Taylor County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Taylor County, seat of Abilene: 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 Taylor County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Taylor County Sheriff's Office, Civil Division, conducting the sale for the Central Appraisal District of Taylor County (the district collects property taxes for Taylor County)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Quarterly. The Taylor CAD Tax Sale FAQ states: "Tax sales are held on the first Tuesday of March, June, September, and December each year." The Sheriff's Office Civil Division lists the same cadence: "Quarterly Sales, held the first Tuesday in March, June, September & December." The FAQ adds: "Tax sales are held at the Taylor County Courthouse, 300 Oak, Abilene, Texas. The sale begins at 10:00 am." The most recently documented sale notice reads "June 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM."
Registration and deposit
Register in person with the person conducting the sale before bidding starts. The sale notice states a bidder "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," and a person bidding for a corporation or entity "must provide documentation showing that the person is authorized to bid on behalf of that corporation or entity." The grantee named in the deed must be the same person or entity that was the successful bidder (Texas Tax Code Section 34.015). Each bid sheet carries a Bidder's Acknowledgement form marked "COMPLETE THIS FORM PRIOR TO YOUR ARRIVAL AT THE SALE," with a bidder registration number, printed grantee name, address, phone, driver license number and signature. Winning bidders must pay in full by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the sale by cash or cashier's check payable to the Central Appraisal District of Taylor County. A bidder who fails to pay is liable for 20 percent of the property value plus default costs under Rule 652 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. For the in-trust (struck-off) sale, a $38.00 deed recording fee is added to each bid and the winning oral bid is "submitted to the taxing units for approval."
Taylor County runs an in-person, oral-bid redeemable deed sale at the courthouse. There is no online auction platform and no online bidding: the sale notice describes "public auction to the highest bidder based on oral bids" at "Taylor County Courthouse, 300 Oak, Abilene, Texas." Two separate sales run the same morning. The delinquent tax sale covers properties foreclosed under judgment, and the In-Trust Properties Sale resells property previously struck off to the taxing units (Texas Tax Code 34.05); the in-trust notice locates that sale in the "Jury Assembly Room / First Floor of Taylor County Courthouse / 300 Oak St" and advises bidders to "arrive 30 minutes prior to the time of the sale to go thru the security equipment." One quirk matters for research: the Taylor County Tax Assessor/Collector states "THE TAYLOR COUNTY TAX-ASSESSOR DOES NOT DETERMINE PROPERTY VALUES OR TAX RATES, NOR DOES THE TAYLOR COUNTY TAX-ASSESSOR COLLECT PROPERTY TAX." Property tax collection and the sale notices sit with the Central Appraisal District of Taylor County at taylor-cad.org. Sale documents also cover Callahan County parcels, titled "CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT OF TAYLOR COUNTY AND THE COUNTY OF CALLAHAN, TEXAS." Bid sheets list tract number, suit number, style, legal description, account number, judgment tax year, approximate address and minimum bid; the minimum bid "includes taxes which were delinquent at the date of judgment" and excludes the current tax year, and the buyer pays all taxes accruing after judgment. Buyers get "an ordinary type of Sheriff's Deed which is WITHOUT WARRANTY," title is not guaranteed, and title insurance "may be difficult" to obtain. Redemption follows the statute: two years for homestead property, agricultural-use land and mineral interests, 180 days for everything else, with a 25 percent premium in year one and 50 percent in year two on the aggregate total. The purchaser takes possession 20 days after the deed is recorded (Texas Tax Code 33.51). Municipal liens for demolition, mowing or maintenance and POA dues may survive the sale. The sale notices give an Abilene phone of 325-672-4870 for questions about the sale, alongside the appraisal district; the notices do not name the delinquent tax law firm behind that number, so it is left unstated here. The Sheriff's Civil Division also notes it posts upcoming sheriff's sales on its Facebook page and that "Tax Sale information is posted at the Taylor County Courthouse, and on the Central Appraisal District's website." In person, live oral bidding at the Taylor County Courthouse
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)
Central Appraisal District of Taylor County (property tax collection and tax sale notices)
1534 S. Treadaway Blvd., Abilene, TX 79602. Mailing: P.O. Box 1800, Abilene, TX 79604
Official websiteNotes for Taylor County
- Property taxes for Taylor County are collected by the Central Appraisal District of Taylor County, not by the county Tax Assessor/Collector. The Tax Assessor/Collector page states plainly that the office does not collect property tax and points taxpayers to taylor-cad.org.
- The redeemable deed sale is in person only, by oral bid, at the Taylor County Courthouse, 300 Oak Street, Abilene, starting at 10:00 a.m. No online auction platform is used.
- Two sales run the same morning: the delinquent tax sale (judgment foreclosures) and the In-Trust Properties Sale, which resells parcels previously struck off to the taxing units. In-trust bids are subject to approval by the taxing units and carry a $38.00 deed recording fee.
- Payment is due by 5:00 p.m. on the sale date, cash or cashier's check payable to the Central Appraisal District of Taylor County. Failure to pay exposes the bidder to 20 percent of the property value plus default costs under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 652.
- Bidder registration happens on site before bidding opens, with a state or federal photo ID and, for entity bidders, written proof of authority. The bid sheet includes a Bidder's Acknowledgement form the county asks bidders to print and complete before arriving.
- Sale documents cover both Taylor County and Callahan County parcels under a shared caption, so verify which county a tract sits in before bidding.
- Taylor County Tax Assessor/Collector (motor vehicle, registration and license functions): Kay Middleton, 400 Oak St., Suite 105, Abilene, TX 79602; mailing P.O. Box 3762, Abilene, TX 79604; phone (325) 674-1224.
- Taylor County Sheriff's Office Civil Division is at 450 Pecan Street, Abilene, TX 79602 and posts upcoming sheriff's sales on its Facebook page.
- The sale notices list an Abilene phone of 325-672-4870 for sale questions. The notices do not identify the delinquent tax law firm operating that line, so the firm name is not recorded here.
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 Taylor County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Taylor County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Taylor 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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