York County tax sales, South Carolina

Verified

York County collects through its Tax Collection office, which the county site confirms is responsible under South Carolina law for pursuing delinquent property taxes through notification, advertisement and auction, with offices in York and at 1070 Heckle Blvd, Suite 1100 in Rock Hill (phone 803-909-7272). The county tax sale fact sheet itself was not readable on the official pages read, so the sale mechanics below that come from secondary sources quoting that fact sheet, including the 2026 date, the venue, the registration window and the payment forms, are marked unverified rather than borrowed as confirmed county text. The state frame is not in doubt: York sells the property itself under SC Code Title 12, Chapter 51, the collector opens with a bid for the Forfeited Land Commission, and the winner pays in full on the day of the sale and receives a receipt, not a deed.

Selling office: York County Delinquent Tax Collector, in the Tax Collection office

Next sale: 2026 sale already run: Monday, October 12, 2026, reported from the county fact sheet by secondary sources and marked unverified here; next sale expected in October or November 2027 on the county pattern. Secondary sources quoting the county fact sheet report the 2026 sale for Monday, October 12, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the York County Fire Training Center, 2500 McFarland Rd, York, resuming October 13 if necessary, with pre-registration closing Friday, October 9, 2026. The October 9 date is also reported as the final deadline to pay delinquent real estate taxes, at 5:00 p.m. None of those dated details was read on an official York County page, so treat the October 12, 2026 sale as reported and completed, and confirm the 2027 date with the Tax Collection office at 803-909-7272.

York is the Charlotte metro county in this set, with Tax Collection offices in York and Rock Hill. The 2026 sale is reported as completed on October 12, 2026; the next dated signal is the fall 2027 announcement from the Tax Collection office, and the fact sheet details on this page should be verified again against the county page when it posts.

Dates and deadlines

Next sale	2026 sale already run: Monday, October 12, 2026, reported from the county fact sheet by secondary sources and marked unverified here; next sale expected in October or November 2027 on the county pattern
The sale	The annual sale sells the property itself at public auction under SC Code 12-51-50. Secondary sources quoting the county fact sheet report the 2026 sale on Monday, October 12, 2026, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the York County Fire Training Center in York, resuming October 13 if necessary; that date and venue are unverified from the official pages read.
The list	Under SC Code 12-51-40(d) the sale is advertised once a week for three consecutive weeks before the sale. Secondary sources report York publishes the sale list in The Herald for three consecutive weeks; the county list location and any list cost were not published on the official pages read, so those details are unverified.
Registration	Pre-registration is required and there is no registration fee, per the county fact sheet as quoted by secondary sources: registration ran September 18, 2026 through October 9, 2026, by calling 803-909-7272 or sending the Bidder Registration Form, and only registered bidders are admitted to the bid room. The form and window were not read on the official pages and are unverified.
Bidding and payment	This is an open bid sale with numbered bidder cards; the delinquent tax collector presents the opening bid for the Forfeited Land Commission equal to all unpaid taxes, penalties, assessments and costs including taxes for the year the redemption period begins, under SC Code 12-51-55. Secondary sources quoting the fact sheet report that all bids must be paid in full on the day of the sale by certified funds, business checks or cash, with no personal checks, a limit of no more than $10,000 in cash per bidder, and a $500 fine per bid for failure to pay; the $500 figure matches SC Code 12-51-70, and the county specific payment forms are unverified from the official pages read.
Redemption	The defaulting taxpayer, a grantee from the owner, or a mortgage or judgment creditor may redeem within twelve months from the date of the sale under SC Code 12-51-90, paying the taxes, assessments, penalties and costs plus lump sum interest on the whole successful bid of 3 percent in months one to three, 6 percent in months four to six, 9 percent in months seven to nine, and 12 percent in the last three months, capped at the Forfeited Land Commission bid. The collector mails notice of the approaching end of redemption no more than 45 and no less than 20 days before the period ends, under SC Code 12-51-120. Secondary sources quoting the fact sheet add that during the redemption year a successful bidder has no right to enter the premises or contact the owner.
Unsold parcels	Parcels nobody outbids the Forfeited Land Commission on are taken in by the Commission under SC Code 12-51-55, held through the same twelve month redemption period, and then sold by the Commission as forfeited lands through its own posted sale process. A York County Forfeited Land Commission sale schedule was not published on the official pages read, so the timing of any Commission sale is unverified. The county does publish a tax sale overage list through Tax Collection, per secondary sources.
Format	In person only: In person at the York County Fire Training Center, 2500 McFarland Rd, York, SC 29745 (venue reported from the county tax sale fact sheet by secondary sources; not read on the county pages)
Selling office	York County Delinquent Tax Collector, in the Tax Collection office

Sources: York County, Tax Collection. York County, Treasurer and Finance staff directory. Confirm with the selling office before relying on any date on this page: sales move, terms change, and parcels are pulled up to sale day.

