(a) For the purposes of this Code section, the term “public sale” means any sale, the notice of which must by law in any manner be given to the public.
§ 9-13-160.Time of conducting public sale
Chapter 13. Executions and Judicial Sales · Article 7. Judicial Sales · Last amended 1979 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 9-13-160 defines a “public sale” as any sale that the law requires be noticed to the public in some manner and confines every such sale in Georgia to the hours between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. eastern time, standard or daylight as the calendar requires, on the date fixed for the sale.
Full Text of § 9-13-160
(b) All public sales conducted within this state shall be between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. eastern standard time or eastern daylight time, whichever is applicable, on the date fixed for the sale.
Plain-English Summary
Subsection (a) gives this section a broad reach: a “public sale” is any sale where the law requires notice to be given to the public in some manner, which sweeps in sheriff’s sales, tax sales, and other officer-conducted sales carrying a public-notice requirement, not just execution sales narrowly.
Subsection (b) then fixes the clock for every one of those sales: they must occur between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. eastern time, adjusting automatically between standard and daylight time depending on the calendar, on whatever date has been fixed for the sale. The rule gives bidders a predictable window to show up and gives officers a clear boundary against starting early or running a sale into the evening. Read together with Code Section 9-13-161’s first-Tuesday scheduling rule and Code Section 9-13-162’s option to continue a sale from day to day, this section supplies the hours that apply on whichever day the sale, or its continuation, happens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a “public sale” under this section?
Any sale for which the law requires notice to be given to the public in any manner — not only sheriff’s execution sales.
What hours must a Georgia public sale be held within?
Between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. eastern time, using standard or daylight time, whichever applies on the date of the sale.
Does this section decide which day the sale is held?
No. The day comes from other statutes, such as the first-Tuesday rule in Code Section 9-13-161; this section only fixes the hours once the date is set.
Can an officer legally start a sale before 10:00 a.m. to move through a crowded docket?
No. The statute confines every public sale to the 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. window.
Does the time-zone rule shift with daylight saving time?
Yes. The statute applies eastern standard time or eastern daylight time, whichever is in effect on the date fixed for the sale.
Amendment History
Ga. L. 1963, p. 366, § 1; Ga. L. 1979, p. 833, § 1.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, published by the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Code Revision Commission / LexisNexis. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: georgia sheriff sale hourswhat time does a sheriff sale start in georgiapublic sale definition georgia execution10am to 4pm sheriff sale georgia