Jefferson County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Jefferson County, seat of Beaumont: 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 Jefferson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Jefferson County Sheriff's Department conducts the sale; the Jefferson County Tax Office (Tax Assessor-Collector of Jefferson County, Texas) publishes the dates and property lists and issues bidder eligibility statements
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Several sales a year, always on a first Tuesday, starting at 10:00 a.m. The Tax Office lists "2026 SHERIFF SALE DATES" as "March 3, 2026 - Original Sheriff Sale", "June 2, 2026 - Re-Sale", "October 6, 2026 - Original Sheriff Sale" and "December 1, 2026 - Original Sheriff Sale", flagged "*Subject to change*". The guidelines state: "Once the sale begins at 10:00 am, no one will be allowed to obtain a bidder number."
Registration and deposit
Bidders must obtain a Statement of No Delinquent Taxes Owed from the Jefferson County Tax Office before sale day. The page is explicit: "NO ONE CAN OBTAIN THIS STATEMENT THE DAY OF THE SALE. YOU MUST OBTAIN THIS STATEMENT BY THE END OF BUSINESS ON THE FRIDAY PRECEDING THE SALE" (Thursday if Friday is a holiday, Wednesday if both are). The request form is sworn and notarized, costs $10.00 payable in cash or cashier's check only, and is valid 90 days from issue. Buying in a company name also requires an Assumed Name Certificate from the County Clerk or a Franchise Tax Account Status from the Texas Comptroller with a list of officers and directors, plus a signed authorization letter on company letterhead if you are not an officer or director. A bidder must be registered with the person conducting the sale at the time the sale begins and must hand that statement to them. Bidding is oral, and winning bidders pay by cash or cashier's check payable to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the sale.
Jefferson County runs its redeemable tax deed sale in person, not online. The sale list PDF states: "The location for the Sheriff Sale will be the Jury Impaneling Room located on the 1st floor of the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1085 Pearl St, Beaumont TX". Original sales carry a fixed opening bid printed next to each tract, and "the bidding must start at that figure or higher". At a resale the suggested opening bid is printed or announced by the auctioneer, lower bids may be accepted at the discretion of the tax assessor-collector, and the assessor reserves the right to set a minimum on any property. The June 2, 2026 resale list showed minimum bids of $50 to $500 against current appraised values from about $2,100 to $172,000, with additional post-judgment tax amounts listed separately and owed by the buyer. Buyers receive an ordinary sheriff's deed without warranty and the property sells "as is", so title insurance may be hard to obtain. A bidder who wins and fails to pay is liable for 20 percent of the property value plus costs under Rule 652 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, and for any shortfall if a later resale does not cover taxes and costs.
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)
Jefferson County Tax Office (Tax Assessor-Collector of Jefferson County, Texas)
Beaumont Tax Office, Jefferson County Courthouse, 1149 Pearl Street, Beaumont, TX 77701. Mailing address: P.O. Box 2112, Beaumont, TX 77704
Official websiteNotes for Jefferson County
- Sales are held in the Jury Impaneling Room on the first floor of the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1085 Pearl St, Beaumont, which is a different building entrance from the Tax Office counter at 1149 Pearl Street.
- The Tax Office restates the state redemption rule on its sale page: two years for homestead property and property appraised as agricultural land, and 180 days for all other property, measured from the date the sheriff's deed is filed for record in the County Clerk's office, not from the sale date.
- A redeeming owner must also reimburse the buyer for costs described in Texas Tax Code 34.21(g)(2), namely amounts reasonably spent on maintenance, preservation, and safekeeping of the property.
- The sale covers taxes delinquent at the date of judgment, which may exclude the most recent tax year. The buyer owes any taxes that became due after the judgment date, and the resale list prints those additional amounts per tract.
- The Tax Office warns bidders not to buy off the slides shown at the sale. Maps and plats are on file with the County Clerk, lawsuit papers with the District Clerk, and current maps at the Jefferson Central Appraisal District. Listed addresses come from tax records and may be inaccurate.
- Sale dates are marked subject to change and the sale page was last revised 06.12.2026, so reconfirm the date and list before traveling to Beaumont.
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 Jefferson County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jefferson County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Jefferson 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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