Franklin County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Franklin County, seat of Mount Vernon: 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 Franklin County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Franklin County Sheriff or Precinct 1 Constable, with the delinquent tax suits and bidder registration handled by Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP (the county's delinquent tax counsel)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. on the courthouse steps. Linebarger's Franklin County record lists "Sale Location: Franklin County Courthouse, south side steps" and "Sales are typically scheduled for: 10:00 am". Linebarger's Texas FAQ states: "Public Tax Sales may only be conducted on the first Tuesday of the month except when January 1 or July 4 occurs on the first Tuesday. Then Sales may be conducted on the first Wednesday of the month." The county's own foreclosure notice page confirms: "Sales will be held on the steps on the south side of the Franklin County Courthouse." No Franklin County sale date was scheduled at the time of research; the only listed inventory is struck-off property flagged "Available for Future Sale".
Registration and deposit
In-person registration at the sale. Linebarger's Franklin County record states: "Individuals wishing to bid on property at the sale must register with the Linebarger representative attending the sale prior to the start of the sale." Payment must be made by "Cashier's Check or Money Order" payable to "Linebarger Law Firm". Bidding is open outcry: "There is no formal bidding process for Public Auctions. Oral bids are made consecutively by whoever can raise the last bid made... All sales will be to the highest bidder." Texas Tax Code Sec. 34.015 separately requires a bidder to hold a written statement from the county assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes owed, so confirm that step with the tax office before the sale.
Franklin County runs its tax sales IN PERSON on the south side steps of the Franklin County Courthouse, 200 N. Kaufman Street, Mount Vernon. There is no online auction platform for this county, so no platform URL is given. Sale notices are published in the Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald, and Linebarger's Texas FAQ notes sales are "advertised three times prior to the auction in a newspaper published in the county where the property is located." As of the research date the Linebarger listing showed two Franklin County struck-off parcels marked "Available for Future Sale" (cause numbers 1959 and 1971, minimum bids of $9,736.32 and $7,173.23, both "Subject to Post-Judgment Taxes") and no scheduled auction date. For struck-off resales the firm's FAQ says: "If you are interested in bidding on a struck off property, contact the local tax collection office for the county in which the property is located. In most cases that is the office of the elected Tax Assessor Collector (TAC) of the county." Winning bidders receive a Constable's Deed or Sheriff's Deed "within 4 to 6 weeks after the auction date", subject to the former owner's statutory right of redemption. The county's own County Clerk "Foreclosures" page posts notice PDFs, but the current postings are substitute trustee and deed-of-trust sales rather than tax sales. Franklin County does not appear on MVBA's upcoming Texas tax sale schedule. In person, on the courthouse steps (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)
Franklin County Tax Assessor-Collector (Melissa McSwain Clawson)
P.O. Box 70, Mt. Vernon, TX 75457 (physical office: 204 TX Hwy 37, Mt. Vernon, TX 75457)
Official websiteNotes for Franklin County
- The sale is in person on the south side steps of the Franklin County Courthouse, 200 N. Kaufman Street, Mount Vernon. No online bidding platform is used.
- Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP is the county's delinquent tax counsel. Its representative takes bidder registration on site immediately before the sale starts.
- Payment is due by cashier's check or money order made out to the Linebarger Law Firm.
- Sale notices run in the Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald, and Texas practice is publication three times before the auction.
- No Franklin County auction date was posted at the time of research. Two struck-off parcels were listed as available for a future sale, with minimum bids of $9,736.32 and $7,173.23, both subject to post-judgment taxes.
- The Tax Assessor-Collector page and the Sheriff page carry no tax sale content, so call the tax office at 903-537-2358 to confirm the next sale date and the Sec. 34.015 written statement requirement.
- Office fax is 903-537-3483 and the courthouse main line is (903) 537-2342. Hours are Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., closed 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- The county's online payment site is franklincountytaxoffice.com, which resolved only over http at the time of research and carries no tax sale information.
- Which officer conducts the sale, the Sheriff or the Precinct 1 Constable, is not stated on any county page. Linebarger's Texas FAQ says the buyer receives a Constable's Deed or Sheriff's Deed, and the Franklin County listings are tagged precinct 1. The Sheriff's Office and the Precinct 1 Constable share the address 208 TX Hwy 37, Mount Vernon, TX 75457 and the phone 903-537-4539.
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 Franklin County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Franklin County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Franklin 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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