Mills County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Mills County, seat of Goldthwaite: 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 Mills County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Mills County Sheriff or Constable, under an order of sale issued by the Clerk of the District Court of Mills County. Sale notices and results are posted by Mills Central Appraisal District, which handles collections for the taxing units.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No fixed annual date. Sales are held only when properties are struck off to sale, always on a first Tuesday. Mills CAD states: "When a tax sale occurs they are held the first Tuesday of the month located at the North Door of the County Courthouse at 1011 4th Street in the City of Goldthwaite, Texas. Sale is set between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m." and "Upcoming tax sales will be posted 3 weeks prior to sale." Posted notices show an irregular cadence: June 1 2021, March 1 2022, February 7 2023, May 4 2023, April 2 2024, and July 1 2025 (the most recent notice on the page as of this check).
Registration and deposit
Mills CAD posts no county bidder-registration form or deposit schedule. The July 1, 2025 Notice of Sale states the Sheriff or Constable "will proceed to sell for cash to the highest bidder all the right, title, and interest of the defendants in such suit(s)," bidding opening at 10:00 AM. Mills CAD adds: "Winning bidders have until 5 p.m. that same day to pay for the property at the Mills Central Appraisal District located at 901 Sixth Street, Goldthwaite, Texas." Under Texas Tax Code 34.015 a bidder must obtain a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes owed, so contact the Mills County Tax Assessor-Collector at (325) 648-3879 before the sale to confirm the current procedure.
Mills County runs its redeemable tax deed sales in person only. There is no online auction platform and no online bidding portal. Bidders stand at the North Door of the Mills County Courthouse, 1011 4th Street, Goldthwaite, and pay cash to the highest bidder. Notices are posted about three weeks ahead on the Mills CAD Tax Sales page, and older notices move to a Previous Tax Sales archive. Each notice lists cause number, judgment date, account number, style of case, legal description, adjudged value, and an estimated minimum bid. The July 1, 2025 notice carried two tracts with estimated minimum bids of $1,605.00 and $1,196.00 against adjudged values of $67,840.00 and $95,740.00, one a 0.118 acre Goldthwaite townsite lot and one a 10.708 acre rural tract in the Archibald Thompson Survey. Suits are styled with Mills Central Appraisal District as lead plaintiff, so the CAD is the practical point of contact for the list rather than a private delinquent-tax law firm. The notice preserves the statutory redemption right: any property sold "shall be subject to the right of redemption of the defendants or any person having an interest therein, to redeem the said property, or their interest therein, within the time and in the manner provided by law." Mills CAD also runs separate tax warrant sales, which seize business personal property and can be held at the property location at any time with no special posting requirement, so they are not the same as the first-Tuesday real property sale. The Mills County Sheriff's Office website carries no sale notices or civil process pages, so the Mills CAD Tax Sales page is the only reliable published list.
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)
Mills County Tax Assessor-Collector (Lori King, CTOP)
P.O. Box 56, Goldthwaite, TX 76844. Physical office: 1011 4th Street, 3rd Floor of the Mills County Courthouse, Goldthwaite, TX 76844. Hours Monday to Thursday 8:00 am to 4:45 pm, Friday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Official websiteNotes for Mills County
- Sale venue is fixed by the notice: the North Door of the Mills County Courthouse, 1011 4th Street, Goldthwaite, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with bidding opening at 10:00 AM.
- Payment is cash, due at Mills Central Appraisal District, 901 Sixth Street, Goldthwaite, by 5 p.m. on the sale day.
- Two offices matter here. Mills Central Appraisal District (325-648-2253) publishes the notices and takes sale proceeds. The Mills County Tax Assessor-Collector (325-648-3879) is the office that issues the Tax Code 34.015 written statement a bidder needs.
- Mills is a small rural county and sales are sporadic rather than monthly. Watch the Mills CAD Tax Sales page, since notices appear only about three weeks before a sale and drop off to the Previous Tax Sales archive afterward.
- Notices publish an estimated minimum bid alongside adjudged value, which gives an opening-price read before you travel to Goldthwaite.
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 Mills County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Mills County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Mills 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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