Polk County, TX tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Polk 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 Polk County, seat of Livingston: 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.
- Format
- In person
- County office
- 936-327-6801
On this page
How Polk County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Polk County Sheriff's Office (tax foreclosure sales for the county's taxing units; suits and sale lists handled by Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP)
- Frequency
- annual
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Two steps. First, a bidder must obtain the Texas Tax Code 34.015 written statement that no delinquent taxes are owed. Polk County posts Texas Comptroller Form 50-307, "Request for Written Statement About Delinquent Taxes for Tax Foreclosure Sale," on the Tax Assessor-Collector page; the form instructions state it is "for use by a purchaser of property at a tax foreclosure sale under Tax Code Section 34.01 to request a written statement regarding delinquent taxes from a county assessor-collector pursuant to Tax Code Section 34.015," and that "a person who knowingly violates Tax Code Section 34.015 commits a Class B misdemeanor offense." The form is sworn before a notary. Second, Linebarger's Polk County detail states: "Pre-registration is required. You may register one week prior to the sale at the office of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP, 501 N. Washington, Livingston TX, between the hours of 8:00 am and 12:00 pm. You may also register at the Courthouse on the day of sale." Its special instructions add that purchasers "are required to furnish a completed Affidavit (of no taxes due) issued by the Polk County Tax Assessor Collector, 416 N. Washington, Livingston, TX," that the completed affidavit "must be sumbitted to the office of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP at 501 N. Washington, Livingston, TX at the time of pre-registration, or when Bidder registers at the sale," and that "There is no cost for the Affidavit." Payment is listed as "Cash, Personal Check, Cashier's Check or Money Order" with the payee shown as "Polk County."
Sale format and venue
Polk County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Polk 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 Polk County tax sale property list (Linebarger) 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
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 Polk County Sheriff's Office (tax foreclosure sales for the county's taxing units; suits and sale lists handled by Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP) as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Polk County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Polk County tax sale property list (Linebarger). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Two steps. First, a bidder must obtain the Texas Tax Code 34.015 written statement that no delinquent taxes are owed. Polk County posts Texas Comptroller Form 50-307, "Request for Written Statement About Delinquent Taxes for Tax Foreclosure Sale," on the Tax Assessor-Collector page; the form instructions state it is "for use by a purchaser of property at a tax foreclosure sale under Tax Code Section 34.01 to request a written statement regarding delinquent taxes from a county assessor-collector pursuant to Tax Code Section 34.015," and that "a person who knowingly violates Tax Code Section 34.015 commits a Class B misdemeanor offense." The form is sworn before a notary. Second, Linebarger's Polk County detail states: "Pre-registration is required. You may register one week prior to the sale at the office of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP, 501 N. Washington, Livingston TX, between the hours of 8:00 am and 12:00 pm. You may also register at the Courthouse on the day of sale." Its special instructions add that purchasers "are required to furnish a completed Affidavit (of no taxes due) issued by the Polk County Tax Assessor Collector, 416 N. Washington, Livingston, TX," that the completed affidavit "must be sumbitted to the office of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP at 501 N. Washington, Livingston, TX at the time of pre-registration, or when Bidder registers at the sale," and that "There is no cost for the Affidavit." Payment is listed as "Cash, Personal Check, Cashier's Check or Money Order" with the payee shown as "Polk County."
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
County notes
- Tax Assessor-Collector: Tatum White, 416 N Washington, Livingston, TX 77351, phone 936-327-6801, fax 936-327-6885 (county page and Texas Comptroller county directory agree; the Comptroller lists the ZIP+4 as 77351-2838).
- Polk County Sheriff's Office: 1733 N. Washington Ave, Livingston, TX 77351, phone 936-327-6810. The Sheriff's own pages carry no sale listings, so sale specifics come from the County Clerk's Foreclosures page and the Linebarger list.
- Polk County Clerk: 101 West Mill Street, Suite 265, Livingston, TX 77351, phone 936-327-6805. The Clerk posts sale notices and charges $2 for a foreclosure or trustee sale posting and $2 for a public notice.
- The county's legacy domain www.co.polk.tx.us now redirects to www.polktx.gov and serves a mismatched TLS certificate, so link to polktx.gov URLs directly.
- Sale venue is temporary. The 1103 Dunbar Avenue location was ordered on May 10, 2022 while the 1923 courthouse at 101 W Church Street undergoes historic restoration, and it stands until the Commissioners Court orders otherwise.
- Verify the delinquent tax law firm's Livingston office hours before relying on pre-registration; Linebarger lists 8:00 am to 12:00 pm one week prior to the sale at 501 N. Washington, Livingston.
- Do not cite pbfcm.com for Polk County. That domain was checked and its markup is currently loaded with unrelated spam links, and Polk County's delinquent tax counsel is Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP.
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 Polk County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Polk County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Polk 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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