Research York County parcels before you bid

A sale list gives you the parcels, the date, and the opening terms. It does not give you the owner, the value, or the rest of the picture: liens, foreclosure status, and parcel history. PropertyRadar is the data platform for that layer. It carries owner records, assessed and market values, foreclosure and tax data, and property history for parcels across York County, searchable by address, owner, or county, including parcels that never reach a sale list.

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How South Carolina tax sales work

The debt builds fast, then the county takes possession on paper. Taxes unpaid after January 15 take penalties under Section 12-45-180: 3 percent, then 7 percent more on February 2, then 5 percent more on March 17. The treasurer issues an execution, and the officer charged with collecting delinquent taxes mails the delinquency notice on April 1, takes exclusive possession by certified mail or posting, and advertises the sale once a week for three consecutive weeks under Section 12-51-40.
The sale is a public auction, and the county opens every parcel. Under Section 12-51-50 the property is sold at public auction at the courthouse or another convenient place in the county on the advertised date; the statute sets no statewide date, and counties in this set sell between October and December. The officer must open each parcel with a bid for the county Forfeited Land Commission equal to all unpaid taxes, penalties, assessments and costs, including the taxes levied for the year the redemption period begins (Section 12-51-55). Public bidding starts at that amount.
The winner pays in full that day and leaves with a receipt. Section 12-51-60 requires payment of the full bid on the day of the sale, in cash, cashier's check, certified check or money order, and the buyer receives a receipt, not a deed. A bidder who fails to pay has the bid cancelled, faces up to 500 dollars in damages, and the property is readvertised (Section 12-51-70). Any part of the bid above the taxes, penalties and costs is held by the collector and belongs to the former owner, who is notified of the excess after the tax deed issues.
Redemption runs twelve months and pays a lump sum, not a rate. The defaulting taxpayer, a grantee from the owner, or a mortgage or judgment creditor may redeem within twelve months of the sale under Section 12-51-90, paying the debt plus interest on the whole successful bid: 3 percent if redeemed in the first three months, 6 percent in months four to six, 9 percent in months seven to nine, 12 percent in the last three months. The interest charged may never exceed the amount of the Forfeited Land Commission bid, so money bid above the county's opening bid earns no interest at all.
The deed comes after the year runs, and unsold parcels sit with the Commission. If nobody redeems, the collector issues a tax title to the purchaser under Section 12-51-130, and after one more year that deed is incontestable (Section 12-51-90(C)). Parcels the Forfeited Land Commission takes in, because nobody outbid its opening bid, are held through the same redemption period; the Commission then holds title and sells forfeited lands through its own posted sale process, which is the year round leftover channel in every South Carolina county.

How bidding works in York County

Pre-registration is required to bid and there is no registration fee, per the county fact sheet as quoted by secondary sources, with registration for the 2026 sale running September 18, 2026 through October 9, 2026 by phone at 803-909-7272 or by the Bidder Registration Form, and only registered bidders allowed in the bid room. The registration form and window were not read on the official York County pages as of November 9, 2026, so confirm them with the Tax Collection office before the next sale.

Bid the redemption math, not the parcel. If the owner redeems, your entire return is the quarter's lump sum percentage, capped at the county's own opening bid. Every dollar bid above that opening bid earns zero interest in the redemption outcome and is handed to the former owner in the deed outcome. The rational bid ceiling in South Carolina is set by Section 12-51-90, not by the parcel's market value.
Full payment is due before you leave the room. South Carolina sales settle on the spot, in legal tender, and a failed payment cancels the bid, readvertises the parcel, and exposes the defaulting bidder to up to 500 dollars in damages (Section 12-51-70). Registered bidders bring certified funds sized to their maximum bid, not to their expected bid.

