Howard County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Howard County, seat of Big Spring: 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 Howard County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Howard County Sheriff's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The county's posted Tax Code Chapter 34 notice reads: "On July 2, 2024, being the first Tuesday of said month, between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, at the North door of the Courthouse, Big Spring, Texas, I will offer for sale and sell at public auction, for cash." Every notice on the county's Foreclosure Notices page is set for a first Tuesday, most at 10 a.m.
Registration and deposit
No county-published bidder registration page was found. The posted notice states the sale is for cash and that property sells as is, where is, with no warranty from the seller or the Sheriff's Department. Bidders should contact the Howard County Tax Assessor-Collector at 432-264-2232 for the written statement of no delinquent taxes required of bidders under Texas Tax Code 34.015, and confirm payment form before the sale.
Howard County sells redeemable tax deeds at a live, in-person sale on the courthouse steps. No online auction platform was found on any official county page, so no platform URL is listed. Sales are conducted by the Sheriff at the North door of the Howard County Courthouse, 300 Main Street, Big Spring, under an order of sale issued by the 118th Judicial District Court, and notices are posted with the Howard County Clerk. The county has no dedicated tax sale page. Notices are published on the shared Foreclosure Notices page, which is dominated by deed-of-trust trustee sales under Texas Property Code Chapter 51. Only sale notices citing Texas Tax Code Chapter 34 are tax sales. Tax sale notices there are infrequent, so check the page each month and call the Tax Assessor-Collector to confirm whether a Chapter 34 sale is set.
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)
Howard County Tax Assessor-Collector
315 Main Street, Suite D, Big Spring, TX 79721 (mailing: P.O. Box 1111, Big Spring, TX 79721)
Official websiteNotes for Howard County
- County seat is Big Spring. The courthouse is at 300 Main Street, Big Spring, TX 79720, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- The Sheriff's Office is at 3611 W. Hwy 80, Big Spring, TX 79720, phone 432-264-2231. Its own website carries no sale listings, so sale notices come from the county's Foreclosure Notices page.
- The Howard County Tax Assessor-Collector page carries no tax sale content. A site search of co.howard.tx.us returns zero pages containing the exact phrase "tax sale," so the posted PDF notices are the only county-published record of a sale.
- Third-party aggregators list Howard County sales, but the one checked describes the sale as run by a "Treasurer's Office," which does not exist for this purpose in Texas, and it disclaims verification. Treat aggregator listings as leads only and confirm with the Tax Assessor-Collector.
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 Howard County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Howard County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Howard 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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