Leon County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Leon County, seat of Centerville: 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 Leon County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Leon County Sheriff's Office (sale conducted by the Sheriff; delinquent tax suits and sale notices handled by McCreary Veselka Bragg & Allen, P.C. for Leon County)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month at 1:30 p.m. on the Leon County Courthouse steps in Centerville. The county's posted Joint Notice of Sale reads: "I have on the 6th day of January, 2022, seized, levied upon, and will on the 1st day of February, 2022, at the Courthouse Steps, at 1:30 P.M. on said day, proceed to sell for cash to the highest bidder all of the right, title, and interest of the defendants in such suit" (February 1, 2022 was the first Tuesday of that month). Sales run only when foreclosure judgments are ready, so many first Tuesdays pass with no Leon County sale.
Registration and deposit
Register in person with the officer conducting the sale before bidding starts and show a valid driver's license or state or federal ID; the grantee on the deed must be the same person who was the successful bidder (Tex. Tax Code Sec. 34.015). Bidding is oral, property sells for cash to the highest bidder at or above the posted minimum bid, and payment must be cash or cashier's check (no personal checks). MVBA's sale information also warns that in certain counties the buyer must hand the officer a written statement from the County Tax Assessor-Collector showing no delinquent taxes owed to the county, any school district, or any city in the county, and that no deed issues until that statement is presented; MVBA directs buyers to "Contact the county tax office to determine if this requirement is applicable." Confirm with the Leon County Tax Assessor/Collector at 903-536-2543 before the sale.
Leon County runs a live, in person sheriff's sale on the courthouse steps. No online auction platform was found: Leon is not listed on MVBA's Upcoming Tax Sales page, and the county publishes no auction portal link. Buyers get an ordinary Sheriff's Deed without warranty; title is not guaranteed and title insurance may be hard to get. The deed is redeemable, so the former owner can buy the property back with a 25 percent premium in year one or 50 percent in year two (two years for homestead and agricultural land, 180 days for everything else), measured from the date the purchaser's deed is recorded. Buyers get a right of possession 20 days after their deed is recorded. Caveat on freshness: the only sale document posted on the county site is a Joint Notice of Sale dated January 6, 2022 for a February 1, 2022 sale, so call the Tax Assessor/Collector (903-536-2543) or the Sheriff's Office (903-536-2749) for the current sale date and list. In person, Leon County Courthouse steps, Centerville
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 Leon County
- The Leon County Tax Assessor/Collector is Victoria Willis, CTOP. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with vehicle and boat title processing ending at 4 p.m. Fax is 903-536-2431.
- The Tax Assessor/Collector page names two delinquent tax law firms: McCreary Veselka Bragg & Allen, P.C. handles Leon County matters, and Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP handles Normangee ISD and City of Marquez matters.
- The county's Joint Notice of Sale closes with: "You may contact the attorney for the taxing units at (254) 756-7755."
- Leon County Sheriff Kevin Ellis signed the posted Joint Notice of Sale. The Sheriff's Office is at 606 E. St. Mary's Street, P.O. Box 278, Centerville, TX 75833, phone 903-536-2749.
- Sale inventory skews rural and mineral heavy. The posted notice listed manufactured homes, small acreage tracts, town lots in Normangee, and many fractional royalty and overriding royalty interests in oil and gas wells, several of which were marked WITHDRAWN before the sale.
- Property is sold by legal description and AS IS with all faults; all sales are final with no refunds. Deeds, maps, and plats are in the County Clerk's office or the appraisal district, and the underlying lawsuit files are with the District Clerk.
- The minimum bid covers taxes delinquent as of the judgment date and does not include the current tax year; the buyer must pay all taxes accruing after the judgment date.
- A bidder who wins and then fails to pay is liable for 20 percent of the property's value plus the costs of the default, under Rule 652 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
- Property bought at the sale can still be subject to city or property owners association liens for demolition, mowing, or maintenance fees.
- Property tax payments (not sales) run through www.leoncountytax.org, a Pritchard & Abbott portal. It carries no tax sale listings.
- The county's Public Notices calendar was empty for July 2026 at the time of research, with no tax sale entry posted.
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 Leon County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Leon County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Leon 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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