San Diego County, California

Tax Deed3,298,799 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

County-run online tax-deed auction via Grant Street Group (MyTaxSale). 2026 primary auction March 13–18 with a May re-offer cycle; official page currently lists next cycle TBD for 2027. Registration free year-round on sdttc.mytaxsale.com. Properties generally 5+ years tax-defaulted; sold as-is.

Auction logistics

Format

Online

Frequency

Typically 1–2 online auctions per year (e.g. March 2026 primary + May 2026 re-offer); next full cycle TBA for 2027

Platform

MyTaxSale (Grant Street) — San Diego County TTC ↗

Deposit rules

Register at sdttc.mytaxsale.com; $1,000 advance bid deposit plus $35 non-refundable processing fee via ACH debit to Grant Street Group by the per-auction deadline (e.g. March 5, 2026 for the March sale). Unsuccessful deposits refunded within ~10 business days; winners' deposits credit the purchase. Final payment due within 5 business days of auction close.

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

San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector — Property Tax Auction ↗

877-829-4732

Clerk of court

San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk (records tax deeds) ↗

Property appraiser

San Diego County Assessor — ParcelQuest / property records ↗

619-236-3771

GIS / parcel map

San Diego County ARCC ParcelQuest parcel/maps access ↗

Areas trending up

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

Otay Mesa / South Bay (incl. Chula Vista edge)

Major employment and industrial/logistics growth corridor; SANDAG land-use forecasts concentrate regional job and housing gains in San Diego–Chula Vista–Otay; large housing approvals continuing into 2025–2026

Chula Vista

Among top county cities for forecast housing and jobs share; relative affordability vs. coastal San Diego supports sustained demand into 2026

Escondido / North County Metro

SANDAG identifies Escondido and North County Metro among highest-share population/housing growth areas outside the city core