Riverside County Supervisors to Consider Online Auction of Nearly 1,000 Tax-Defaulted Properties

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors is set to consider approval next week for the sale of nearly 1,000 tax-defaulted properties across the county through an online auction scheduled for April.

The Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector is requesting authorization to place 946 properties on the auction block using Bid4Assets.com, an internet-based auction platform the county has partnered with for similar sales in previous years. If approved, the auction would take place April 23 and 24 and be conducted entirely online through open electronic bidding.

The properties slated for sale include both residential homes and vacant parcels that were seized due to unpaid property taxes. County officials noted that any properties whose owners pay the outstanding tax liens prior to the auction dates would be removed from the list.

According to a statement included in the agenda for Tuesday’s board meeting—the first meeting of 2026—the goal of selling tax-defaulted properties is to recover unpaid taxes and return the parcels to productive, revenue-generating use. The process may also motivate property owners to redeem their properties by settling delinquent taxes before a sale occurs.

Minimum bids will vary widely. Several properties in Lake Elsinore and Wildomar are listed with starting bids as low as $100, while the highest minimum bid—$1.16 million—applies to a residential property in Desert Hot Springs. County officials said the minimum bid amounts reflect outstanding taxes and associated sales costs, and prices may be reduced on properties that fail to attract interest during the first round of bidding.

The total estimated aggregate value of the tax-defaulted properties currently slated for auction is $28.92 million.

If approved, this would mark the 14th consecutive year Riverside County has used an online-only auction format to sell its full portfolio of tax-lien properties. Prospective buyers will be required to register online and submit a deposit in order to participate.