County tax auctions: where to bid
Published auction service: GovEase. Start with the Tax Collector’s official page and follow the event it identifies.
The official page says no public auction list is available and to check back in mid-January 2027. That is a published list-update message, not confirmation of a particular 2027 sale date.
The county directs bidders to GovEase for online registration and bidding. Its published page specifies electronic qualification/deposit requirements and wire settlement; reread the actual event terms when a new list is released.
The county notes additional city transfer taxes for Richmond and El Cerrito. Ask for the current total settlement charges for the particular parcel instead of budgeting only the winning bid.
New to this process? Read how tax-deed auctions work and why a tax-default record does not establish an active sale.
Mortgage foreclosures: follow the trustee’s notice
For a private trustee sale in Contra Costa, the individual Notice of Trustee’s Sale identifies the venue, trustee and sale-information contact. The county’s tax-auction platform and Recorder office are separate resources; neither is a universal place to bid on mortgage foreclosures.
Match the APN and legal description, identify the loan being foreclosed, then confirm the current status using the trustee file number. Ask about qualification and payment before traveling or arranging funds. Use the foreclosure-auction guide to research lien priority and the purchase process.
Contra Costa Recorder: official recorded-document resourcesThe Contra Costa research checklist
Contra Costa: property and zoning research, CCMAP and ePermitsUse CCMAP to establish the parcel and jurisdiction
The county’s property-research page links assessment and mapping resources. Use these to locate the APN, review available zoning information and identify which planning authority to contact. The map does not replace a survey or a title search.
Follow the permit history
The same county page points to ePermits for building and planning history. Compare visible improvements with available permits; for a property inside a city, confirm which city records must also be checked.
Price the parcel you can actually use
For vacant or unusually shaped land, investigate legal access, easements and a feasible use before applying nearby house values. Ask the relevant planning office what approvals your proposed project would need.
If the notice names the Sheriff
Use the Sheriff’s civil-enforcement resources and the full sale notice. Verify the legal process, interest being offered, venue and payment terms with the selling office. An office page without a visible auction list leaves current availability unknown.
Contra Costa Sheriff: Civil UnitRead the separate sheriff and court-sale guide before applying trustee-sale assumptions.
Before you commit money
- Confirm the current lot or trustee case, the actual interest offered and any status changes.
- Have title and legal questions resolved for this parcel and sale.
- Price condition, access, occupancy, insurance and your intended use.
- Verify qualification, cleared funds, all settlement charges and payment deadlines.
Use the first-bid preparation guide to build a budget and a written maximum bid. Our property pages preserve source events; they are a starting point for this work, rather than a county-certified live sale calendar.
Go to the original sources
Use the current notice and sale terms for a specific purchase. These guides explain the research process; a title professional or attorney can evaluate the rights and obligations in your transaction.
- Contra Costa Treasurer–Tax Collector: public-auction information
- GovEase: county-linked Contra Costa auction page
- Contra Costa Recorder: official recorded-document resources
- Contra Costa: property and zoning research, CCMAP and ePermits
- Contra Costa Sheriff: Civil Unit
Research reviewed . Sale dates, availability, procedures and laws can change.