Contra Costa County, California

Tax Deed1,172,607 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Deed

Redemption periodstate default

Up until 5pm the last business day before the sale (5-year delinquency threshold)

Investor returnstate default

N/A — outright deed transfer

Governing statutestate default

California Revenue & Taxation Code, Div. 1, Pt. 6

Notes

Uses GovEase.com (not Bid4Assets) for the annual public auction of tax-defaulted property. Confirm platform each cycle. Tax-deed state; 5-year default threshold generally applies. Redemption rights run until 5:00 p.m. the day before the auction starts. 3% buyer's premium and city-specific transfer taxes (Richmond, El Cerrito) can apply per county terms.

Auction logistics

Format

Online

Frequency

Annually (timing varies; list postings often mid-winter for a spring auction — confirm on county page)

Platform

GovEase — Contra Costa County ↗

Deposit rules

Register at GovEase.com; single $5,000 refundable deposit + $35 non-refundable registration fee by the published deadline (wire only for final/deposit processing per county notice). Deposit applied to successful purchases; unused deposits refunded by GovEase in ~7–10 business days. Minimum bid increments $100; CA documentary transfer tax $0.55/$500 plus extra city transfer taxes where applicable.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

A California tax deed conveys free of most liens existing before the sale, but federal tax liens survive (the IRS keeps a 120-day post-sale redemption right), as do taxes/assessments that become payable after the sale.

Quiet title

Not a statutory prerequisite, but practically required — most title insurers in California won't insure a tax-deed property without a completed quiet title action (commonly 3-6 months, $3,000-$8,000+ in legal fees), and many won't insure until a year after the deed is recorded.

Deal maths for California

Assessment ratio: 1× of market value
Typical quiet title: $3,000–$7,000 · 9 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code § 401: property is assessed at full cash value, so the statutory ratio is 1.0.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Contra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector — Annual Public Auction ↗

Clerk of court

Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder (records deeds) ↗

Property appraiser

Contra Costa County Assessor — Maps & Property Information ↗

925-313-7400

GIS / parcel map

Contra Costa County Parcel Viewer (CCMap / ArcGIS) ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Brentwood / far East County

Historically among Bay Area's fastest-growing suburban cities; more housing inventory and relative affordability vs. Lamorinda/central county into 2025–2026

Antioch / Pittsburg corridor

East County value corridor with BART-adjacent demand and ongoing residential absorption as coastal Bay Area households seek space

Concord / central county job nodes

Employment and transit hub for central Contra Costa; inventory build in 2025–2026 gives buyers more choice while jobs remain diversified