California tax default lists
6 California counties published tax default lists we hold, naming 621 parcels that owe $8.7M to redeem. None of them is for sale.
- Counties
- 6
- Parcels listed
- 621
- Owed to redeem
- $8.7M
- For sale now
- 0
- A default list is not a sale
Data as of
By county
6 counties| County | Parcels | Total to redeem | Median | Published | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz CountySanta Cruz Sentinel | 329 | $5,515,787 | $5,621 | Sep 18, 2026 | Read ↗ |
| Sutter CountyAppeal-Democrat | 213 | $2,635,407 | $4,583 | Aug 28, 2026 | Read ↗ |
| Butte CountyChico Enterprise-Record | 27 | $161,851 | $1,801 | Aug 15, 2026 | Read ↗ |
| Yuba CountyAppeal-Democrat | 25 | $239,892 | $4,947 | Sep 18, 2026 | Read ↗ |
| Tehama CountyRed Bluff Daily News | 21 | $56,219 | $1,034 | Sep 18, 2026 | Read ↗ |
| Sonoma CountyPress Democrat | 6 | $110,097 | $19,232 | Sep 15, 2026 | Read ↗ |
Figures are sums of the amounts each notice prints, as of its publication date. Parcels redeemed since are not removed, because the county does not publish redemptions.
About default lists
What is a California tax default list?
The notice a California county tax collector must publish listing every parcel whose property taxes were still unpaid at the end of the tax year, with the owner and the amount needed to redeem. It starts the clock: after five years in default -- three for some non-residential property -- the county may sell.
Can I buy a property on the default list?
Not from the list. A defaulted parcel can only be bought at the county's tax-defaulted property auction, years later, if it is still unpaid. Most are paid long before. The list is useful for what it says about a county, and about owners under pressure -- not as an inventory.
Which counties are here?
6 counties whose lists appeared on capublicnotice.com this year, the largest Santa Cruz with 329 parcels. Counties that publish only in print, or on their own site, are not here.
Why the names are not listed here
Each county’s notice names every owner on its list, and it is linked above, where the county published it. Republishing those names here, sortable by how much each person owes, would add nothing a bidder can act on -- none of these parcels can be bought today -- and would make a ranked list of households in trouble. The counts are the useful part, and they are all here.
When a county holds its tax-defaulted property auction, the parcels on it appear on the auction calendar.
Where next
- County tax auction calendarTax deed, tax lien and redeemable deed auctions announced across the country.
- Tax sale glossaryTax certificate, tax deed application, opening bid, redemption — every term a notice uses.
- How the data is collectedSources, the nightly schedule, how duplicates are merged, and what we cannot see.
- Search every upcoming saleBy parcel, owner, holder, county or certificate number.