Harris County, TX tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Harris County, TX tax sale, one of 2,553 counties in 30 states. Texas sells redeemable deeds carrying a 25% penalty in the first year. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Jul 27, 2026.
How tax deed sales work in Harris County, seat of Houston: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Texas tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- First Tuesday of every month.
- Format
- In person
On this page
How Harris County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Harris County Constable Precincts 1 through 8 conduct the sale on behalf of the taxing units; the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector (Special Tax Services) handles bidder registration and publishes the property listing.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of every month.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Registration with the Harris County Tax Office is required before bidding, is free, and must be renewed annually. Register online through the Registration of Bidders portal at hctax.net (create an account or sign in), by mail on the Tax Sale Bidder Registration form to Harris County Tax-Collector, P.O. Box 3746, Houston, TX 77253, in person at 1001 Preston, Houston, TX 77002, by email to taxofficespecialtaxservices@hctx.net, by fax to 713-368-2549, or in person at the registration table on sale day starting at 8:30 am. Bidders need a valid government-issued photo ID, a list of all property they own in Harris County, and a signed certification that no delinquent property taxes are owed to any taxing unit within Harris County. The county notes the former Written Statement of Taxes and $10 fee are no longer required (procedures effective 1/1/2016) and that furnishing false information is a criminal offense. Agents must register separately for each buyer and provide written authorization on company letterhead. Bidders pick up a Bidder Card at the pre-registration table on sale day.
Sale format and venue
Harris County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Harris County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid. If the parcels on this list are vacant land rather than houses, what buying land at a tax sale hands you is the place to start.
Get the advertised list
Use Harris County Delinquent Tax Sale property listing (by Constable precinct) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
First Tuesday of every month. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Harris County Constable Precincts 1 through 8 conduct the sale on behalf of the taxing units; the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector (Special Tax Services) handles bidder registration and publishes the property listing. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Harris County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Harris County Delinquent Tax Sale property listing (by Constable precinct). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Registration with the Harris County Tax Office is required before bidding, is free, and must be renewed annually. Register online through the Registration of Bidders portal at hctax.net (create an account or sign in), by mail on the Tax Sale Bidder Registration form to Harris County Tax-Collector, P.O. Box 3746, Houston, TX 77253, in person at 1001 Preston, Houston, TX 77002, by email to taxofficespecialtaxservices@hctx.net, by fax to 713-368-2549, or in person at the registration table on sale day starting at 8:30 am. Bidders need a valid government-issued photo ID, a list of all property they own in Harris County, and a signed certification that no delinquent property taxes are owed to any taxing unit within Harris County. The county notes the former Written Statement of Taxes and $10 fee are no longer required (procedures effective 1/1/2016) and that furnishing false information is a criminal offense. Agents must register separately for each buyer and provide written authorization on company letterhead. Bidders pick up a Bidder Card at the pre-registration table on sale day.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Texas due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth. Which liens survive is state law, so read what survives a tax deed in Texas before you price the title work.Set a walk-away number
Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
unsold properties
Texas has no over-the-counter certificate list. Parcels that draw no sufficient bid are struck off to the taxing unit that requested the order of sale, and that unit may resell them at any time by public or private sale. A public resale requested through the sheriff or constable may be sold for any amount. A private sale generally may not go below the lesser of the market value stated in the judgment or the total judgments against the property, unless every taxing unit entitled to proceeds consents. Ask the county or its delinquent-tax law firm for the current struck-off inventory.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter purchases work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Texas calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax sale office
Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector (Harris County Tax Office), Special Tax Services
713-274-8120 (Special Tax Service Department, tax sales); 713-274-8000 (main)
1001 Preston St., Houston, TX 77002. Tax sale bidder registration by mail: P.O. Box 3746, Houston, TX 77253-3746
Official websiteCounty notes
- Sale is in person only at Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Road, Houston, TX 77045. No online auction platform is used.
- All eight Constable precincts sell at the same time; properties are called in the order shown on the Property Boards at the venue.
- Offerings are split into three types: Executions, Tax Sales, and Tax Resales.
- Minimum bid is the lower of HCAD market value at judgment or the full judgment amount plus costs, announced by the Constable at the sale.
- Payment is due immediately, cash or certified check payable to the selling Constable precinct. Overpayments are refunded by the Constable's office.
- Constable's Deed or Sheriff's Deed is issued 4 to 6 weeks after the sale; the buyer must record it and submit it to HCAD to update ownership.
- Property sells As Is and remains subject to other liens, judgments outside the suit, and post-judgment taxes.
- Struck-off property is usually re-offered at a later sale with a reduced minimum bid rather than sold by private resale.
- Redemption runs between the defendant and the purchaser; the Tax Assessor-Collector accepts a Redemption Affidavit and payment when the parties cannot connect.
- The county's bidder registration form is captioned under Texas Tax Code 34.011, and the Written Statement of Taxes plus $10 fee were dropped effective 1/1/2016.
- Bidder registration expires annually and must be renewed.
- Trustee (lender) foreclosure auctions run at the same venue but are not Harris County tax sales.
Texas rules
- Redemption
- The redemption clock runs from the date the purchaser's deed is filed for record, not from the sale date. Property that was the owner's residence homestead or was land designated for agricultural use when the suit or the warrant application was filed, and any mineral interest, may be redeemed on or before the second anniversary of that filing. Every other property may be redeemed only through the 180th day after the deed is filed. When a parcel is struck off to a taxing unit instead, the period runs from the date the taxing unit's deed is filed for record. The former owner has no right to use, possess, or collect rent from the property while the redemption right runs, and the right of redemption cannot be sold or transferred: any instrument purporting to transfer it is void.
- Deed deposit
- The Tax Code sets no statewide deposit and no buyer premium. Section 34.01 directs the officer to conduct the sale the way similar property is sold under execution, so payment terms are set locally by the officer who runs the sale. Most Texas counties collect the full bid in cash or by cashier's check on the day of the sale. Confirm the terms with the county before you bid.
- Homestead deeds
- Texas sets no separate opening bid for a homestead. What changes on a homestead parcel is the exit: a residence homestead, land designated for agricultural use when the suit or warrant application was filed, and a mineral interest all carry a two-year redemption right instead of 180 days, and the premium the owner pays can reach 50 percent in the second year. Price a homestead parcel for that longer clock.
- Surplus proceeds
- The officer pays any excess proceeds to the clerk of the court that issued the order of sale. The clerk holds the excess for two years after the sale and notifies the former owner when the amount exceeds $25. A claim must be filed before the second anniversary of the sale. The court pays established claims in statutory priority: a purchaser at a sale later adjudged void, taxing units for post-judgment or omitted taxes, other lienholders, taxing units for unsatisfied judgment amounts, and then the former owner. Anything unclaimed is distributed to the taxing units.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Harris County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Harris County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Harris County tax sale list?
Verified Jul 27, 2026 against official county and state sources.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
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