Aransas County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Aransas County, seat of Rockport: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
Verified Jul 27, 2026 against official county and state sources.
New here? Read how Texas tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Aransas County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Aransas County Sheriff (Sheriff Bill Mills), with the foreclosure sales conducted for the county by the law firm Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP; final payment is collected by the Aransas County Tax Assessor-Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Quoted from the county's March 2026 sale letter: "Our tax foreclosure sales are held on the first Tuesday of the month, usually every three or four months, online at the following URL: https://aransas.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com." The same letter states "Our next sale is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 10:00 a.m." The Notice of Sale sets the sale "on the first Tuesday in March, 2026, the same being the 3rd day of said month, Pursuant to Texas Tax Code 34.01" and runs it "between the hours of 10 o'clock a.m. and 4 o'clock p.m. on said day, beginning at 10:00 AM." The platform's auction calendar shows the next scheduled sale on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM CT with 17 items scheduled.
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online only. Per the auction site's FAQ: "Anyone may bid on the properties by registering here (opens in new tab) at least five (5) business days before the auction. One account will be established for each bidder." To bid, "a deposit equal to 5% of the bidders intended total bid must be in place prior to the auction," funded by ACH or wire transfer only, and fully settled and credited to the bidder's escrow account before the auction starts (ACH takes 5 business banking days to settle, wires up to 48 hours). Winning bidders must pay the balance within 24 hours of the close of the online sale by wire transfer, cash, cashier's check or money order. The county letter adds that the cashier's check is payable to the ARANSAS COUNTY TAX OFFICE and that "Payment in full must be made at the Aransas County Tax Office (319 N. Church St.) by 4:30 p.m. on the date of the sale."
Texas sells the property itself, not a lien. The county letter states plainly: "The actual property is sold and a Sheriff's Deed without warranty is given to the purchaser of the property. We do not auction tax liens in the State of Texas." The purchaser takes title subject to the owner's statutory right of redemption, which the county notes "begins from the date the purchaser's deed is filed of record in the deed records of Aransas County." Aransas moved its sales online after the Commissioners Court adopted a "Resolution To Allow Online Auctions For Tax Foreclosure Sales And To Adopt Rules Governing Online Auctions" on October 10, 2022, recorded as instrument number 394672; sales were previously held in person on the courthouse steps. The auction platform is branded RealForeclose and is operated by Realauction.com LLC; its welcome letter is signed by Sheriff Bill Mills. Auctions run under Texas Property Tax Code Sections 34.01(a-1) and 34.05(d). The Notice of Sale lists a minimum bid per property, described as "the lesser of the amount awarded in the judgment plus interest and costs or the adjudged value," and warns that for a person owning an interest in the property or a party to the suit the minimum bid is the aggregate of all judgments plus costs. Struck-off inventory is offered again: the county posts a resale list of properties that did not sell at prior sales, and "Resale properties are available for auction at the next scheduled tax sale with the same opening bid amount as shown." The March 2026 resale list carried 20-plus parcels around Rockport, Aransas Pass, Lamar and Fulton, including undivided fractional interests and vacant acreage. Property is sold by legal description, not street address, and all sales are final and as-is; the county urges buyers to commission their own title search. Buyers also owe any post-judgment taxes accrued since the judgment date. Sales are advertised in The Rockport Pilot, and the Notice of Sale plus resale list are posted on the Tax Assessor-Collector page of the county website around the first of the month preceding the sale. Appraisal and map data for the listed Property ID numbers is at the Aransas County Appraisal District. For sale-process questions the county and the platform both point to Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP at (361) 888-6898; for platform and deposit questions, Realauction customer service at (877) 361-7325. All times on the auction site are Central.
Register on RealAuctionOver-the-counter (leftover) purchases
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 certificates work.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Aransas County
- Redeemable deed state: the buyer receives a Sheriff's Deed without warranty, subject to the owner's statutory redemption running from the date the purchaser's deed is recorded in Aransas County deed records.
- Sales are fully online at aransas.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com (Realauction / RealForeclose), authorized by an Aransas County Commissioners Court resolution adopted October 10, 2022 (instrument 394672). There is no in-person courthouse-steps bidding for these sales any longer.
- Cadence is the first Tuesday of the month but only every three or four months, so there are roughly three to four sale dates per year rather than twelve. Check the platform's auction calendar before planning a trip or funding a deposit.
- Register at least five business days ahead and pre-fund a deposit equal to 5% of your intended total bid by ACH or wire. ACH takes five business banking days to settle, so the practical lead time is closer to two weeks.
- Balance is due within 24 hours of the close of the online sale, by wire, cash, cashier's check or money order payable to the Aransas County Tax Office, delivered to 319 N. Church St., Rockport by 4:30 p.m. on the sale date.
- Struck-off resale inventory carries forward at the same opening bid and is auctioned at the next scheduled sale under the same rules, which is where most of the vacant land and fractional-interest parcels sit.
- Many resale parcels are undivided fractional interests (for example, an undivided 1/3 of 1/2 interest in Lamar blocks). These are not clean fee simple buys and need title work before bidding.
- Purchasers owe post-judgment taxes accrued since the judgment date, which are not included in the minimum bid.
Texas statewide 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 Aransas County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Aransas County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Aransas County hold tax deed sales?
- annual. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
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.
Explore all 254 Texas counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.