County tax auctions: where to bid
Published auction service: MyTaxSale. Start with the Tax Collector’s official page and follow the event it identifies.
The official page lists 2026 main-sale and sealed-bid results and links MyTaxSale. A result or Board resolution is not an active bid opportunity; check the current event and parcel status on the county-linked service.
The city’s public-auction page separates main sales, reoffers and sealed-bid results. Match your parcel to the correct process and read that process’s eligibility and submission terms.
Use the full SF block-and-lot/APN reference when checking the lot, Recorder documents and property information. A street address can refer to a building with multiple legal interests.
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 San Francisco, 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.
San Francisco Recorder: official recorded-document resourcesThe San Francisco research checklist
San Francisco Property Information MapFollow the block and lot through the records
Cross-check the legal parcel in the notice with the Property Information Map and the recorded deed. Be especially careful with individual units or interests in a shared building; a photo of the building does not establish what is conveyed.
Read permit and complaint history
The city’s Property Information Map brings together zoning, permits, complaints and other property information. Use it to identify follow-up questions about legal units, work history and your planned renovation.
Put occupancy research near the top
For an occupied rental or a plan to change occupancy, review the SF Rent Board’s resources and obtain advice on the applicable rules. A foreclosure purchase does not establish immediate vacant possession or permission to implement your proposed rental strategy.
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.
SF Sheriff: Civil SectionRead 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.
- SF Treasurer & Tax Collector: auction information and results
- San Francisco MyTaxSale
- San Francisco Recorder: official recorded-document resources
- San Francisco Property Information Map
- SF Sheriff: Civil Section
- DataSF: what the Property Information Map includes
- SF Rent Board: eviction information
Research reviewed . Sale dates, availability, procedures and laws can change.