Marietta is the Cobb County seat, so your property taxes and your tax sale timeline run through the Cobb County Tax Commissioner, a few minutes from the Marietta Square. Cobb County is direct about its process: any taxes unpaid after October 15 are subject to levy and tax sale, and once a property is coded for tax sale, the county stops accepting online payments for the delinquent years. Here is how Cobb County's process works for Marietta homeowners and what you can do while there is still time.
Cobb County's tax office and your bill
The Cobb County Tax Commissioner's Property Tax Division is at 736 Whitlock Avenue NW in Marietta, phone (770) 528-8600. Cobb mails county tax bills in the late summer and they are due October 15. Payments postmarked after the due date incur a 5% late penalty plus monthly interest on the unpaid balance.
Cobb mails 30-day late notices on unpaid accounts after October 15. If the balance remains, the county issues a FiFa (fieri facias), the tax execution recorded as a lien at the Clerk of Superior Court. From there the account moves toward levy and sale. Two Cobb-specific rules to know:
- Online payments shut off. Once your property is coded for tax sale in the county's system, you cannot pay the delinquent years online. The county will only accept certified funds for those years.
- There is a levy office. Cobb's levy office, reachable at (770) 528-8623, handles the accounts headed for sale. If your account is in levy, that office is the one to call for the exact payoff.
Also check the city bill. Marietta levies its own city property tax, billed separately from the county tax. If the county bill is behind, verify the city account too.
From delinquency to the first-Tuesday sale
Like every Georgia county, Cobb holds tax sales on the first Tuesday of each month, conducted by the sheriff with live bidding. The property must be advertised for four consecutive weeks in the county's legal newspaper before the sale, and title research and advertising fees are added to your balance at that stage.
Georgia sells redeemable tax deeds, not tax lien certificates. The winning bidder gets a tax deed to your property. You, your lender, or anyone with an interest then has 12 months to redeem it by paying the auction price plus a 20% premium (10% more for each additional year). The buyer cannot take possession, collect rent, or make improvements during the redemption year. If nobody redeems within 12 months, the buyer can foreclose the right of redemption and take the house free and clear.
If the winning bid exceeds what was owed, the remainder is excess funds. Under Georgia law those funds belong to the person authorized to receive them, usually the owner, but Cobb County's policy is to interplead excess funds to the Cobb County Superior Court, which means claiming your money goes through a court process with lienholders paid in priority order. Many owners never see it.
Marietta's neighborhoods and the back-tax pattern
Marietta is a big, varied city: the historic Square and surrounding mill-village neighborhoods, 1960s through 1990s subdivisions spreading in every direction, and newer townhome and mixed-use development near the Square and along the Franklin Gateway corridor. Delinquency here takes several familiar shapes:
- Older bungalows near the Square. Long-time owners in the historic districts own homes that have appreciated sharply. A paid-off $400,000 house can carry a tax bill that rivals a mortgage payment, and fixed incomes do not stretch to cover it.
- Estate and heir properties. Marietta families pass houses down through generations. When the owner dies, the tax bill keeps arriving in their name, and heirs who live out of state may not learn about the delinquency until a FiFa is already recorded.
- Landlords with problem rentals. Marietta's large rental stock means plenty of investor-owned houses. A vacant rental or a bad property manager is all it takes for the annual bill to slip by.
- Owners hit by life events. Divorce, job loss, and medical bills are the most common reasons a current, responsible owner falls behind. The property tax bill arrives once a year, which makes it the easiest bill to postpone and the most expensive to forget.
Marietta's investor activity is heavy, and tax sale bidders know Cobb County well. A competitive auction does not save your equity; it inflates the winning bid, and the surplus becomes a court claim you may never collect. The reliable way to keep your equity is a voluntary sale before the auction, where the closing pays Cobb County exactly what it is owed and the remainder goes to you.
Your options in Marietta
- Pay the certified payoff. Call the levy office at (770) 528-8623 or the main line at (770) 528-8600 for the exact figure, and remember that once the account is coded for tax sale, only certified funds are accepted. Paying in full cancels the FiFa and stops all penalties and interest.
- Ask about a payment arrangement. Cobb's office can discuss your options, but be realistic: penalties and interest keep growing while you pay, and a missed payment can restart the sale process.
- Claim every exemption. Make sure your homestead exemption is on file, and check Georgia's additional exemptions for seniors, disabled owners, and veterans, plus hardship deferral programs. They reduce future bills, which is how you stay out of trouble next year.
- Sell before the tax sale. A voluntary sale pays the back taxes, the FiFa, the mortgage, and any other liens from the proceeds at a standard closing. You keep the equity above what you owe. This works right up until the auction, but closings take days, so do not wait for the advertisement.
How we buy in Marietta
We buy Marietta houses as-is for cash, and the county seat is our home turf. Historic bungalow, subdivision ranch, townhome, estate property, rental with tenants: we buy them all without asking you to repair or clean anything. We research the FiFa payoff with Cobb County, check for city taxes and other liens, bring you a written offer with the math shown, and close at a local title company. If a tax sale date is approaching, we can close in as little as 7 days. If there is no rush, we move on your timeline.
Call (470) 779-2869 or send the form below. Tell us how far behind the taxes are and whether a sale has been advertised, and we will give you a straight answer about what is possible.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I pay my delinquent Cobb County taxes online anymore?
Once a property is coded for tax sale in Cobb County's system, the county blocks online payments for the delinquent years and only accepts certified funds. This is the county's signal that your account is deep in the sale process. Call the levy office at (770) 528-8623 for your exact payoff and payment instructions.
Where is the Cobb County tax sale held?
Cobb County tax sales are conducted by the sheriff on the first Tuesday of each month, as required by Georgia law. The property must be advertised for four consecutive weeks in the county's legal newspaper before the sale. Call the levy office to confirm the current sale location and schedule.
I also owe city of Marietta taxes. Can you handle both?
Yes. Marietta's city tax is billed separately from the county tax, and we research both when we look at a property. Both payoffs are handled at closing from the sale proceeds, so one transaction resolves everything.
My tenants are in the house. Can I still sell?
Yes. We buy tenant-occupied houses regularly. You do not need to evict anyone or wait for a lease to end. Tell us about the tenancy and we will factor it into the offer.
What if I owe more than the house is worth?
Then selling may not be the answer, and we will tell you that honestly. But most back-tax situations are the opposite: the tax debt is small next to the home's value, which is exactly why selling before the auction protects so much equity. The only way to know is to run the numbers, which is free.
Also serving nearby: Kennesaw, Smyrna, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Woodstock.