Nearly 1,000 California homes and other properties are being pushed toward public auction after years of unpaid taxes, turning delinquent bills into a wave of forced sales that will ripple through local housing markets. The largest single batch is in Riverside County, where tax-defaulted parcels, including houses in suburban communities, are being lined up for online bidding this spring. For owners, the clock is running out to redeem their properties, while investors are preparing for a rare chance to buy at distressed prices.
Riverside County’s nearly 1,000 properties head to auction
Riverside County officials have moved to clear a backlog of tax-defaulted real estate, approving an online sale that covers nearly 1,000 parcels that have fallen into default. The portfolio stretches from inland suburbs to more rural tracts, reflecting years of owners falling behind on property tax bills and failing to bring accounts current despite repeated notices. County staff have described the list as a mix of residential, commercial, and vacant land, with a significant share made up of single-family homes that will now be exposed to competitive bidding.
Local coverage has highlighted how deeply this sale will reach into everyday neighborhoods, noting that the batch includes houses in communities such as Lake Elsinore and Wildomar. One report framed the move as “Nearly 1,000 RivCo Properties Approved For,” underscoring that this is not just a paper shuffle of obscure parcels but a direct hit on occupied housing. For buyers, that breadth means a rare opportunity to bid on everything from starter homes to investment properties in one concentrated event.
How the Riverside sale will work and who is behind it
The Riverside County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office has laid out a detailed process for the sale, which will be conducted entirely online over two days. According to a notice circulated by county staff writer Toni McAllister, the auctions are scheduled for April 23 and 24, with prospective bidders required to register in advance and review a TTC 223 Tax Sale List that spells out minimum bids, parcel numbers, and any known encumbrances. The notice emphasizes that these are tax-defaulted properties, not voluntary listings, and that buyers are responsible for doing their own due diligence on title, condition, and occupancy before placing a bid.
County leaders have been explicit about why they are taking this step now. In a staff report prepared for the Board of Supervisors, officials explained that the goal is to collect long overdue revenue and return idle parcels to productive use. As one summary of the board’s discussion put it, “purpose of offering is to collect unpaid taxes and return the property to a revenue-generating status,” particularly for parcels that have been in default for at least five years. In other words, the auction is as much about stabilizing the county’s tax base as it is about clearing out a backlog of problem accounts.
Statewide pattern: Los Angeles, Sacramento and coastal counties line up sales
Riverside is not alone in turning to the auction block to resolve chronic delinquencies. In Los Angeles County, the Treasurer and Tax Collector has already posted a schedule for a 2026A Online Auction of tax-defaulted properties, with bidding set to start on a Saturday in April at 3:00 P.M. Pacific Time and close the following Tuesday at midday. That event is part of a broader calendar that also includes a June sale, all conducted through a dedicated internet platform that allows remote participation from anywhere in the country…