Tulare County Tax-Default Property Auction — 2026

Office: Tulare County Treasurer-Tax Collector (Assistant TTC: Jorge Garcia-Perez)

Address: County Civic Center, 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 104E, Visalia, CA 93291-4593

Phone: (559) 636-5250

Email: taxhelp@tularecounty.ca.gov

Website: https://tularecounty.ca.gov/treasurertaxcollector/tax-collector/

2025 (main + reoffer): Bid4Assets — https://www.bid4assets.com/TULARE

2024: GovEase — confirmed by county-published "GovEase 2024 Flyer" page

2026: NOT YET ANNOUNCED on the county site (unconfirmed — verify before bidding)

Not yet posted on the official Tulare County 2026 tax auction page (page exists at the slug `/auditor/2026-tax-auction` but content is a stub)

A third-party auction aggregator (app.pvone.io) lists March 3, 2026 as the upcoming Tulare sale date (unconfirmed — verify before publishing)

Historical pattern: main sale runs early March, with a reoffer sale typically held mid- to late August for unsold parcels

Single deposit: $5,000 + $35 non-refundable processing fee to bid on every parcel in the sale

Deposit deadline (2025 main sale): 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT, Wednesday Feb 26, 2025 (one week before the sale)

Accepted forms: certified check, money order, or wire transfer ONLY — ACH, direct deposit, credit card, and money transfers rejected

All bidders must complete vesting information before they can access deposit instructions; first-time bidders must complete USA Patriot Act registration

Winning bidders receive settlement instructions by email after sale closes; deed recorded by county within roughly 3 weeks to 3 months after settlement

A $35 per-parcel-won administrative fee is added to the final sale price

Default by a winning bidder: California R&T § 3693.1 authorizes the tax collector to declare the sale void, retain any deposit/down payment as damages, and re-offer the parcel; Bid4Assets terms also bar defaulting bidders from future Tulare sales

Documentary transfer tax is collected at recording (per R&T § 11911 et seq.)

Tulare's 2025 main sale and the 2025 reoffer were both run on Bid4Assets

Mix: predominantly rural/agricultural and small residential parcels across the San Joaquin Valley floor and Sierra foothills (including Mission Estates subdivision lots, sold separately in past years)

Minimum bid: set at face value — defaulted taxes plus penalties, fees, and costs of sale (per R&T § 3698.5)

Bid increment: $100 minimum on the GovEase 2024 sale; Bid4Assets sets parcel-specific increments displayed on each listing

2026 parcel counts and minimum bids: not yet published (unconfirmed — verify before bidding)

Right of redemption terminates at 5:00 PM on the last business day prior to the sale under R&T § 3707(a)(1)

Surviving liens after sale: deed conveys title free of most encumbrances except unpaid post-sale tax installments, special assessments, IRS liens with a 120-day federal redemption window (26 U.S.C. § 7425(d)), and recorded easements/restrictions of record (R&T § 3712)

Rescission: tax collector may rescind by petition to Board of Supervisors within 1 year under R&T § 3731; judicial proceedings to set aside a sale must be commenced within 1 year per R&T § 3725

Excess proceeds: 1 year from the date of recording the tax deed to file a claim under R&T § 4675; Tulare publishes annual "Excess Proceeds Publication" lists

IRS-redemption clause is explicitly disclosed in Tulare's Bid4Assets terms

2026 auction page exists at the county Auditor URL slug (`/auditor/2026-tax-auction`) but content is not yet published as of 2026-04-29 — confirms the sale is being prepared but no dates, terms, or parcel list are public

Platform history shows volatility: GovEase in 2024, Bid4Assets in 2025 — do not assume the 2026 platform without confirmation

2025 reoffer terms continued the $5,000 / $35 deposit structure; no public indication Tulare will match neighboring San Bernardino's switch to Grant Street's mytaxsale system

Sending a wire transfer or certified check after the deposit deadline — Bid4Assets explicitly rejects late, ACH, credit-card, or "money transfer" deposits; the bid is then locked out of the sale entirely

Failing to complete vesting information before accessing deposit instructions — until vesting is submitted, the system will not release wire instructions, and bidders run out the clock

Assuming the deed extinguishes all liens — per R&T § 3712, post-sale unpaid taxes/assessments, IRS liens (120-day federal redemption window), and recorded easements/restrictions survive

Assuming the platform is the same as last year. Tulare flipped from GovEase 2024 → Bid4Assets 2025; do not register on either until 2026 platform is announced

Assessor / Clerk-Recorder: https://tularecounty.ca.gov/assessor

Recorded document search (self-service kiosk): https://tularecountyca-kiosk.tylerhost.net/kiosk/

Assessor parcel viewer: https://iportal.tularecounty.ca.gov/iportal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a1a6e2f2f9f341ed84a64f3b61919760

ParcelQuest (county-endorsed): https://tularecounty.ca.gov/assessor/property-information/parcelquest

MBAP assessment search: https://common1.mptsweb.com/mbap/tulare/asr

Public Parcel Zoning Lookup (ArcGIS): https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e7d7da648dab43e1a9eb0233889b7c32

Tax Auction landing page: https://tularecounty.ca.gov/treasurertaxcollector/tax-collector/tax-auction

2025 main auction page: https://tularecounty.ca.gov/treasurertaxcollector/tax-collector/tax-auction/2025-tax-auction

2025 Terms and Conditions of Sale: https://tularecounty.ca.gov/treasurertaxcollector/tax-collector/tax-auction/2025-tax-auction/2025-terms-and-conditions-of-sale/

2025 Reoffer auction page: https://tularecounty.ca.gov/treasurertaxcollector/tax-collector/tax-auction/2025-tax-auction/2025-tax-sale-re-offer-auction

2025 Notice of Sale: https://tularecounty.ca.gov/treasurertaxcollector/tax-collector/publications/2025-notice-of-sale/

Publications hub (excess proceeds, impending power-to-sell): https://tularecounty.ca.gov/treasurertaxcollector/tax-collector/publications/

Bid4Assets Tulare storefront: https://www.bid4assets.com/TULARE

2026 auction page (currently a stub): https://tularecounty.ca.gov/auditor/2026-tax-auction