Ector County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Ector County, seat of Odessa: 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 Ector County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Ector County Sheriff's Office (Civil and Warrants Division), which conducts the sheriff's tax foreclosure sale. Ector County Appraisal District collects the delinquent property taxes and refers unpaid accounts to a collection law firm.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of February, May, August, and November, starting at 10 a.m. The Ector County Appraisal District states: "Tax foreclosure sales are usually held on the first Tuesday of February, May, August, and November each year. These sales typically begin at 10 a.m. outdoors on the west side of the courthouse."
Registration and deposit
Register in person at the sale. Per the Ector County Appraisal District: "To bid at a sale, you should arrive early enough to complete a sale registration form and be assigned a number. The registration form serves to gather sufficient information to prepare a deed to the property should you be the highest bidder." Statewide, Texas Tax Code section 34.015 also requires a bidder to present a written statement from the county assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes are owed. No online bidder registration was found on any official Ector County page.
Ector County sells redeemable tax deeds at an in-person sheriff's tax foreclosure sale. No online auction platform appears on any official Ector County or Ector County Appraisal District page, so no platform URL is reported. The appraisal district states that lists of properties that may be foreclosed are published in advance in the Odessa American newspaper and posted on the courthouse bulletin board, and that properties may be pulled from the list before the sale when the owner pays off the delinquent taxes or enters a payment agreement. The county's public notice archive is titled "Notice of Trustee's Sale / Sheriff Tax Sale" and holds posted sale notices, though most filings in it are non-judicial deed of trust foreclosures rather than tax sales, so confirm which notices are tax foreclosures before relying on a listing. A notice filed for the August 4, 2026 first-Tuesday sale gives the designated venue as the front door of the Ector County Courthouse (West Entrance), or the area most recently designated by the County Commissioners Court, at 10:00 AM. Redemption after the sale runs under Chapter 34 of the Texas Tax Code, which the appraisal district brochure points buyers and owners to. In person. Outdoor public outcry sale at the Ector County Courthouse, west side / west entrance, or at the area most recently designated by the County Commissioners Court.
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)
Ector County Sheriff's Office, Civil and Warrants Division
432-335-3567 (Civil and Warrants Division); 432-335-3050 (main)
Law Enforcement Center, 2500 South US Highway 385, Odessa, TX 79764. Mailing: P.O. Box 2066, Odessa, TX 79760
Official websiteNotes for Ector County
- Delinquent property tax collection is handled by the Ector County Appraisal District, 1301 E 8th Street, Odessa, TX 79761, phone 432-332-6834, email [email protected]. The County Tax Assessor/Collector's page links out to ectorcad.org for all property tax information.
- Ector County Tax Assessor/Collector: Lindy Wright, 1010 E Eighth Street, Suite 100, Odessa, TX 79761, phone 432-498-4055, fax 432-498-4057. This office is the point of contact for the Texas Tax Code section 34.015 written statement that bidders must obtain.
- Appraisal district timeline: taxes are assessed in October, become delinquent February 1, and unpaid accounts are referred to a collection law firm on April 1 for business personal property or July 1 for all other property, with a 20% additional collection penalty added at referral.
- No online auction platform, no online sale list, and no struck-off or resale inventory page were found on the county or appraisal district sites. Buyers should call the Sheriff's Civil Division and check Odessa American legal notices plus the courthouse bulletin board before each first-Tuesday sale.
- The Sheriff's Civil Division fee schedule confirms it processes Orders of Sale ($225), Writs of Execution ($225), and Notice of Trustee Sale / Foreclosure Sale ($125), with an execution-sale commission of 10% of the first $10,000, 5% of the next $15,000, and 2.5% thereafter, capped at $2,500.
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 Ector County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Ector County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Ector 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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