Union County, NM tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Union County, NM tax sale, one of 2,957 counties in 40 states. New Mexico sells the deed itself, so no statutory investor interest rate applies. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from state rules plus what the county publishes on Sep 26, 2026.
How tax deed sales work in Union County, seat of Clayton: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how New Mexico tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next sale
- No fixed month.
- Format
- In person
- County office
- 575-374-2331
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 26, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Union County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Property Tax Division (state agency). The Union County Treasurer collects current taxes and prepares the delinquency list but does not conduct the sale.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No fixed month.
When it runs
No fixed month. The Property Tax Division states there is no set schedule: sales "are held annually and scheduled as title research is completed" and the division "does not hold sales in all 33 counties each year." No Union County sale appears on the division's current schedule; watch its auction page or call the Property Tax Division at (505) 827-0883.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Union County publishes no tax sale list of its own. When a Union County sale is scheduled, the list appears as a downloadable sale notice on the Property Tax Division's Delinquent Property Tax Auctions page, alongside the notice run in a local newspaper. The sale is held in person; there is no online bidding platform. For delinquent balances before a parcel goes to the state, contact the Union County Treasurer in Clayton at 575-374-2331. In-person oral public auction conducted by the Property Tax Division in Union County
Source: New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Property Tax Division: Delinquent Property Tax Auctions· Verified Sep 26, 2026
Union County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Union 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 Property Tax Division auction schedule and county sale notices 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
No fixed 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 New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Property Tax Division (state agency). The Union County Treasurer collects current taxes and prepares the delinquency list but does not conduct the sale. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Union County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Property Tax Division auction schedule and county sale notices. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax sale office
Union County Treasurer's Office
Mailing: 100 Court Street Suite 4, Clayton, NM 88415 (office: 200 Court Street, Clayton, NM 88415)
Official websiteCounty notes
- Union County taxes are paid and looked up through the Treasurer's online portal at liveweb.unionnm.us; the Treasurer does not run the tax deed sale.
- The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Property Tax Division, conducts delinquent property sales for Union County; call the division at (505) 827-0883 to ask when the next Union County sale is expected.
New Mexico rules
- Redemption
- The pre-sale window is long even though there is no post-sale redemption: taxes go delinquent thirty days after each due date, the account transfers to the state after two years, the property cannot be sold until three years after the first delinquency date on the list, and the owner must receive certified-mail notice twenty to thirty days before the sale, as must each recorded lienholder whose address is reasonably ascertainable. Installment agreements run up to thirty-six months at one percent a month and cannot be entered on or after the date of the initial sale. After the sale the only exposure is the former owner's two-year window to challenge the conveyance in district court, and, where a federal tax lien is recorded, the 120-day federal redemption right the Property Tax Division's terms warn about.
- Deed deposit
- None. The statute sets no bidder deposit and no registration fee. Bidders register in person on the day of the sale, registration opening at 8:00 a.m. and closing when the 10:00 a.m. auction starts, and bid orally in person or through an agent carrying a notarized authorization. A personal or business check is accepted only with a letter of guarantee from the issuing bank presented at registration.
- Surplus proceeds
- Sale money goes first to the department's costs, then to penalties and interest, then to the delinquent taxes, which are remitted to the county treasurer. The balance is paid to the former owner, or to anyone a court orders, after the department may first apply it to other property taxes that person owes, and the department may require proof of former ownership. If no former owner claims the balance within two years of the sale after a reasonable search, it is treated as abandoned property under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act.
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 Union County, New Mexico sell tax liens or tax deeds?
Tax deeds. New Mexico sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the State of New Mexico sells the property itself at a public tax sale.
How often does Union County hold tax deed sales?
Union County holds its tax deed sale once a year. No fixed month. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. New Mexico's redemption rule: None after the sale. The owner can stop a sale only by paying all delinquent taxes, penalties, interest and costs, or signing an installment agreement with the department, by 5:00 p.m. on the day before the sale. Call the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Property Tax Division (state agency). The Union County Treasurer collects current taxes and prepares the delinquency list but does not conduct the sale. as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.
Where can I find the Union County tax sale list?
Union County posts its tax sale list at tax.newmexico.gov. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.
Verified Sep 26, 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.
More New Mexico counties
Browse all 33 New Mexico counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.