Stephens County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Stephens County, seat of Breckenridge: 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 Stephens County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Stephens County Sheriff (tax foreclosure sale held at the Stephens County Courthouse; the notice and bid sheet are prepared by the taxing units' delinquent-tax firm, McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C., Eastland office)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Held on a first Tuesday at the courthouse, on no fixed monthly cycle. The county's current notice is headed "DELINQUENT TAX SALE - THE COUNTY OF STEPHENS, TEXAS, STEPHENS COUNTY, TEXAS / July 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM / Stephens County Courthouse, 200 W. Walker St., Breckenridge, Texas 76424". That date is the first Tuesday of July 2026, matching Texas Tax Code 34.01.
Registration and deposit
Register in person before bidding starts. The notice states: "Prior to the beginning of the tax sale, a person intending to bid is required to register with the person conducting the sale and present a valid driver's license or identification card issued by a state agency or the United States government." A bidder acknowledgement form is attached to the bid sheet, marked "COMPLETE THIS FORM PRIOR TO YOUR ARRIVAL AT THE SALE", capturing the bidder registration number, the exact grantee name as it will appear on the deed, the grantee address, and the bidder's driver license number. Anyone bidding for a corporation or entity must show documentation of authority. Under Texas Tax Code 34.015 a purchaser "MUST present to the officer conducting the tax sale a written statement from the Stephens County Tax Office that the purchaser does not owe any delinquent taxes to the County or any school district or city in the County", and no deed issues until that statement is presented. Property sells at public auction to the highest bidder on oral bids; winners pay the same day in "cash or a cashier's check payable to Stephens County Tax Office", and a defaulting bidder is liable for 20 percent of the property value plus costs under Rule 652, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
Stephens County runs this sale live at the courthouse, not online. The notice sells to "the highest bidder based on oral bids" at 200 W. Walker St. in Breckenridge, and no auction site is named anywhere in the county materials. MVBA, which prepares the bid sheet, does mark certain Texas counties as "online" on its monthly sale list, but Stephens County is not among them. The county links the current bid sheet from its home page under "Delinquent Tax Sale", and that link is refreshed for each sale, so the PDF address changes over time. Each tract carries a stated minimum bid that covers taxes delinquent at the date of judgment but not the current tax year, and the buyer pays taxes accruing after judgment. Tracts are commonly struck through on the posted sheet before sale day, so confirm the live list at the courthouse. Buyers receive an ordinary Sheriff's Deed without warranty, title is not guaranteed, property sells as is, and the deed may still be subject to city or property owners association liens for demolition, mowing or maintenance. The notice repeats the state redemption terms: two years for homestead, agricultural-use and mineral interests, 180 days for all other property, with a redemption premium of 25 percent of the aggregate total in the first year and 50 percent in the second. Purchasers get a right of possession 20 days after the deed is filed. Questions go to the MVBA Eastland office at (254) 629-3538. In person at the courthouse, no online auction platform
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)
Stephens County Tax Assessor-Collector (Crystal Shook)
Stephens County Courthouse, 200 West Walker, Ste. 100, Breckenridge, TX 76424
Official websiteNotes for Stephens County
- The Tax Assessor-Collector office lists fax 254-559-2960 and email [email protected]. Its page carries the Delinquent Tax Sale link but no sale calendar, so the bid sheet PDF is the only county-published sale detail.
- Sheriff Kevin Roach, Stephens County Law Enforcement Center, 210 East Dyer, Breckenridge, TX 76424, phone 254-559-2481. The sheriff page itself publishes no tax sale information.
- Constable Justin Shockley is also based at the courthouse, 200 West Walker, Breckenridge, TX 76424. Texas Tax Code 34.01 lets either the sheriff or a constable conduct the sale; the county notice promises a Sheriff's Deed.
- The delinquent-tax law firm is McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C. (MVBA Law), Eastland office, 100 W Main Street #302, Eastland, TX 76448, (254) 629-3538. MVBA posts bid sheets and mails them to local realtors and subscribers.
- The county's separate Foreclosure Notices page is an archive of individual notice PDFs by year and holds no tax sale procedure or schedule; the county lists Clerk phone 254-559-3700 for those records.
- The July 7, 2026 sheet offered 42 tracts, mostly Breckenridge city lots plus rural acreage and fractional mineral or surface interests, with minimum bids running from about $1,300 to $80,800.
- Property tax payments run through certifiedpayments.net using Bureau Code 9583001 per the county home page.
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 Stephens County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Stephens County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Stephens 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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