From ACC Tax Sales Basic Information about Excess Tax Sale Funds…

Under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5, you may be eligible for excess tax sale funds if one of the following applies to you:

1. You were the owner of record at the time of the tax sale.
2. You were the owner of record of a security deed affecting the property at the time of the sale.
3. You had a recorded equity interest or claim at the time of the tax sale.

Please note the following when applying for excess funds:

1. The Tax Commissioner's Office will not accept applications from third parties, other than from attorneys licensed to practice law in Georgia.  The Tax Commissioner's Office does not recognize applications from asset recovery firms or non-attorneys who purport to represent claimants.  A licensed attorney should submit a written, notarized statement from the claimant authorizing the attorney to act on the claimant's behalf.
2. Incomplete or illegible applications will not be considered.  Please follow all instructions on the application form. All forms must be original.  
3. The Tax Commissioner's Office will only release excess proceeds to a claimant or a claimant's attorney.
4. After reviewing an application, the Tax Commissioner's Office may request additional information or documentation.
5. In the event of a dispute between two or more claimants regarding excess funds, or in other situations where the Tax Commissioner deems it necessary, the Tax Commissioner's Office may interplead funds to the Superior Court of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia.  If the Tax Commissioner's Office interpleads the excess funds, it is entitled to obtain its costs of litigation from the funds upon a court order.

If you wish to submit a claim for such funds, you are required to make a written request to the Athens-Clarke County Tax Commissioner, using the Excess Funds Request Form. Complete each section and mail the application along with a completed

W-9 form to:

ACC Tax Commissioner
Attn: Toni Meadow
P. O. Box 1768
Athens, GA 30603

All forms must be original and have original signatures, no copies will be accepted. After five years have elapsed from the tax sale date, unclaimed excess funds will be paid to the State of Georgia.

• To confirm whether or not excess tax sale funds have been claimed, review the Excess Tax Sale Funds List.
• To confirm whether or not excess tax sale funds have been paid to the State of Georgia, review the Excess Funds to GA DOR list.

If you have any questions, call 706-613-3120 and ask to speak with Tax Commissioner Toni Meadow or Delinquent Tax Officer, Emily Linares.

Unclaimed Property or Funds in Georgia

Basic Information about unclaimed properties in Georgia…

If you haven't checked unclaimed properties to see if you have anything waiting for you to claim, then I encourage you to do so.

Types of property that are remitted to the state are as follows:

• property issued or owed in the ordinary course of the holder's business
• sums owing on traveler's checks and money orders, unclaimed court ordered refunds from business associations, gift certificates or credit memos
• unpaid wages
• employee benefit trust distributions and income
• safe deposit boxes
• bequeathed property
• intangible personal property (stocks, bonds, etc.) held or owing in this State

Search for unclaimed property in Georgia

For additional questions about unclaimed property in Georgia, please call: 404-968-0490