Freestone County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Freestone County, seat of Fairfield: 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 Freestone County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Freestone County Sheriff's Office (sale officer under Texas Tax Code Chapter 34); Freestone County Tax Assessor-Collector is the collecting office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month. The Freestone County Clerk's sale-notice page states: "The sales will take place on the Freestone County Courthouse steps at 118 E. Commerce, Fairfield, Texas 75840 on the first Tuesday of each Month between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m." That sentence governs the notices the Clerk posts (deed-of-trust trustee sales), and it matches the first-Tuesday window Texas tax sales run under. MVBA, the county's delinquent-tax firm, lists its client sales on first Tuesdays as well (August 4, 2026 and September 1, 2026 on its Upcoming Tax Sales page). No Freestone County tax sale was posted on that list when checked on 2026-07-26.
Registration and deposit
No Freestone-specific bidder procedure is published on any county page. Under Texas Tax Code 34.015 a bidder must obtain a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes owed; request that from the Freestone County Tax Assessor-Collector at 903-389-2336 or [email protected]. MVBA handles its client counties two ways: in-person sales where bidders register on site before the sale, and online auctions where, per its Upcoming Tax Sales page, "To be eligible to bid on properties, you must register online at least 24 hours before the Tax Sale begins." Which method Freestone uses is not published, so confirm with the Tax Assessor-Collector or MVBA before a sale date.
Freestone County's Tax Office names McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C. (MVBA) as its delinquent tax attorney, with Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins and Mott, LLP for Oakwood ISD and Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson (LGBS) for Teague ISD. Sale lists therefore surface through MVBA rather than on a county-run sale page. No Freestone County entry appeared on MVBA's Upcoming Tax Sales or Trust Properties for Sale pages on 2026-07-26, so no auction platform is asserted here. MVBA runs some client counties in person at the courthouse and others online (its own portal at mvbataxsales.com, and GovEase for McLennan County), and Freestone's format was not verifiable, so no platform URL is recorded. Neither the county website, the Tax Assessor-Collector page, nor freestonetax.org publishes a tax sale calendar, struck-off/resale list, or bidder packet. The County Clerk posts notices of sale at https://www.co.freestone.tx.us/page/freestone.Foreclosures.Previous.Years and records are searchable at freestone.tx.publicsearch.us, but the notices reviewed there are trustee/deed-of-trust foreclosures, not Chapter 34 tax sales. Buyers should call the Tax Assessor-Collector and MVBA to confirm the next sale date, location, and whether bidding is on the courthouse steps or online.
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)
Freestone County Tax Assessor-Collector (Daniel M. Ralstin, CTA)
P.O. Box 257, Fairfield, TX 75840 (physical office: 305 Commerce St, Fairfield, TX 75840)
Official websiteNotes for Freestone County
- Tax Assessor-Collector hours: Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fax 903-389-6533, email [email protected].
- Delinquent-tax counsel is split by taxing unit: MVBA for the county, Perdue Brandon for Oakwood ISD, Linebarger (LGBS) for Teague ISD. A parcel's sale list may appear under a different firm depending on which unit sued.
- Freestone County Sheriff's Office: Sheriff Jeremy Shipley, 103 S. Keechi, Fairfield, TX 75840 (mailing P.O. Drawer 47), 903-389-3236. The county website publishes no sheriff sale notices.
- Freestone County Courthouse: 118 East Commerce Street, Fairfield, TX 75840, 903-389-3335. This is the posted sale location for first-Tuesday sales.
- No online auction platform is confirmed for Freestone County. Do not assume mvbataxsales.com covers it without checking the current MVBA sale list.
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 Freestone County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Freestone County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Freestone 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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