Section 48-5-26. Payment of taxes on real property by owners or transferees

   The owner of any real property located in this state, and the transferee of every owner who acquires title to real property within this state between the date on which the tax lien on the property vests and the date on which the tax evidenced by the tax lien shall become due and payable, shall have the right to pay the taxes assessed against any one or more lots, tracts, or parcels of the real property: (1) by paying the amount of tax assessed against such lot, tract, or parcel if the property was separately returned by the owner or, in the case of a transfer, by the transferor of the property; or (2) if the property was not separately returned, by paying that percentage of the total tax assessed which the value of the property sought to be released bears to the value of all the property returned by the owner of such property as of the date on which the tax lien vested. The officials charged with the collection of taxes for this state or any subdivision of this state including, but not limited to, municipalities and counties, and any transferee of a tax lien shall accept payment of the taxes assessed against one or more lots, tracts, or parcels of real property upon tender by the owner of such property, including any transferee of the real property who has obtained title to the property between the time when the lien vested and the time on which the taxes are payable, and shall execute a release as to the property without regard to whether or not the taxes assessed against any other property, real or personal, of the owner, the transferee of the real property, or the transferor of the owner have been paid. The official or transferee of the tax lien accepting the payment and releasing the property shall be paid a fee of $2.00 for issuing the receipt and release. No such official or transferee of the tax lien shall be required to release any one or more tracts of real property after a fi. fa. has been recorded on the general execution docket in the county where the property is located without first receiving the entire amount of past due taxes as reflected in the fi. fa. No such official or transferee shall be required to release the last or only remaining lot, parcel, or tract of real property until all personal property taxes owed by the owner have been paid.

Ga. L. 1961, p. 160, § 1; Code 1933, § 91A-1031, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 309, § 2.