Hardin County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Hardin County, seat of Kountze: 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 Hardin County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Hardin County Sheriff's Office (Civil Process Division), Kountze
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No county-published sale calendar. The Sheriff's Office posts a "Sheriff's Sale Auctions" announcement on its page, which currently reads "No sales pending at this time." Texas sheriff and constable tax sales are held on the first Tuesday of the month under Tax Code § 34.01.
Registration and deposit
No county-specific bidder registration instructions are published on the Hardin County website. Under Tax Code § 34.015 a bidder must obtain a written statement of no delinquent taxes from the county assessor-collector before bidding; request it from the Hardin County Tax Assessor-Collector at (409) 246-5180. Civil process questions go to the Sheriff's Office civil process desk at (409) 246-5241.
Hardin County publishes tax foreclosure and sheriff sale notices on its own website rather than through a third-party auction site. Two official channels carry them: the Foreclosure Sales page under Public Notices and News, and the Announcements block on the Sheriff's Office page. Both were empty at the time of research, and the Sheriff's page states "No sales pending at this time." No online auction platform is named on any Hardin County page, so plan on an in-person sale at the Hardin County Courthouse, 300 West Monroe Street in Kountze, and confirm the date, time, and location with the Sheriff's Office before travelling. Check the Foreclosure Sales page and the Sheriff's page together, because a notice can appear on one before the other. Buyers take a redeemable deed: the former owner may redeem within 2 years for homestead, agricultural-use, and mineral property, or 180 days for other property, at the statutory premium in Tax Code § 34.21.
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)
Hardin County Tax Assessor-Collector (Steve Smith)
Hardin County Courthouse, 300 West Monroe Street, Suite B101, P.O. Box 2260, Kountze, TX 77625
Official websiteNotes for Hardin County
- County seat is Kountze. The courthouse at 300 West Monroe Street houses the Tax Assessor-Collector (Suite B101), the County Clerk (Suite B-110), and the Sheriff's Office.
- Hardin County Sheriff's Office: Sheriff Mark Davis, 300 West Monroe Street, PO Box 1990, Kountze, TX 77625, (409) 246-5100. Civil process contact Meagan McNeely, (409) 246-5241.
- Tax office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The drive-through is open 8:00 am to 4:00 pm for vehicle registration and property tax payments only.
- The Tax Assessor-Collector page carries no tax sale, struck-off property, or delinquent tax attorney information. It links only to payment and lookup tools.
- The county also has six elected constables (Precincts 1 through 6). Texas law lets either the sheriff or a constable conduct the sale, so a notice may name a constable rather than the sheriff.
- No delinquent tax law firm was confirmed for Hardin County from an official source. Hardin County does not appear in the Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson county list or on the MVBA upcoming tax sales page.
- Deed records for post-sale title work are searchable through the Hardin County Clerk, (409) 246-5185.
- Web search quota was exhausted during this run, so discovery relied on direct fetches of official county URLs. A follow-up pass could re-check whether a law firm or online platform handles Hardin County sales.
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 Hardin County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Hardin County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Hardin 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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