DeKalb County Excess Funds: Find Out If You’re Owed Money After a Tax Sale

If your DeKalb County property sold at a tax sale for more than you owed, the leftover money — called excess funds — does not belong to the county. It belongs to you.

DeKalb holds tax sales in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse, generally on the first Tuesday of the month. Bidding routinely runs past the minimum, and the amount above what was actually owed sits with the Tax Commissioner’s Office until somebody claims it. The county publishes a list and waits. It does not track you down.

That is how money ends up unclaimed for years — an owner moved, an estate was never probated, notices went to an address nobody checks anymore. DeKalb holds more unredeemed tax sale property than most Georgia counties, and a meaningful share of those parcels sit in Lithonia, Stonecrest, Redan, and south DeKalb, where family land passed between generations without formal probate.

We help DeKalb landowners find out whether funds exist, understand the claim process, and figure out what to do next — whether or not you decide to work with us further.

This is the same straightforward, no-pressure approach Atlanta Landbuyers brings to every property question we handle.

One DeKalb Rule Nobody Warns You About

Before anything else, know this, because it separates DeKalb from most Georgia counties and it will save you from a costly mistake:

DeKalb County does not accept Powers of Attorney on excess funds claims.

The Tax Commissioner’s Office is explicit: all claims must be filed by the party entitled to receive the funds, or by their attorney licensed to practice in the State of Georgia. Powers of Attorney are not acceptable.

This matters because a whole industry of asset recovery firms markets DeKalb excess funds services, typically asking you to sign a POA and take 10% to 30% of whatever comes back. In DeKalb, a firm holding your Power of Attorney cannot file your claim. Either you file it yourself, or a Georgia-licensed attorney files it for you.

If someone has contacted you about DeKalb County excess funds and asked you to sign a Power of Attorney, verify what they are actually able to do before signing anything.

What Are Excess Funds, Exactly?

When a DeKalb property goes to tax sale, the opening bid must cover delinquent taxes, penalties, interest, and the costs of sale. Bidding often exceeds that minimum, particularly on land in desirable areas. The amount above what was owed is the excess funds — also called overage, surplus, or excess bid.

Under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5, that money belongs to the parties with a legal interest in the property as of the sale date, in order of priority:

• The former owner — you, if this was your property
• Heirs, if the former owner has passed away
• Mortgage holders, lienholders, HOAs, or judgment creditors with a recorded interest

After everyone with a documented claim is paid, the remainder returns to the former owner. The county keeps none of it beyond what was actually owed.

A DeKalb structural note

In Fulton County, the Sheriff’s Office conducts tax sales and handles excess funds. In DeKalb, the Tax Commissioner serves as Ex Officio Sheriff and handles both. Everything runs through one office — so if you have been searching the DeKalb Sheriff’s site and finding nothing, that is why.

How Do I Know If I’m Owed Excess Funds?

You may have funds waiting if:

• A property you owned, inherited, or co-owned went to a DeKalb tax sale in the last several years
• You do not know what the property sold for at auction versus what was owed
• You got a notice about a tax sale at some point and never followed up
• A family member died owning DeKalb land that may have gone delinquent

Worth knowing how far back this can reach: DeKalb’s April 2026 tax sale included parcels with delinquencies dating to 2005. If you assumed something from years ago was long settled, it may not be.

The only way to know is to check the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s excess funds list against the specific parcel. We can run that search and tell you honestly whether there is anything to pursue.

DeKalb Cities and ZIP Codes We Cover

DeKalb contains at least twelve incorporated cities plus large unincorporated areas and part of Atlanta. We check excess funds and buy land across all of it:

• Decatur — 30030, 30032, 30033, 30034, 30035
• Stone Mountain — 30083, 30087, 30088
• Lithonia — 30038, 30058
• Stonecrest — 30038, 30058 (incorporated 2017)
• Tucker — 30084 (incorporated 2016)
• Clarkston — 30021
• Avondale Estates — 30002
• Pine Lake — 30072
• Chamblee — 30341
• Doraville — 30340, 30360
• Dunwoody — 30338, 30346
• Brookhaven — 30319, 30329
• Ellenwood — 30294
• Atlanta (DeKalb portion) — 30306, 30307, 30316, 30317, 30345

Two cautions on geography. ZIP codes cross city and county lines, so a Decatur mailing address does not confirm a parcel is inside the City of Decatur — thousands of properties carry Decatur addresses while sitting in unincorporated DeKalb. And parcels inside Atlanta near the county line may fall in Fulton rather than DeKalb, which changes which office holds your funds entirely. Confirm the county of record before filing.

How the DeKalb Claims Process Works

Claiming excess funds in DeKalb is not a phone call. The Tax Commissioner requires documented proof of your legal interest before releasing anything.

What you will need

• A completed Claim Form for Excess Bid, notarized
• Photo identification for each claimant
• Proof of your interest as of the sale date — deed, security deed, or recorded lien documentation
• If claiming as a lienholder: the principal amount of the lien plus interest and costs, documented
• If claiming as an heir or estate representative: probate records, letters testamentary or of administration, and proof of the chain of title from the deceased owner to you

Where to send it

Claims may be filed in person or by mail, to the attention of Delinquent Collections Claims:

DeKalb County Tax Commissioner
4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 100
Decatur, GA 30032
404-298-4000

What happens next

The office evaluates each claim case by case against the documentation submitted. It states plainly that because circumstances vary so much, it cannot estimate how long a claim will take to pay. Once a claim is determined valid, payment is issued promptly within the limits of Georgia law.

If competing claims arise — say a former owner and a mortgage lender both file — the Tax Commissioner may interplead the funds into DeKalb County Superior Court and let a judge determine entitlement. This is where most people get stuck. The paperwork is technical, documentation of your interest is not optional, and a competing claim can tie funds up for months.

