Purchasing County Held Certificates

Certificates that do not sell at the tax certificate sale become property of the County and are available for purchase through our vendor. County held certificates are not available for purchase while our vendor is preparing for the annual tax certificate sale to be held on June 1. County held certificates are generally available for purchase beginning the last week of June through the first week of April the following year.

If you are an existing bidder and wish to purchase County Held Certificates, please see the following instructions on how to register and access our vendor's website. Due to office workload during the beginning of tax season, new bidder registration will only be available from January 1 through September 30 each year.

Instructions for Existing Bidders

If you are an existing bidder (you already have your bidder number assigned), please see the following instructions for assistance on how to register to access your bidder portfolio.

Existing Bidder Registration for PTax Web

Also, if you are an existing bidder and need to update any of our contact information or direct deposit (ACH) information, please use this form.

Update Bidder Information Form

Instructions for New Bidders

If you do not yet have a bidder number and wish to register as a new bidder, please complete the following online form. You will be required to enter your bidder information, direct deposit (ACH) information, and W-9 certification.

New Bidder Registration Form

Things to know when buying Tax Certificates/Liens in Highlands County

A tax certificate is an interest bearing lien against the property for the unpaid taxes and is not the purchase of the property.

Payment of the bill(s) through a record search on our website DOES NOT result in the purchase of the certificate(s). This only results in the payment of the taxes on behalf of the property owner.

PLEASE NOTE: It is the responsibility of the purchaser or his agent to research properties prior to purchasing. The Highlands County Tax Collector’s office makes no claim as to the merit of any investment.

All questions pertaining to navigating the County Held Certificate purchase site must be directed to our vendor's customer support.