Brooks County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Brooks County, seat of Falfurrias: 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 Brooks County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Brooks County Sheriff's Office (the sale is executed by the Sheriff or a Constable under an order of sale issued by the District Court of Brooks County; the delinquent-tax law firm is Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month, at the east door of the Brooks County Courthouse, 100 East Miller Street, Falfurrias. The county's posted Notice of Sale set the auction for "the first Tuesday in July, 2025, the same being the 1st day of said month, at the East Door, 100 East Miller Street of the Courthouse of the said County, in the City of Falfurrias, Texas, between the hours of 10 o'clock a.m. and 4 o'clock p.m. on said day, beginning at 02:00 PM."
Registration and deposit
Bidding happens in person at the courthouse; the Notice of Sale states the officer "will proceed to sell for cash to the highest bidder." Under Texas Tax Code Sec. 34.015, a bidder must first obtain a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes are owed. For struck-off (resale) property the process is different: bids go on the county's Resale Bid Form to Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, 500 North Shoreline, Suite 1111, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401, with 20% of the bid as earnest money made payable to Urbino "Benny" Martinez, Tax Collector, 408 W Travis St, Falfurrias, TX 78355. The form warns that "bidders should be prepared to wait at least 60 to 90 days for approval," after which the winner pays the full amount within 10 working days.
Brooks County runs an IN-PERSON redeemable tax deed sale. There is no online auction platform. Properties are struck off to the taxing units when no one bids, and those parcels then move to a written-bid resale handled by the county's delinquent-tax law firm. The most recent Notice of Sale posted by the tax office covered 19 tracts, nearly all in and around Falfurrias, with estimated minimum bids from $1,400 to $72,743, and it expressly preserves the owner's redemption right. A separate Brooks County Resale List dated 1/23/2025 carries roughly 15 struck-off tracts with opening bids from $840 to $22,000, several of them flagged as land-locked. Buyers at resale receive a Tax Resale Deed without warranty, and the form states that post-judgment taxes and municipal liens may survive the sale. In-person courthouse auction (no online bidding 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 Brooks County
- Urbino "Benny" Martinez Jr. holds both the Sheriff and the County Tax Assessor-Collector posts, so the same official signs the bidder statement and conducts the sale. Sheriff's Office: 701 E. Rice St., P.O. Box 558, Falfurrias, TX 78355, (361) 325-3696 x 503.
- Sale notices and the resale list are posted on the Tax Assessor-Collector page under the "Property Tax Sales" and "Resale Taxes" headings. The county does not maintain a separate tax-sale website, so check that page for the current first-Tuesday notice before travelling.
- Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP is the delinquent-tax law firm: 500 N Shoreline Blvd Ste 1111, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401, (361) 888-6898, fax (361) 888-4405. Its property search at taxsales.lgbs.com carries Brooks County struck-off listings.
- Constables are the alternate selling officers named in the notice. Brooks County Constable Department: 404 W. Travis St., Falfurrias, TX 78355, (361) 325-5670 x 378.
- Property tax accounts can be searched and paid at the county's ACT tax portal linked from the Tax Assessor-Collector page.
- Resale bidding is competitive but slow: if a second bid arrives before the taxing units approve an earlier one, the firm holds an auction among bidders, and a bid covering the full amount of taxes, costs and liens may be accepted outright without considering lower bids.
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 Brooks County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Brooks County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Brooks 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.