McLennan County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in McLennan County, seat of Waco: 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 McLennan County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- McLennan County Constable (tax foreclosure sales for McLennan County and its taxing units are handled by delinquent-tax counsel McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C. and settled with a Constable's Deed; the McLennan County Tax Office issues the required no-delinquent-taxes statement)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month at 2:00 PM Central, matching Texas Tax Code s 34.01. The current McLennan County sale notice is headed "August 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM", and MVBA lists the county under "August Tax Sales (Tuesday, August 4, 2026)". Sales are held only in months when properties have been posted, so check the county Tax Office and the MVBA sale calendar before each first Tuesday.
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online only. The McLennan County Tax Office states "All McLennan County Tax Sales are conducted online through GovEase" and "To register as a bidder, please navigate to the GovEase Registation Page." Registration closes before the sale: for the August 4, 2026 sale, MVBA states "To be eligible to bid on properties, you must register online by August 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM (CDT)." The sale notice adds that a bidder must present a valid driver's license or state or federal identification card, that anyone bidding for a corporation or entity must show written authorization, that the bidder must not be barred from acquiring Texas real property under Texas Property Code s 5.253, and that the grantee named in the deed must be the successful bidder. A purchaser "MUST present to the officer conducting the tax sale a written statement from the McLennan County Tax Office that the purchaser does not owe any delinquent taxes" before a deed is issued (Texas Tax Code s 34.015). A bidder who fails to pay is liable for 20 percent of the property value plus costs under Rule 652, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
McLennan County (county seat Waco) sells redeemable tax deeds. The sale is fully online on GovEase; there is no courthouse-steps tax sale to attend. The county's own Tax Office page confirms the platform, and the posted sale notice confirms the property will be "sold, at public auction on an online platform at https://liveauctions.govease.com/ to the highest bidder." Minimum bids are printed beside each tract and cover taxes delinquent at the date of judgment only; the buyer still owes taxes accruing after judgment. Deeds are Constable's Deeds without warranty, title is not guaranteed, and the notice warns that "OBTAINING TITLE INSURANCE MAY BE DIFFICULT." The notice restates the statutory redemption terms: two years for homestead property, agricultural-use property and mineral interests, 180 days for all other property, with a 25 percent premium in year one and 50 percent in year two on the aggregate total. Possession begins 20 days after the deed is filed (Texas Tax Code s 33.51). Sale lists are county-wide but brought by individual taxing units including the City of Waco, Waco ISD, La Vega ISD, Midway ISD, McGregor ISD and others. Property may be pulled from the list at any time without notice. Questions on the sale go to the MVBA Waco office at (254) 756-7755. No McLennan County struck-off or trust-property inventory was listed by MVBA at the time of research.
Register on GovEaseOver-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)
McLennan County Tax Assessor-Collector (Tax Office)
215 N 5th Street, Suite 118, Waco, TX 76701 (mailing: P.O. Box 406, Waco, TX 76703)
Official websiteNotes for McLennan County
- Sales are conducted entirely online on GovEase; the county Tax Office states "All McLennan County Tax Sales are conducted online through GovEase."
- The posted sale notice is timed at 2:00 PM Central on the first Tuesday, later than the 10:00 AM start used for trustee foreclosure sales at the courthouse.
- Purchasers receive a Constable's Deed without warranty; the notice states title is not guaranteed and title insurance may be difficult to obtain.
- A written statement from the McLennan County Tax Office confirming the buyer owes no delinquent taxes is mandatory in this county before a deed is issued (Texas Tax Code s 34.015).
- Bidder registration on GovEase closes the day before the sale (August 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM CDT for the August 4, 2026 sale).
- Redemption follows state law: two years for homestead, agricultural-use land and mineral interests, 180 days otherwise, with a 25 percent premium in year one and 50 percent in year two.
- Minimum bids exclude the current tax year; the buyer pays taxes accruing after the judgment date.
- Some tracts carry extra local burdens noted on the list, such as a City of Waco floodplain development permit requirement and parcels with no public sanitary sewer.
- Delinquent-tax counsel is McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C. (MVBA), Waco office (254) 756-7755, which posts the sale notice and bid list.
- The county Clerk's Foreclosure Sale Site page covers trustee and mortgage foreclosures at the courthouse, not tax sales, and should not be confused with the tax sale.
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 McLennan County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- McLennan County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does McLennan 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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