Don’t Wait — There Is a Deadline

Georgia law gives claimants five years from the date of the tax sale to file. After that, unclaimed funds transfer to the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Unclaimed Property Division, and recovery generally requires a court order — harder, though not impossible.

Waiting even a few months costs you in practical ways:

• Documentation gets harder to assemble — old deeds, closed estates, relatives who have moved or died
• Other claimants can file ahead of you
• Courts view delay unfavorably when claims compete

There is also a related deadline worth knowing. Georgia gives the former owner a 12-month right of redemption after a tax sale, during which the property itself can be reclaimed by paying the purchaser’s bid, additional taxes paid since, a statutory premium of roughly 20%, and costs. Redemption and excess funds are different remedies — if the redemption window is still open, that conversation should happen first. See how Georgia’s delinquency timeline works.

What If the Land Sold for Less Than You Owed?

If the winning bid only covered — or failed to cover — the back taxes and costs, there are no excess funds on that parcel and nothing to claim.

But if you are dealing with other DeKalb land that is behind on taxes, heading toward a sale, or simply something you inherited and do not want to manage, that is exactly what we handle directly. DeKalb bills in two installments — September 30 and November 15 — which catches people who assume the statewide December 20 date applies. See our tax-delinquent land page for your options before a sale happens, or what happens if you don’t pay property taxes on land.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an asset recovery firm claim my DeKalb excess funds for me?

Not with a Power of Attorney. DeKalb accepts claims only from the party entitled to the funds or their Georgia-licensed attorney, and states directly that Powers of Attorney are not acceptable. A recovery firm holding your POA cannot file. If you want representation, it needs to be a licensed Georgia attorney.

Do I need a lawyer to claim excess funds in DeKalb County?

Not always. If you are the sole former owner, there are no competing liens, and your documentation is clean, many people complete the process themselves. An attorney becomes genuinely worth the cost when there are multiple heirs, an old mortgage that may or may not have been satisfied, an HOA lien, or any competing claimant — because the county will not sort a contested claim out in your favor for you.

How much money are we talking about?

It varies enormously — from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, depending on the parcel and how competitive the bidding was. Parcels in areas with strong land demand tend to generate larger overages. You will not know until you check the specific sale record.

How long does a DeKalb excess funds claim take?

The Tax Commissioner’s Office states it cannot estimate a timeline, because claims vary so much in complexity. Straightforward single-claimant filings move faster than contested ones. Anything interpleaded into Superior Court runs on the court’s schedule, not the county’s.

What if the owner has passed away?

Heirs can claim, but documentation is more involved — probate records, letters testamentary or of administration, and proof of the chain of title from the deceased owner to you. If probate was never opened, that generally needs to happen first. See probate real estate in Atlanta and what happens if you inherit land in Georgia. This is the most common situation in south DeKalb, where family land has often passed through two or three generations without formal probate.

What if there are other liens besides the mortgage?

HOA assessments, code enforcement liens, and judgments all have standing to claim ahead of or alongside you, depending on priority. HOA liens catch people off guard most often — an HOA can foreclose even on a fully paid-off property. Check what is recorded through the GSCCCA lien index before you file.

Is this the same as tax lien investing?

No. Excess funds only exist after a completed tax sale, and they are money owed to you — not a debt someone is buying. Georgia is a redeemable deed state, not a tax lien state, so much of what you will read online about tax lien certificates does not describe how this works here.

What if I’m not sure my property even went to a tax sale?

Common, especially with inherited or out-of-state land. Give us the property address or parcel ID and we will check DeKalb’s sale and excess funds records for you. You can also look up the parcel yourself — our guide to searching county property tax records walks through the process, and DeKalb’s tools work similarly.

My property is in DeKalb but I live out of state. Can I still claim?

Yes. Claims can be filed by mail. Out-of-state owners are disproportionately represented in unclaimed funds precisely because notices go to addresses they no longer use. See how we work with out-of-state owners.

Can you just get the money for me?

No — and in DeKalb specifically, nobody can do that without being your attorney. We are not attorneys and we do not file claims. What we do is help you find out whether funds exist, point you to the right process and documentation, and refer you to an attorney for complex or contested claims. If you also have land you are trying to deal with, we can make a cash offer on that separately.

Not Sure Where to Start? We’ll Check For You.

Whether you are trying to find out if you are owed DeKalb County excess funds, trying to stop an upcoming tax sale on a different property, or sitting on inherited land you do not know what to do with, tell us your situation and we will give you honest, no-obligation answers.

Call (404) 913-7086 or request help online.

If you have vacant land in DeKalb you would rather sell than keep carrying, we buy as-is, including parcels with a recorded Fi.Fa., and pay the tax balance directly at closing. Request a cash offer or read about who buys vacant land with back taxes in Atlanta.

Official DeKalb County Resources

• DeKalb County Tax Commissioner — Excess Funds
• DeKalb Tax Commissioner — Delinquent Taxes & Tax Sales
• DeKalb Tax Commissioner — Tax Bill Information
• DeKalb County Excess Funds Claim Form (PDF)
• DeKalb County Property Appraisal — 404-371-0841
• GSCCCA Lien Index — check what is recorded against a parcel
• O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5 — the excess funds statute
• Georgia Dept. of Revenue — Unclaimed Property Division

Note: the Tax Commissioner’s office recently moved from dekalbtax.org to DeKalbTaxGA.gov, and the excess funds report has been intermittently offline for maintenance. If a link does not load, call 404-298-4000 directly.

Also see: Fulton County excess funds · Fulton vs. DeKalb property taxes · Georgia land buyers