Duval County’s delinquent property tax list is published in two places: the Tax Collector’s lien search tool at tclieninfo.coj.net, and the legal advertisements run by the Jacksonville Daily Record, which maintains a searchable online version of the same list. Both are public. Taxes become delinquent on April 1 each year, and once a parcel lands on the list, interest, advertising costs, and sale fees begin accumulating until the balance is paid or a tax certificate is sold at the annual auction, scheduled this cycle for May 8, 2026.
Where the List Is Published
The Tax Collector’s lien information application at tclieninfo.coj.net is the fastest way to check a single property.1Duval County Tax Collector. Tax Collector Lien Info Application You enter a Real Estate (RE) number and the site returns the outstanding balance. The site warns that the figure is good only for the current month and is not a substitute for a title search; other liens or balances may exist that the tool doesn’t show.
The second source is the legal advertisement in the Jacksonville Daily Record, which hosts the full delinquent tax list in a searchable database.2Jacksonville Daily Record. Search Delinquent Real Estate Tax Florida law requires the Tax Collector to advertise the list once a week for three consecutive weeks before the tax certificate sale.3Justia Law. Florida Code 197.402 – Advertisement of Real or Personal Property With Delinquent Taxes The notices usually begin in late April or May, because the sale must happen on or before June 1. Each listing shows the owner’s name, the parcel description, and the total amount due including interest and advertising fees accumulated since April 1.
How to Look Up a Specific Property
The most reliable identifier is the RE number, the unique code assigned to every piece of real property in Duval County. On tax documents and Property Appraiser records it appears formatted like “R.E. 2736-0000.” If you don’t have it, the Property Appraiser’s search at paopropertysearch.coj.net lets you look up parcels by owner name or street address to pull the RE number. Plug that number into either the Tax Collector’s lien search or the Jacksonville Daily Record’s delinquent tax search to see the exact amount owed.
Owner-name searches work, but they can return several results if the same person owns multiple parcels. Address searches are straightforward for a single property. The RE number cuts straight to the right record either way.
What It Means to Be on the List
Tax notices go out on or before November 1, and payment is due by March 31. Paying early earns a discount: 4 percent in November, 3 percent in December, 2 percent in January, and 1 percent in February.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 197.162 – Tax Discount Payment Periods Paying in March carries no discount but still keeps you current.
On April 1, any unpaid balance is delinquent. A 3 percent penalty is added immediately, and the Tax Collector begins preparing the parcel for the annual tax certificate sale. The amount shown on the delinquent list includes the original tax owed, interest at 18 percent per year calculated from the delinquency date through the sale date, advertising costs, and sale expenses.3Justia Law. Florida Code 197.402 – Advertisement of Real or Personal Property With Delinquent Taxes That 18 percent annual rate is the statutory maximum for Florida tax certificates.5Florida Statutes. Florida Code 197.172 – Interest Rate; Calculation and Minimum Because the total shifts monthly, you should call the Tax Collector’s office at 904-630-1916 for an exact payoff figure before sending funds.
The Annual Tax Certificate Sale
If the balance isn’t cleared before the auction, the Tax Collector sells a tax certificate against the property to an investor who covers the delinquent amount. Duval County’s 2026 sale is scheduled for May 8, held online through LienHub. The auction uses reverse bidding: investors start at the 18 percent statutory ceiling and bid the rate down in quarter-percent increments, and competitive parcels often sell near zero.6Florida Senate. Florida Code 197.432 – Sale of Tax Certificates for Unpaid Taxes
The winning bidder doesn’t take your property. They take a certificate, which is a lien that stays on the title until you pay it off. The county receives its tax revenue, the investor earns interest on the money advanced, and you now owe the investor through the Tax Collector rather than owing the county directly. The certificate covers the face amount of the delinquent taxes plus all interest, advertising, and sale costs that accrued before the auction.
A tax certificate doesn’t change ownership, but it clouds the title and blocks a sale or refinance until the lien is cleared. The interest rate locked in at auction keeps running. Even certificates sold at a 0 percent bid carry a mandatory minimum of 5 percent interest at redemption, with one narrow exception noted below.7Florida Senate. Florida Code 197.472 – Redemption of Tax Certificates
How to Clear Your Property From the List
Before a certificate has been sold, pay the Tax Collector directly. Payments can be made at the main office or through taxcollector.jacksonville.gov. Expect guaranteed funds to be required for delinquent balances; personal checks are generally not accepted, and the related Clerk’s office handling tax deeds accepts cashier’s checks, certified checks, bank wires, and money orders.8Duval County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Duval County Clerk of the Circuit Court – Tax Deeds
After a certificate has been sold, you redeem by paying the Tax Collector the face amount plus accrued interest, costs, and charges, along with a $6.25 fee per certificate.7Florida Senate. Florida Code 197.472 – Redemption of Tax Certificates You can redeem at any time after the certificate is issued and before a tax deed is finalized.
One detail catches people out: even if the certificate was sold at a very low rate, the minimum interest at redemption is 5 percent of the face amount. The only exception is a certificate bid down to exactly 0 percent, which doesn’t carry the floor. A $3,000 certificate sold at 1 percent, redeemed a few months later, still costs at least $150 in interest rather than the smaller amount a straight 1 percent calculation would produce. After payment, the Tax Collector forwards the money to the certificate holder within 15 business days and the lien is cancelled.
What Happens If the Certificate Isn’t Redeemed
If a tax certificate stays unredeemed for two years after April 1 of the year it was issued, the certificate holder can apply for a tax deed.9Florida Senate. Florida Code 197.502 – Application for Obtaining Tax Deed by Holder of Tax Sale Certificate; Fees That application triggers a public auction of the property itself, not just the debt.
The clerk of the circuit court conducts the sale. The opening bid equals the full redemption amount for the applicant’s certificate, plus any other outstanding certificates on the same property, plus interest at 1.5 percent per month from the application date through the sale date, plus the costs of the proceeding.10Florida Statutes. Florida Code 197.542 – Sale at Public Auction If the property is homestead, the minimum bid must also include an amount equal to half the property’s assessed value. The highest bidder posts a nonrefundable deposit of 5 percent of the bid or $200, whichever is greater, with full payment due within 24 hours.
The owner can still redeem up until the clerk receives full payment from the winning bidder. Once that payment clears, ownership transfers. The Duval County Clerk of Courts handles tax deed proceedings and posts upcoming sales on its website.8Duval County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Duval County Clerk of the Circuit Court – Tax Deeds