Serving Barnwell County and its neighbors since 1852
The Barnwell County Delinquent Tax Sale is next week.
The sale will take place on Monday, Nov. 24 at 10 a.m. on the second floor of the Barnwell County Courthouse. Currently, there are 336 properties up for sale after owners failed to pay property taxes, which Barnwell County Tax Collector Alissa Abbott said is comparable to recent years.
“Our goal isn’t to take properties to tax sale; it is to prevent properties from going to tax sale,” said Abbott.
That’s why the county makes every effort to inform property owners that their property is in jeopardy of going to auction. This includes mailing notices and publishing the list of properties in the newspaper, as required by law. Those notices are published on pages 11-12A of the November 19, 2025 print edition or online at www.scpublicnotices.com.
“Publishing the tax notices increases the chance of a property owner becoming aware they have delinquent taxes, and their property may be sold at the approaching tax sale. For different reasons, the owner may not have received their prior notices, but they (or a friend and/or family member) may see the newspaper advertisement,” said Abbott.
In order to avoid their property going up for sale, property owners have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21 to pay their delinquent taxes via cash, money order or cashier’s check. Personal checks are not accepted. Otherwise, properties will go up for sale Nov. 24.
“Tax sales are a way for local government to collect delinquent taxes. Taxes are essential for funding necessary community services such as schools, emergency services (police, fire, EMS), infrastructure, and social and health services,” said Abbott.
The deadline for bidders to register is also this Friday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. at the Barnwell County Tax Collector’s Office. Registration will not be allowed on the day of the sale.
“It is very important to conduct all research prior to the tax sale. There are many laws involved in the tax sale process and being informed can help prevent complicated situations,” Abbott said.
Even after properties are sold at the sale, the original property owner has one year from the date of the sale to pay the delinquent taxes, penalties, costs, assessments, and interest due the bidder to regain their property. The bidder will be refunded what they paid at the tax sale with any applicable interest.
“On average, approximately 80 percent of properties sold at our tax sales are redeemed,” said Abbott.
If any property owners have questions, Abbott welcomes them to contact her office at 803-541-1048.
