Bastrop County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Bastrop County, seat of Bastrop: 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 Bastrop County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Bastrop County Sheriff's Office, Civil Process Division, which oversees the sale and collects the fees. The delinquent-tax law firm McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C. (MVBA), Bastrop office, prepares and publishes the sale lists and handles bidder questions.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Quarterly, always on the first Tuesday of the scheduled month, starting at 10:00am. The county sale sheet states: "Tax Sales/Re-Sales are generally held quarterly and are always on the first Tuesday of the specified month at the bottom of this page." The published 2026 Tax Sale Schedule lists April 7, 2026, June 2, 2026, August 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026, and is marked "(This schedule is tentative and is subject to change)". Sales are held on the front steps of the Historical Courthouse Building at 803 Pine St., Bastrop, TX.
Registration and deposit
"YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO BID. There is no fee to register." Registration opens at 9:00am the morning of the sale in Room 115 of the Historical Courthouse Building. Per the sale list terms, a person intending to bid must register with the person conducting the sale and present a valid driver's license or identification card issued by a state agency or the United States government (Section 34.015, Texas Tax Code), and the grantee named in the deed must be the same person who was the successful bidder. Bidding for a corporation, business or anyone other than yourself requires proper notarized documentation showing permission to do so. Payment is cash, cashier's check or money order; "NO CARDS OF ANY KIND WILL BE ACCEPTED" and funds must be made payable to Ellen Owens, T.A.C. After bidding ends the buyer has approximately two hours to get funding and return to Room 115. A bidder who fails to pay is liable for 20 percent of the value of the property plus costs under Rule 652 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
This is an IN PERSON sale on the courthouse steps, not an online auction. MVBA's upcoming-sales page lists the Bastrop County sale without the "(MVBA Online Sale)" designation it applies to its online counties. The list for each sale goes online at mvbalaw.com roughly 2 to 3 weeks before the sale date (the August 4, 2026 list is at https://mvbalaw.com/wp-content/TaxUploads/0826_Bastrop.pdf), and sales are published in the Elgin Courier for three consecutive weeks before the sale. Minimum bid is set beside each tract on the bid sheet and covers taxes delinquent at the date of judgment, not the current tax year; the purchaser owes taxes accrued after judgment. Buyers receive an ordinary Sheriff's Deed WITHOUT WARRANTY, title is not guaranteed, and title insurance may be difficult to obtain. Property sells AS IS, all sales final, no refunds, and may carry city or POA liens for demolition, mowing or maintenance. The sale list restates the statutory redemption: two years for homestead and agricultural-use property, 180 days for all other property, running from the date the purchaser's deed is recorded, with a redemption premium of 25 percent of the aggregate total in year one and 50 percent in year two; the purchaser has a right of possession beginning 20 days after the deed is filed (Section 33.51, Texas Tax Code). Bastrop County also sells struck-off trust property over the counter: the trust list is on mvbalaw.com under the "Tax Sale" drop down tab, and the price is whichever is less of the total taxes, court costs and other adjudicated amounts, or the market value. MVBA's Bastrop office direct line is (512) 581-7192. In person, oral bidding on the courthouse steps (no online auction platform for the live sale)
Over-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)
Bastrop County Tax Assessor-Collector (Bastrop County Tax Office), Ellen Owens
Mailing: P.O. Box 579, Bastrop, TX 78602-0579. Physical office listed as 211 Jackson Street, Bastrop, TX 78602 by TxDMV; the county website lists Bastrop County Courthouse, 804 Pecan Street, Bastrop, TX 78602.
Official websiteNotes for Bastrop County
- Sale is conducted in person by the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Division on the front steps of the Historical Courthouse Building, 803 Pine St., Bastrop, TX. Civil Process Division phone (512) 549-5053; Sheriff's Office at 200 Jackson Street, Bastrop, TX 78602. The Sheriff's Office page states the sale list "can be viewed at mvbalaw.com".
- The Section 34.015 written statement of no delinquent taxes comes from the Tax Assessor-Collector; the county Tax Assessor/Collector page links a "Request for Written Statement About Delinquent Taxes for Tax Foreclosure Sale (Form)".
- Two different phone numbers appear for the tax office on official pages: the county website and TxDMV both list (512) 581-7161, while the MVBA county sale sheet lists (512) 332-7261 for the Bastrop County Tax Office under research contacts. Both were seen on fetched pages.
- Other research contacts printed on the county sale sheet: Bastrop Central Appraisal District (512) 303-1930 for market value, Bastrop County Clerk (512) 581-7134 for deed information, Bastrop County District Clerk (512) 581-7144 for court costs and tax suit files, and Bastrop County WCID #2 (512) 321-1688.
- bastroptac.com redirects to bastrop.propertytaxpayments.net, which returned HTTP 403 and could not be verified; the county's own tax assessor page was used instead.
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 Bastrop County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Bastrop County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Bastrop 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.