Brewster County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Brewster County, seat of Alpine: 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 Brewster County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Brewster County Sheriff's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Held on the first Tuesday of the month at the Brewster County Courthouse in Alpine, and only when foreclosed tracts are ready, not every month. The June 2, 2026 notice reads: "I will proceed to sell at 10:00 a.m. on the 2nd day of June, 2026 at the West Door of the Brewster County Courthouse, in Alpine, Texas." The April 7, 2026 notice reads: "I will proceed to sell at 10:00 a.m. on the 7th day of April, 2026 at the West Door of the Brewster County Courthouse, in Alpine, Texas." The March 4, 2025 sale ran later in the day: "2:00 p.m. on the 4th day of March, 2025 at the West Door of the Brewster County Courthouse." Check the posted notice for each sale, since the start time has varied between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Registration and deposit
No online pre-registration portal. Every Brewster County notice of sale carries the same line: "ALL BIDDERS MUST NOW DISPLAY PROOF OF COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 34.015 OF THE TEXAS PROPERTY TAX CODE." That is the written statement from the county tax assessor-collector certifying the bidder owes no delinquent property taxes in the county, and it must be presented at the sale. Bidding and payment terms per the county's opening bid sheet: "The Sheriff or his agent will sell the property to the highest bidder for cash upon oral bids under the rules governing the auction sales generally. The bid must start at the amount of the opening bid set out opposite each tract, and no bid of less that this figure will be accepted by the officer conducting the sale." Buyers take a sheriff's deed with no warranty: "Purchaser will receive the ordinary type of Sheriff's deed which is without warranty, expressed or implied."
Brewster County runs a traditional in-person, oral-outcry redeemable tax deed sale on the courthouse steps. There is no online bidding platform and no Bid4Assets, GovEase, or RealAuction presence for this county. The county's separate Auctions page covers only "surplus and confiscated county property" sold through Rene Bates Auctioneers, which is unrelated to tax foreclosure sales. Sale notices are issued by tax warrant out of the 394th District Court of Brewster County and are signed "Sheriff, Brewster County, Texas." Delinquent tax suits are prosecuted for the taxing units (Brewster County, City of Alpine, Alpine Independent School District) by Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott LLP, which publishes the opening bid sheet the county posts. Recent inventory skews heavily to raw acreage in T. & ST. L. Ry. Co. surveys, with one 2026 sale listing 32 tracts. Redemption language on the county's own opening bid sheet: "This property is being sold for taxes, and all sales are made subject to redemption within six (6) months after date deed is filed, unless property is a residence homestead or designated for agricultural use when the tax suit was filed, in which case the period is still two (2) years." That is the county's paraphrase of Texas Tax Code Section 34.21, which states the shorter period as 180 days. Contacts printed on the bid sheet: "QUESTIONS? CONTACT KIM RAMOS with PBFCM at (432) 522-2427 or the BREWSTER COUNTY TAX OFFICE at (432) 837-2214." Note the county law firm's own domain (pbfcm.com) was serving injected spam links when checked, so verify sale details against the county's Public Notices page rather than the firm's site. In person at the courthouse, no online auction platform
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)
Notes for Brewster County
- Sales are conducted by the Sheriff, not the Tax Assessor/Collector. Sheriff's Office: Ronny Dodson, 201 West Ave E, Alpine, Texas 79830, 432-837-6200 Ext. 5541.
- Tax Assessor/Collector is Sylvia Vega. Physical office at 107 West Avenue E, Alpine, Texas 79830. Mailing address 107 W. Ave E #1, Alpine, Texas 79830. Fax 432-837-4013. Email [email protected].
- The opening bid sheet lists a direct Brewster County Tax Office line of (432) 837-2214, separate from the county switchboard at 432-837-6200.
- The county has no dedicated tax sale web page. Notices of Sheriff's Sale and opening bid sheets are posted to the general Public Notices page and mixed in with commissioners court agendas and private trustee sale notices, so filter for titles containing "Notice of Sheriff's Sale" or "Opening Bid Sheet."
- Do not confuse the Notice of Trustee's Sale and Notice of Substitute Trustee's Sale postings on the same page with tax sales. Those are private mortgage foreclosures and carry no statutory tax redemption right.
- Sale location in every notice reviewed is the West Door of the Brewster County Courthouse in Alpine.
- The old county domain co.brewster.tx.us now redirects to https://www.brewstercounty.gov/.
- Bidders need the Section 34.015 written statement from the Tax Assessor/Collector before the sale. Request it from the tax office in advance, since it must be displayed at the courthouse.
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 Brewster County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Brewster County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Brewster 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.
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