Section 48-4-65. Foreclosure of right of redemption to property conveyed to authority

   The authority may foreclose the right of redemption to the property conveyed to the authority pursuant to a tax sale conducted in accordance with Article 1 of this chapter in the following manner:

   (1) The record title to the property shall be examined and a certificate of title shall be prepared for the benefit of the authority;

   (2) The authority shall serve the prior owner whose interest was foreclosed upon and all persons having record title or interest in or lien upon the property with a notice of foreclosure of this right to redeem in conformance with Code Section 48-4-46;

   (3) In the event persons entitled to service are located outside the county, they may be served by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery; or

   (4) In the event the sheriff is unable to perfect service or certified mail or statutory overnight delivery attempts are returned unclaimed, the authority shall conduct a search for the person with an interest in the property conveyed to the authority, which search must, at a minimum, have included the following:

      (A) An examination of the addresses given on the face of the instrument vesting interest or the addresses given to the clerk of the superior court by the transfer tax declaration form. The clerk of the superior court and the tax assessor of the county are required to share information contained in the transfer tax declaration form with one another in a timely manner;

      (B) A search of the current telephone directory for the county in which the property is located;

      (C) A letter of inquiry to the person who sold the property to the defendant in the tax sale at the address shown in the transfer tax declaration form or in the telephone directory;

      (D) A letter of inquiry to the attorney handling the closing prior to the tax sale if provided on the deed forms;

      (E) A sign being no less than four feet by six feet shall be erected on the property and maintained by the authority for a minimum of 30 days reading as follows:
         "THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN CONVEYED TO THE            LAND BANK AUTHORITY BY VIRTUE OF A SALE FOR UNPAID TAXES. PERSONS WITH INFORMATION REGARDING THE PRIOR OWNER OF THE PROPERTY ARE REQUESTED TO CALL           ."; and

      (F) If the authority has made the search as required by this paragraph and been unable to locate those persons required to be served under paragraph (2) of this Code section or, having located additional addresses of those persons through such search, attempted without success to serve those persons in either manner provided by paragraph (2) or (3) of this Code section, the authority shall make a written summary of the attempts made to serve the notice, in recordable form, and may authorize the foreclosure of the redemption rights of record.

Code 1981, § 48-4-65, enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 1875, § 3; Ga. L. 1996, p. 824, § 1; Ga. L. 1997, p. 882, § 1; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1589, § 3.