Cooke County, TX tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Cooke County has no standing tax sale web page. Notices of Sheriff's Sale are posted as PDFs under the Sheriff's Office page and under the county's Bid, RFP, RFQ, Legal Notices page. Neither page currently lists a sale notice, and the LEGAL NOTICES section reads "(none)". The most recent notice on the county site is for the November 5, 2024 sale; call the Sheriff's Office at 940-665-3471 to ask whether a sale is scheduled.
• •The Sheriff's estimated bid sheet PDF on the county site is dated September 2023 and reads "COOKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE / NO SHERIFF'S SALE SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME / WATCH FOR SALE POSTINGS ON https://www.co.cooke.tx.us/page/cooke.Sheriff". Sales were held after that date, so treat the file as a stub and confirm current status by phone.
• •Sheriff is Ray Sappington; the November 2024 notice was signed by the Sheriff on October 14, 2024, with levy made October 16, 2024.
• •Tax foreclosure suits are filed in the 235th Judicial District Court of Cooke County and styled "Cooke County, Et Al v. ..." or by the taxing unit, for example "Gainesville ISD v. ...". Orders of Sale issue from the clerk of that court.
• •Struck-off property is resold by resolution of the Cooke County Commissioners Court. The November 2024 notice cites Resolutions Authorizing Sale of Property signed April 24, 2023 and March 11, 2024, and lists tracts originally struck off at the April 4, 2023 and March 5, 2024 tax foreclosure sales.
• •Commissioners Court Resolution No. 10-13-97-001 designates the area within 50 feet of the first floor east entrance of the courthouse as the primary real estate sales area and within 30 feet of the first floor west entrance as the secondary area, effective January 1, 1998. That matches the east door location named in the sale notices.
• •Property tax payments in Cooke County go to the Cooke County Appraisal District, 201 N. Dixon, Gainesville, TX 76240, (940) 665-7651, not to the Tax Assessor-Collector. The Tax Assessor-Collector (Brandy Ann Carr) is at 112 South Dixon, Gainesville, TX 76240, phone (940) 668-5500 option 8, fax (940) 668-5497.
• •Do not confuse the county's Foreclosure Notices page with tax sales. That page carries deed of trust foreclosure notices filed with the County Clerk (Pam Harrison, 101 South Dixon, Room 108, Gainesville, TX 76240, 940-668-5474), not tax foreclosure sales.
• •Neither the Cooke County Appraisal District portal nor the county site lists an online auction platform, and Cooke County was not found on the Linebarger tax sale county list.

Texas 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.Texas Tax Code 34.21 - Right of redemptionTex. Tax Code 34.21Verified Oct 12, 2026

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.Texas Tax Code 34.01 - Sale of propertyTex. Tax Code 34.01Verified Oct 12, 2026

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.Texas Tax Code 34.21 - Right of redemptionTex. Tax Code 34.21Verified Oct 12, 2026

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.Texas Tax Code 34.03 - Disposition of excess proceedsTex. Tax Code 34.03Verified Oct 12, 2026

Governing statute

Tex. Tax Code Chapter 34Texas Tax Code 34.01 - Sale of propertyTex. Tax Code 34.01Verified Oct 12, 2026

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.

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