Matagorda County, TX tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Matagorda 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 Matagorda County, seat of Bay City: 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.
- Announcements
- The County Clerk publishes separate 'Foreclosure Listings' PDFs (2021 through 2024).
- Format
- RealAuction
- Registration
- Two separate steps are required.
- County office
- (979) 789-5100
On this page
How Matagorda County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Matagorda County Sheriff's Office (online tax foreclosure sale), with bidder eligibility statements issued by the Matagorda County Tax Assessor-Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Registration
- Two separate steps are required.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Two separate steps are required. First, the bidder eligibility statement: complete and notarize the Request for Written Statement About Delinquent Taxes for Tax Foreclosure Sale (Comptroller Form 50-307) under Tax Code Section 34.015, and send it to the Matagorda County Tax Office, Attn: Pam Dekle, 1801 7th St, Bay City, TX 77414, by mail, by email to taxac@co.matagorda.tx.us, or by fax to (979) 244-7678, together with a check, cashier's check, or money order for $10 payable to Becky Cook, Tax Assessor/Collector. The FAQ requires the certified statement at least 2 business days before the sale, while the county Tax Assessor-Collector page states "Written Statements must be turned in a week before the Sale Date." Allow 3 to 5 business days for issuance. The resulting Written Statement, also called a Bidder Certificate, is valid for 90 days, and a Sheriff's Deed will not be issued without a valid Bidder Certificate on file. Second, the auction account: register on the Realauction site and fund a deposit. The county's Online Tax Sale Instructions say to register and place the deposit for your max bid 5 to 7 business days prior to the sale. The FAQ requires registration at least five business days before the auction and a deposit equal to 5% of the anticipated total bid, funded by ACH or wire only (no cash, no international funds). Wire deposits must be received by 4:00 p.m. CT two business days before the auction; ACH debit deposits must be initiated by 3:00 p.m. CT five business days before the auction. Deposits must be settled and allocated before the auction starts. Realauction customer service: 877-361-7325 or customerservice@realauction.com.
Sale format and venue
Matagorda County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Matagorda 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 Matagorda County tax sale auction calendar and property list for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
Bidding runs on RealAuction; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Matagorda County Sheriff's Office (online tax foreclosure sale), with bidder eligibility statements issued by the Matagorda County Tax Assessor-Collector as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Matagorda County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Matagorda County tax sale auction calendar and property list. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Two separate steps are required. First, the bidder eligibility statement: complete and notarize the Request for Written Statement About Delinquent Taxes for Tax Foreclosure Sale (Comptroller Form 50-307) under Tax Code Section 34.015, and send it to the Matagorda County Tax Office, Attn: Pam Dekle, 1801 7th St, Bay City, TX 77414, by mail, by email to taxac@co.matagorda.tx.us, or by fax to (979) 244-7678, together with a check, cashier's check, or money order for $10 payable to Becky Cook, Tax Assessor/Collector. The FAQ requires the certified statement at least 2 business days before the sale, while the county Tax Assessor-Collector page states "Written Statements must be turned in a week before the Sale Date." Allow 3 to 5 business days for issuance. The resulting Written Statement, also called a Bidder Certificate, is valid for 90 days, and a Sheriff's Deed will not be issued without a valid Bidder Certificate on file. Second, the auction account: register on the Realauction site and fund a deposit. The county's Online Tax Sale Instructions say to register and place the deposit for your max bid 5 to 7 business days prior to the sale. The FAQ requires registration at least five business days before the auction and a deposit equal to 5% of the anticipated total bid, funded by ACH or wire only (no cash, no international funds). Wire deposits must be received by 4:00 p.m. CT two business days before the auction; ACH debit deposits must be initiated by 3:00 p.m. CT five business days before the auction. Deposits must be settled and allocated before the auction starts. Realauction customer service: 877-361-7325 or customerservice@realauction.com.
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
County notes
- County seat is Bay City. The Tax Assessor-Collector office is at 1801 7th Street; the county courthouse is at 1700 7th Street.
- Office hours: Monday 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tax Assessor-Collector email BCook@co.matagorda.tx.us; written statement submissions go to taxac@co.matagorda.tx.us or fax (979) 244-7678.
- Matagorda County Sheriff's Office: Sheriff Richard 'Rick' DeLeon III, 2308 Avenue F, Bay City, TX 77414, phone 979-245-5526.
- The auction platform's Manage Escrow module lets one funded Realauction account be allocated across multiple Texas counties using the same login.
- The County Clerk publishes separate 'Foreclosure Listings' PDFs (2021 through 2024). Those are general foreclosure notices, not the tax sale list, so investors should use the Realauction calendar.
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 Matagorda County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Matagorda County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Matagorda 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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.