San Diego County to auction 686 tax-defaulted properties online in March, with redemption deadline March 12

An annual tax-collection process moves into its final phase

San Diego County is preparing to sell 686 tax-defaulted properties through an online public auction scheduled for March 13–18, 2026. The auction is designed to recover long-unpaid property taxes and related charges on parcels that have remained in default for at least five years, a threshold that triggers eligibility for a tax sale under state rules.

The County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office has opened bidder registration and published the auction timetable, while noting that the roster of properties can change up to the start of bidding as owners redeem parcels or eligibility issues arise.

What is being auctioned

The 686 listings span a wide mix of property types. The county’s breakdown includes:

• 70 improved properties (parcels with structures)
• 66 unimproved properties (vacant land)
• 550 timeshare interests

Because timeshares account for the majority of entries, the headline number does not translate directly to hundreds of single-family homes entering the market. Still, the sale can affect neighborhoods in multiple parts of the county because the listings are geographically dispersed.

Key dates and participation requirements

Bidding is set to open at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, March 13, 2026, with auction closings staged between March 16 and March 18. Registration to bid must be completed by Tuesday, March 3, and bid deposits must be received by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, March 5.

To participate, bidders are required to post a refundable $1,000 deposit and pay a non-refundable $35 processing fee. The county’s auction terms also emphasize that the listings may be updated daily and that parcels can be withdrawn before the close of the sale.

Last chance for owners: redemption ends March 12

Property owners whose parcels are slated for the auction retain the right to stop the sale by paying all amounts due—taxes, penalties, interest, and costs—before the redemption deadline. For this auction, the deadline is 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, March 12, 2026, the last business day before bidding begins.

Redemption payments received after 5:00 p.m. on March 12, 2026 are not accepted for purposes of stopping a tax sale.

Consumer cautions: “buyer beware” and finality of sales

The county describes the event as a “buyer beware” sale and states that the auction is not equivalent to a traditional real-estate transaction handled by licensed agents. The terms also note that property information and conditions can change, and that bidders are responsible for verifying details independently. All sales are final once completed under the auction process.