Stanislaus County Tax-Default Property Auction — 2026

Office: Stanislaus County Treasurer / Tax Collector (Donna Riley)

Address: 1010 10th Street, Suite 2500, Modesto, CA 95354

Phone: (209) 525-6388

Email: taxes@stancounty.com

Website: https://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/ (auction landing: https://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/auction/)

Bid4Assets (online, oral-style ascending auction)

County storefront: https://www.bid4assets.com/stanislaussale

Stanislaus has used Bid4Assets since its first online sale in 2022 and has not migrated

Confirmed (Board Resolution adopted Feb 24, 2026)

Auction window: Monday, May 18, 2026, 8:00 AM PT through Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 5:00 PM PT (staggered lot close-outs on Bid4Assets)

Last day to redeem: Friday, May 15, 2026, 5:00 PM PT (last business day before sale)

Pre-registration required at Bid4Assets

Deposit must be received by Bid4Assets no later than 1:00 PM PT (4:00 PM ET) Wednesday, May 8, 2026

Deposit: $2,000 (single deposit covers all parcels) plus a $35 non-refundable processing fee

Accepted forms: certified check / money order or wire transfer only. ACH, direct deposit, credit card, and money-transfer apps rejected

Full balance due within 3 business days after the sale closes

For 2026, the analogous deadline is on or about Tuesday, May 26, 2026 (verify on the 2026 terms PDF when posted)

Forms accepted for the balance: wire transfer, electronic funds transfer, or cashier's check only

Defaulting bidder: forfeits the $2,000 deposit, may be banned from future Stanislaus sales, and under R&T § 3693.1 may be barred from any California tax sale for up to 5 years

Additional costs: documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of selling price (on parcels selling over $100); recording fee

The deed is recorded and mailed within 4 to 6 weeks after payment

2026 parcel list: published as Attachment "A" to the Feb 24, 2026 Board resolution and on the County's "Minimum Bid" page

Mix: predominantly small residential lots, agricultural remnants in west-county / Westley / Patterson, and Modesto/Turlock/Oakdale infill parcels; many re-offers from prior sales at reduced minimum bids

Min bid floor: per R&T § 3698.5, no less than total redemption amount plus costs on first offering; re-offers may be reduced at the Tax Collector's discretion

Bid increment: $100 minimum, raised "by the auctioneer" (Bid4Assets enforces this electronically)

Redemption ceases at 5:00 PM PT the last business day before the sale (May 15, 2026)

Liens surviving the tax deed (R&T § 3712, recited verbatim on stancounty.com terms): post-sale special assessments and installments, non-consenting taxing-agency liens, special assessments not included in the redemption amount, easements / water rights / restrictions of record, and federal IRS liens not discharged by sale

Rescission: parties of interest must first petition the Board of Supervisors under R&T § 3731 within 1 year of deed recordation; only after Board denies rescission may a court action proceed under R&T § 3725

Excess proceeds: claims under R&T § 4675 must be filed within 1 year after the tax deed is recorded

Sale moved one week earlier in May vs. 2025 (May 19–21, 2025 → May 18–20, 2026)

Same Bid4Assets platform; no migration to GovEase or DeedAuction. Single $2,000 + $35 deposit structure unchanged from 2024–2025

Board approval cycle ran on Feb 24, 2026 (DIS01)

Treating the deposit cap as a bid cap. The Bid4Assets storefront states explicitly that "the bid deposit does not cap your bidding; it is simply a requirement to participate." Bidders routinely lose lots because they assume the $2,000 is a max-bid escrow

Ignoring surviving liens / easements. The County Terms recite R&T § 3712 verbatim — IRS liens not discharged, easements, water rights, and non-consenting taxing-agency liens stay on title. The County's Auction Procedures page warns: "There is no refund of any purchase price due to a bidder's or purchaser's error, remorse, or failure to exercise due diligence"

Missing the wire-transfer cutoff. Per the 2025 Terms, balance is due by wire/EFT/cashier's check 3 business days after sale close; personal checks and credit cards NOT accepted for the balance on the internet sale

Assessor / Parcel Information Application (APN search): http://qa.co.stanislaus.ca.us/AssessorWeb/public/app.jsp?inquiryType=FEE_PARCEL_SEARCH

Assessor's Office: https://www.stancounty.com/assessor/ (1010 10th St., Suite 2400, Modesto; (209) 525-6461)

GIS / Open Data Hub: https://open-data-stancounty-gis.hub.arcgis.com/

Clerk-Recorder grantor/grantee + document search (RecorderWorks): https://crweb.stancounty.com/RecorderWorksInternet/?ln=en (1021 I Street, Suite 101, Modesto; (209) 525-5250)

2026 listing / minimum bids: https://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/auction/minbid.shtm

2026 Bid4Assets storefront: https://www.bid4assets.com/stanislaussale

Terms & conditions (page): https://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/auction/terms.shtm

2025 Terms PDF (2026 PDF should replace at same path): https://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/pdf/terms-sale-2025.pdf

Auction procedures: https://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/auction/procedures.shtm

Excess proceeds policy + claim form: https://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/pdf/excess-proceeds-policy.pdf and https://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/pdf/excesss-proceeds-form.pdf

Board resolution (DIS01, Feb 24, 2026): https://www.stancounty.com/bos/agenda/2026/20260224/DIS01.pdf