San Benito County, California

Tax Deed69,159 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

California tax-deed county (no lien certificates). San Benito County Treasurer-Tax Collector sells tax-defaulted property after ~5 years delinquency (power to sell) via public internet auction. Next Tax-Defaulted Property Auction scheduled for October 2026 hosted by GovEase. County auction FAQ and schedule on sanbenitocountyca.gov Treasurer-Tax Collector pages. Redemption ends 5:00 p.m. last business day before auction; sold AS IS; excess proceeds claims under R&T Code §4675. Hollister / San Juan Bautista / Silicon Valley south commute edge.

Auction logistics

Format

Online

Frequency

Irregular / multi-year cycles; next primary listed October 2026 on county Schedule of Upcoming Auctions — confirm list ~30 days prior

Platform

GovEase — San Benito County tax-defaulted property auction ↗

Deposit rules

Register on GovEase before sale; bid deposit and processing fee per storefront terms for the cycle. Full settlement per platform after winning; documentary transfer tax collected with purchase. Non-payment forfeits deposit and can ban future auctions. County does not guarantee access or buildability.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

CA tax deed conveys free of most liens existing before the sale (R&T Code §3712), but federal tax liens survive (IRS 120-day post-sale redemption), as do taxes/assessments payable after the sale. Special assessments and bonds may remain — verify parcel-by-parcel.

Quiet title

Practically required for insurable title — most CA title insurers require quiet title after tax deed (commonly 3–6 months) or extended waiting; one-year challenge period can delay free-and-clear status.

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

San Benito County Treasurer-Tax Collector — Internet Auction of Tax-Defaulted Property ↗

831-636-4035

Clerk of court

San Benito County Clerk-Recorder (records tax deeds) ↗

Property appraiser

San Benito County Assessor — parcel / assessment data ↗

GIS / parcel map

San Benito County GIS / Assessor mapping ↗

Areas trending up

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

Hollister / downtown–Fairview corridor

County-seat employment and Bay Area reverse-commute demand with constrained inventory

San Juan Bautista / Hwy 156 edge

Tourism and mission-town lifestyle market with limited SF product

Ridgemark / south Hollister fringe

Golf-community and newer SF absorption on the county growth edge