Karnes County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Karnes County, seat of Karnes City: 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 Karnes County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Karnes County Sheriff (sale conducted at the courthouse door on behalf of the Karnes County Commissioners Court; the Karnes County Tax Assessor-Collector posts the sale notice)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month at the Karnes County Courthouse door, held only when properties are posted. The county's own August 2026 notice reads: "the property listed below will be sold at a public resale of trust property at the courthouse door of the Karnes County Courthouse on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., or as soon as practicable thereafter." Karnes County's Notice of Foreclosure Sales page lists sale notices sporadically by date rather than every month, so check it before planning a trip.
Registration and deposit
Bidding is in person, on the courthouse steps, with no online platform. The county's August 2026 notice states the presiding officer "will sell the property to the highest bidder for cash or its equivalent," that "the bid will start at the amount of the opening bid set out to the right of the tract, and no bid less than that amount will be accepted by the officer conducting the resale," and that "the purchaser will receive a tax resale deed, which is without warranty, expressed or implied." Karnes County does not publish a registration form or a deposit schedule online. Texas Tax Code Section 34.015 separately requires a bidder to present a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing no delinquent property taxes are owed, so request that statement from the Karnes County Tax Assessor-Collector at 830-780-2431 ahead of the sale date.
Karnes County posts the current tax sale notice as a PDF on the Tax Assessor-Collector page. The August 4, 2026 notice is a Section 34.05 public resale of tax trust property, meaning parcels already struck off to the taxing units at an earlier sheriff's tax sale and now offered again at a minimum opening bid set by the Commissioners Court. The resolution was adopted June 23, 2026 and signed by County Judge Wade Hedtke and attested by County Clerk Jamie Leal; it states the county "requests that the Sheriff of Karnes County conduct such sale in accordance with Section 34.05(a), (c) and (d) of the Texas Property Tax Code." Buyers get a tax resale deed with no warranty. The eight tracts in that notice were small city lots in Kenedy with opening bids from roughly $863 to $4,725, which is typical of the low-dollar, small-parcel inventory in this county. The notice directs bidder questions to the county's delinquent tax law firm, Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins and Mott LLP in Austin (attorney John T. Banks). The notice also states that maps depicting the property may be viewed online through the Karnes County Appraisal District website at karnescad.org. Property acquired at a Karnes County sale remains subject to the Texas Tax Code Chapter 34 right of redemption: two years at a 25 percent or 50 percent premium for homestead, agricultural-use and mineral interests, and 180 days at 25 percent for other property. Note that struck-off resale purchases under Section 34.05 carry their own redemption timing rules, so confirm the applicable period with the county or the law firm before bidding. In person at the Karnes County Courthouse door, 101 North Panna Maria Avenue, Karnes City, TX 78118
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)
Notes for Karnes County
- Karnes County runs its tax sales IN PERSON at the courthouse door. No online auction platform (no GovEase, Bid4Assets, RealAuction or similar) was found on any official Karnes County page, so investors must attend or send an agent.
- The county seat is Karnes City. The courthouse and sale location is 101 North Panna Maria Avenue, Karnes City, TX 78118. The Tax Assessor-Collector office is at a separate address, 200 E. Calvert Ave., #3, Karnes City, TX 78118.
- Tammy Braudaway is the Registered Texas Tax Assessor-Collector for Karnes County. Office hours listed are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM for the tax and auto department (open during lunch) and 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM for titles. Fax is 830-780-4530.
- Two separate notice streams exist and investors confuse them. Tax sale notices appear as PDFs on the Tax Assessor-Collector page. The separate 'Notice of Foreclosure Sales' page at co.karnes.tx.us/page/karnes.NoticeofForeclosureSales carries mortgage and lien foreclosure postings, which are not tax sales.
- The Karnes County Sheriff is Steven Bailey; the sheriff's office is at 500 E. Wall Street, Karnes City, TX 78118, non-emergency 830-780-3931. The sheriff conducts the sale but the sheriff's page publishes no tax sale procedures of its own.
- Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins and Mott LLP is the delinquent tax law firm named in the county's sale notice and is the contact for sale details. The firm's public website returned no usable Karnes County sale listing when checked, so the county's own Tax Assessor-Collector page is the reliable list source.
- Karnes County Appraisal District (karnescad.org) is the county's parcel and valuation lookup and is the map source the sale notice points bidders to. The district states plainly that it does not collect taxes.
- The Karnes County Tax Office search portal at karnescountytax.org includes a 'Show only Properties with Tax Due' filter, which is useful for pre-sale delinquency research, but it does not publish a struck-off or over-the-counter inventory.
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 Karnes County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Karnes County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Karnes 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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