Terms: what a bid actually costs

Deposit, York County	No registration fee and no deposit: the county fact sheet, as quoted by secondary sources, states that bidders must pre-register and that there is no registration fee. No deposit amount was published on the official pages read, and none is claimed here.
Payment, York County	Under SC Code 12-51-60 the winning bidder pays in full on the day of the sale by cash, cashier's check, certified check or money order and receives a receipt, not a deed. Secondary sources quoting the county fact sheet report York accepts certified funds and business checks as well as cash up to $10,000 per bidder, takes no personal checks, requires every bid to be paid before checkout, and treats a bounced check as failure to pay; those county forms are unverified from the official pages read.
What is sold	The property itself, but title does not move on sale day. The winning bid buys a receipt and a claim: if the owner redeems within twelve months the sale unwinds, and only if nobody redeems does the collector issue a tax title. There is no lien certificate in South Carolina at any stage.
The opening bid	Set by statute, not by the market. Under Section 12-51-55 the officer bids for the Forfeited Land Commission in an amount equal to all unpaid taxes, penalties, assessments and costs, including the taxes levied for the year in which the redemption period begins. Every public bid is measured against that floor.
Excess bid	Any part of the winning bid above the taxes, penalties, assessments and costs is held by the delinquent tax collector, and once the tax deed has been issued the collector must notify the former owner of the excess due (Section 12-51-60). Money bid above the debt is never bidder profit in either outcome: on redemption it earns no interest, and without redemption it belongs to the former owner.
Redemption	Twelve months from the date of the sale, by the defaulting taxpayer, a grantee from the owner, or a mortgage or judgment creditor, paying the debt plus lump sum interest on the whole successful bid: 3 percent in the first three months, 6 percent in months four to six, 9 percent in months seven to nine, 12 percent in the last three months, and never more than the amount of the Forfeited Land Commission bid (Section 12-51-90).
The tax title	Issued by the collector after the redemption period ends if nobody redeems (Section 12-51-130), and incontestable after one additional year (Section 12-51-90(C)). A tax title is not a title insurance policy: owners of record, occupants, and surviving interests are the buyer's homework, and a quiet title action is the usual finishing step.
Costs on top of the bid	The full bid is due on sale day in legal tender; there is no financing window and no deposit installment structure in the statute. Current year taxes are already inside the opening bid. After the sale the costs are time and process: twelve months of redemption to wait out, then deed and recording charges as the county publishes them.

Unsold parcels: the Forfeited Land Commission

Parcels the Forfeited Land Commission takes in, because nobody bid above its opening bid under SC Code 12-51-55, are held through the same twelve month redemption period. After it ends, the Commission holds title and sells forfeited lands through its own posted sale process. No York County Commission sale dates or list location were published on the official pages read. Separately, any part of a winning bid above the taxes, penalties, assessments and costs is an overage held for the defaulting taxpayer and the owner of record once a tax deed issues, under SC Code 12-51-60, and the county publishes an overage claim list through Tax Collection, per secondary sources.

Before you bid

Price the year, not just the parcel. Every South Carolina purchase includes twelve months of illiquidity before a deed can issue, and the owner can unwind the sale at any point in that year. Decide in advance whether you are buying the redemption return, the deed, or both, because the right bid is different for each.
Verify the venue and the registration close. South Carolina sales are live events, and registration closes days before the sale in most counties, sometimes with a fee and never on sale day in the larger ones. The registration deadline, not the sale date, is the gate that decides whether you bid at all.
Read the Forfeited Land Commission list after the sale. Parcels nobody outbids are taken in by the Commission and return through its own sale process after redemption runs. That list, published by each county's Commission, is the second chance at the same inventory, priced by the Commission's rules.
Set the maximum before the sale opens. The free Max-Bid Calculator below works backwards from your resale or hold value to the highest bid you can pay, with the costs shown.

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New York tax sales · Florida tax deed sales · Texas tax sales · Pennsylvania tax sales · Georgia tax sales · North Carolina tax foreclosure sales · Ohio tax foreclosure sales · Illinois tax lien sales · Michigan tax foreclosure sales · Arizona tax lien sales · California tax defaulted property sales · Colorado tax lien sales