Clerk outlines process for five-year tax-defaulted parcel sales; auction set for Aug. 7

Mariposa County will offer five-year tax-defaulted parcels at its annual auction on Aug. 7, 2025, after the Board of Supervisors authorized the clerk/treasurer to proceed with sales of eligible parcels.

County Clerk-Treasurer Courtney Morrow described the request as routine. Supervisor questions focused on the default-year labeling on the staff report and how members of the public locate parcels listed without street addresses. Morrow and staff explained the default year calculation: the property’s default year is recorded after the July 1 following the tax-default year, and the sale process includes a period of notifications and filings that can delay final sale timing. "The default year would be 2018 at that point because the 17 18 year defaults the July 1 after," staff said.

Board members asked how the public can identify parcels listed by assessor parcel number only. Staff directed the public to the assessor’s public-facing GIS map and said the assessor’s office can provide parcel maps if needed. "We direct the public to the assessor's office where they can look at the assessor maps and locate it that way based on the parcel number," staff said.

The consent agenda, which included the authorization to proceed with the auction, passed 5-0. Supervisors asked staff to ensure clearer public-facing instructions about how to find parcels on the auction list and to correct typographical errors in the posted materials.

The auction notice and parcel list will be posted per statutory requirements and handled by the county tax collector’s office ahead of the Aug. 7 sale date.