTY-2025.pdf

Excess proceeds claim form + instructions: https://treasurer-taxcollector.imperialcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Excess-Proceeds-Claim-and-Instructions.pdf (2023 form — verify current form before filing)

Impending Power-to-Sell (Jun 2025 publication): https://treasurer-taxcollector.imperialcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Impending-Publication-TTC-.pdf