Duval County tax lien sales investing guide. 18% per annum interest, 24-month redemption. Auction details and due diligence checklist.
Duval County, FL sells tax lien certificates via RealAuction, with a 24 months redemption window and a 18% per annum statutory rate. Auctions run on an annual cadence.
OTC liens year-round, foreclosures (RealAuction M-F 11am), tax deed sales, LAT properties. Annual tax cert auction June.
Aggregated from live Duval County listings on LienScout Pro. Snapshot refreshes weekly.
Tax-sale data on this page is sourced from and reconciled against County Tax Collector / Clerk of Court publications for Duval County, Florida.
Duval County's tax certificate auction runs annually at the end of May or early June through RealAuction, covering the entire Jacksonville consolidated city-county footprint. Because Duval is a consolidated jurisdiction, the auction includes both urban Jacksonville parcels and beaches-area properties that in other Florida markets would be split across multiple counties — the parcel mix is broader than any single Florida metro county except Miami-Dade. Bid-down on prime Riverside, San Marco, and beaches liens is aggressive; the more consistent 18% deployment happens through Duval's year-round OTC channel on county-held certificates.
Foreclosure sales run Monday through Friday at 11:00 AM through RealAuction — a much higher cadence than most Florida counties — and Duval maintains an active tax deed sale calendar plus a Lands Available for Taxes list of parcels that failed to sell at tax deed. Between the daily foreclosure calendar and the LAT inventory, Duval is one of the more consistently active Florida counties for non-auction acquisition.
Florida runs two distinct auctions in Duval County. Annual tax certificate sales (May–June) sell liens online via RealAuction — bidders bid the interest rate down from 18% in 0.25% increments, and the lowest rate wins with a minimum 5% penalty on redemption. Tax deed sales run year-round on RealAuction (or the county Clerk's portal for a handful of counties) after a certificate holder files a Tax Deed Application; the opening bid equals total taxes, fees, and half the assessed value on homestead parcels. Deed bidders wire a deposit plus a non-refundable fee, bid premium-only, and must fund the balance same-day or forfeit. Sub-1% winning rates are common on the certificate side for high-value homestead parcels; the deed side sees stronger institutional competition.
Pull the Duval County Property Appraiser record first — it gives you owner of record, land + building value, homestead flag, legal description, and the year of the last transfer. Then run the Clerk of Court's Official Records search for the last deed, active mortgages, judgments, and any code-enforcement liens (Florida code liens survive tax deed sale). Cross-reference the parcel against the Tax Collector's certificate ledger to see who else holds paper on it. Finish with the county GIS for zoning + flood zone and Google Street View for a visual on the improvement. Two Florida-specific gotchas: (1) always check homestead status before bidding a certificate — half-assessed-value opening bids destroy deed-side returns, and (2) municipal code liens do not extinguish at deed sale.
On the certificate side, once you win in Duval County, the county emails your certificate within 48 hours. The property owner has 2 years to redeem at your winning rate plus the 5% minimum penalty; after 2 years you may file a Tax Deed Application, which forces the property to public auction and pays you back principal + accrued interest at your rate. On the deed side, the Clerk issues the recorded deed within 30 days of the sale. Title is generally clean but not insurable without a quiet-title action or a title-insurance workaround (Florida title insurers typically require 4 years of undisturbed possession before insuring a tax-deed title). Excess proceeds above the opening bid are held for the former owner and junior lienholders to claim.
Duval County runs Jacksonville's annual tax certificate sale on LienExpress (RealAuction) in late May / early June. Competition is meaningfully lighter than South Florida — winning rates on urban Jacksonville single-family and duplex certificates commonly land in the 3–8% range, well above the SFL institutional floor. Higher yields are realistic on Westside, Northside, and Arlington parcels with lower absolute tax amounts that institutions skip. Florida certificates carry the standard 2-year redemption plus 5% mandatory minimum on redemption before tax-deed application.
In Duval County, tax lien certificates are sold at auction to satisfy unpaid property taxes. Investors purchase these liens, and the property owner has a set period to redeem the lien by paying the owed taxes plus interest and penalties. If the property owner does not redeem the lien within the statutory period, the tax deed application process may begin.
Investors can expect to earn an 18% annual interest rate on the amount of unpaid taxes paid through the tax lien certificate. This rate is set by Florida state statute for tax lien sales. Actual returns depend on the number of tax certificates purchased and whether they are redeemed by the property owner.
Key risks include the inability of the property owner to redeem the lien, leading to a potentially lengthy and complex tax deed sale process to recover the investment. There's also the risk of incurring additional costs during the tax deed process and the possibility of the property having other prior liens or encumbrances that were not identified.
To get started, you'll need to register with the Duval County Tax Collector's office for tax lien auctions. Research available tax lien inventory, understand the auction rules, and ensure you have the necessary funds to participate. It's also advisable to consult with legal counsel experienced in tax deed sales.