Denton County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Denton County, seat of Denton: 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 Denton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Denton County Sheriff's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of each month at 10 am, but only when the district courts have issued Orders of Sale. The county page states: "The Sheriff's Sale is conducted on the first Tuesday of each month online through GovEase, at 10 am venue to the highest bidder." The Sale FAQs add: "Tax Sales are only held when Orders of Sale are issued from the District Courts in reference to tax judgments for delinquent taxes. Sales are not always scheduled each month. Real property is required by Texas law to be sold on the first Tuesday of the month." The Sheriff's Sale page listed the next sale as August 4, 2026.
Registration and deposit
Bidders register and get approved on GovEase before the auction. Sale Rules paragraph 7: "A bidder who wishes to participate in the sale must register and be approved online through the GovEase website and upload a form of identification issued by a government agency (i.e., Driver's License)." No deposit is required before the sale, and the FAQs describe an online/live bid process. The winning bidder pays the full bid by ACH/E-Check through GovEase before 4 pm on the day of sale; payment plans are not accepted. Separately, Texas Tax Code section 34.015 requires an unexpired written statement from the Denton County Tax Assessor/Collector confirming the purchaser owes no delinquent taxes to the county, any school district, or any city in the county. Without that statement the officer will not deliver the deed. The county asks buyers to request it at least 5 business days before the sale using the notarized Request for Written Statement form with a $10 fee (cash or money order, no personal checks).
Denton County runs its delinquent tax sale as an online Sheriff's Sale on GovEase rather than a live courthouse auction. Sales are advertised in the Denton Record Chronicle on the three Wednesdays before the first Tuesday and posted on GovEase, at the Denton County Courts Building, at the Courthouse Annex in Lewisville, and at the Sheriff's Office. Two categories are offered: regular Sheriff's Sale property, and "Resolution" property previously struck off to a taxing entity. Resolution buyers pay by cashier's check or money order payable to Denton County, and the taxing entity's attorney may accept less than the opening bid. Buyers receive a Sheriff's deed without warranty. The rules state plainly: "This is not a tax lien certificate. The real property is sold. There is no Tax Lien Certificate Sale in Texas." Purchases carry the statutory right of redemption running from the date the purchaser records the deed: two years for homestead and agricultural property, 180 days for all other property, and the county "makes no representation as to which redemption period applies." Purchasers hold the right of possession during redemption. A winning bidder who fails to pay is liable for 20% of the property value plus costs under Rule 652 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. The Sheriff's Office does not keep a struck-off list and refers those questions to the taxing entities' attorneys. Prior results are posted on the Sheriff's Sale Results page.
Register on GovEaseOver-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 Denton County
- Sale contact on the Sheriff's Sale page is Sgt. Gerald Wright, reachable through the county's Sheriff's Sale contact form at https://www.dentoncounty.gov/FormCenter/Contact-Forms-4/Sheriffs-Sale-176. No direct phone for him is published on that page.
- Bidder written statements come from the Tax Assessor/Collector, not the Sheriff. Denton County Tax Assessor / Collector, Mary and Jim Horn Government Center, 1505 E McKinney Street, Denton, TX 76209, phone 940-349-3500. Mail the notarized Request for Written Statement with the $10 fee to Dawn Waye, Tax Assessor/Collector, Attn: Tax Certificates, P.O. Box 90223, Denton, TX 76202.
- Source conflict to watch: the Tax Assessor/Collector's Delinquent Tax Sales page still says "Sheriff's Sales are conducted on the first Tuesday of each month at the Denton County Courts Building at 1450 E McKinney Street in Denton, Texas at 10 am," while the Sheriff's Sale page, the Sale Rules, the Sale FAQs, and the county's GovEase flyer all describe an online auction on GovEase. Treat the Sheriff's Office pages as current and confirm the venue before each sale.
- The county's GovEase flyer points bidders to the live auction login at https://liveauctions.govease.com/Account/Login and to bidder help at http://www.govease.com/bidderhelp.
- Sheriff's Sale Results are posted as PDFs at https://www.dentoncounty.gov/845/Sheriffs-Sale-Results. The most recent posted at the time of research was April 2026.
- The Sheriff's Office does not conduct trustee or lender foreclosure sales, only tax sales ordered by the district courts.
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 Denton County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Denton County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Denton 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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