How Do I Claim Unowned Land in Alabama?
Land in Alabama is considered to be unowned when property taxes have been delinquent for more than one year. It is then available for purchase for a minimum price of the amount of back taxes, costs to the state, and accrued interest. The list of lands available for purchase is open for public inspection by the Property Tax Division of the Alabama Department of Revenue. The process to claim title of unowned land can take between three and six years.
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Instructions
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Locate the tax parcel identification number for the land you are interested in. You can take this number to the county mapper and ask to see the tax ownership map to determine the location of the property. If you do not have the number, you can get it from the county courthouse.
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Contact the county revenue commissioner's office to determine if a tax sale auction for that property is planned. In most counties, property is sold annually in a tax sale auction--usually in May. Ask how you may register as a bidder and for additional needed instructions.
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Go to the tax sale and bid on the property. If your bid is successful, you will receive a tax certificate for the property.
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Wait three years from the date of the tax sale. If the previous owner does not re-claim the land, apply for a tax deed from the county probate judge. If the previous owner does reclaim the land in that time period, you will receive your payment back, with interest on any amount up to 15 percent above the appraised value of the property.
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Contact your attorney to file a quiet title action, which is a petition to the court to give you legal ownership of the property. This action may be challenged by the previous owner. Courts will generally rule in favor of the previous owner if the title action has been requested within three years of the tax deed being issued. So your attorney may recommend you wait an additional three years.
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Tips & Warnings
In most situations, applicants are limited to having no more than 20 active applications in the land sale system at one time.
Land that appears abandoned may not be unclaimed. Someone else may already be paying the property taxes on that land. Check with the county courthouse and speak to your attorney.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Abandoned house image by Dmitri Korobtsov from Fotolia.com
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STaRTiNg MY OwN TowNSHiP.
