Starr County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Starr County, seat of Rio Grande 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 Starr County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Starr County Tax Assessor-Collector (Ameida Salinas)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county's posted notice is headed "NOTICE OF PUBLIC TAX SALE AUCTION" and states "Tax Sale Auction: 07/01/2025", which fell on the first Tuesday of July. Starr County does not publish a standing monthly calendar; it posts each sale notice on the Tax Assessor-Collector page as a sale is set.
Registration and deposit
The county notice states that anyone wanting to participate must "Pay all 2024 & Delinquent Taxes" and "Contact Cris Villarreal (956) 289-7933 (Linebarger) for registration information". Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP is the county's delinquent tax law firm. Texas Tax Code 34.015 separately requires a bidder to obtain a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes are owed.
Starr County runs its redeemable tax deed sale in person, not online. The notice gives the sale location as "401 N BRITTON, RIO GRANDE CITY TX 78582", which the county identifies elsewhere as the Starr County Courthouse. No online auction platform is named on any county page, so no bidding portal is listed here. The notice is issued on Tax Assessor-Collector letterhead and does not name the officer who cries the sale. Registration and property questions both route to the county's delinquent tax counsel, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP, at (956) 289-7933. The Linebarger listing site currently carries 44 Starr County parcels, all flagged as struck-off property available for future sale, meaning no live auction date was attached to them at the time of review. Buyers take a redeemable deed under Texas Tax Code 34.21, so the former owner may redeem within the statutory window at the statutory premium.
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 Starr County
- The county seat is Rio Grande City and the courthouse is at 401 N. Britton Ave, Rio Grande City, TX 78582, which is also the stated sale location.
- The county website has a Foreclosure Notices section at /page/Foreclosures, but it is an empty section with no notices or documents posted, so the Tax Assessor-Collector page is the working place to look for sale notices.
- The Tax Assessor-Collector page lists fax (956) 487-8672 while the sale notice letterhead lists fax (956) 716-8178. The main phone (956) 716-4800 is consistent across both.
- Property tax payment and account lookup run through the county's hosted portal at starr.go2gov.net, linked from the Tax Assessor-Collector page. That portal is a payment and search tool, not an auction platform.
- The most recent sale notice found is dated 07/01/2025. Confirm the next sale date and registration cutoff directly with the Tax Assessor-Collector or with Linebarger before relying on any timing.
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 Starr County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Starr County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Starr 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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