Terrell County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Terrell County, seat of Sanderson: 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 Terrell County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Terrell County Sheriff / Tax Assessor-Collector. The county website lists one combined officeholder, "County Tax Assessor - Collector- Sheriff Thad Cleveland", and the Sheriff page lists "Terrell County Sheriff/Tax Assessor-Collector- Thaddeus C. Cleveland". Under Texas Tax Code 34.01 the sheriff or a constable conducts the sale. Property tax billing and collection runs through the Terrell County Appraisal District.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., at the courthouse. Terrell County publishes no tax sale calendar, and its posted sale notices use that statutory window. The January 6, 2026 notice reads: "The sale of the Property will be held between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. local time; the earliest time at which the Foreclosure Sale will begin is 10:00 A.M. and not later than three hours thereafter", at "Front steps of the Terrell County Courthouse, 105 East Hackberry, Sanderson, Texas 79848". That specific notice is a deed-of-trust sale, not a tax sale.
- Sale list
- County foreclosure sale notices
Registration and deposit
No online bidder registration was found for Terrell County. Texas Tax Code 34.015 requires a bidder at a tax sale to present a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing no delinquent property taxes are owed. Terrell County publishes no local procedure, so request that statement from the county tax office before a sale. The elected Tax Assessor-Collector office is at the courthouse, 432-345-2499, and property taxes are billed and collected by the Terrell County Appraisal District, 432-345-2251, [email protected].
Terrell County is one of the smallest counties in Texas and runs any real property sale in person on the front steps of the Terrell County Courthouse, 105 East Hackberry, Sanderson. No online auction platform, no bidder portal, and no downloadable delinquent tax roll or struck-off list were found on any county or appraisal district page. The county maintains two sale-notice pages, "Notice of Foreclosure Sales" and "Notice of Substitute Trustee's Sale". Every notice reviewed on those pages is a private deed-of-trust or trustee sale, not a tax foreclosure sale, and no tax sale notice was posted as of July 2026. Terrell County does not appear on the MVBA upcoming Texas tax sale list, and no delinquent tax law firm is named on the county or appraisal district site. Because sales here are infrequent, call the tax office and the appraisal district before traveling to confirm whether any tax sale is set for a given first Tuesday. In person at the courthouse (no online auction platform found)
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
Notes for Terrell County
- Terrell County combines two offices in one officeholder. The Tax Assessor-Collector page reads "County Tax Assessor - Collector- Sheriff Thad Cleveland", Terrell County Courthouse, 105 East Hackberry, Sanderson, TX 79848, phone 432-345-2499, hours 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Thursday and 8:30 am to 12:30 pm Friday. The Sheriff page reads "Terrell County Sheriff/Tax Assessor-Collector- Thaddeus C. Cleveland", 432-345-2525, [email protected].
- Property tax collection does not sit with the elected Tax Assessor-Collector. The Terrell County Appraisal District site states: "THE ELECTED TERRELL COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR DOES NOT DETERMINE PROPERTY VALUES OR TAX RATES AND DOES NOT COLLECT PROPERTY TAXES." The same page directs taxpayers to "the Terrell County Tax Assessor/Collector: Blain Chriesman-Terrell County Appraisal District, 302 N. Second Street (P.O. Box 747), Sanderson, TX 79848-0747, (432) 345-2251", email [email protected]. District hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, fax (432) 345-2526, and online tax payments run through Certified Payments.
- The county contact directory lists "Terrell County Appraisal Office (property taxes) - 432-345-2251" and "Terrell County Vehicle Registration - 432-345-2499", which matches the split between appraisal district tax collection and the Tax Assessor-Collector motor vehicle function.
- Sale location and time window were read directly from the January 6, 2026 notice: the place is the "Front steps of the Terrell County Courthouse, 105 East Hackberry, Sanderson, Texas 79848", conducted "as a public auction" with the property "sold to the highest bidder for cash". Expect a Texas redeemable deed sale here to use the same first Tuesday courthouse steps setting.
- Posted notices span January 2026, December 2025, April 2025, March 2025, November 2024, September 2024, February 2024, September 2023, February 2023 (six notices marked CANCELED), December 2020 and February 2019, all on a first Tuesday. All are private lien foreclosures rather than tax foreclosures.
- The county notice PDFs are scanned images with no text layer, so they cannot be searched or parsed programmatically.
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 Terrell County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Terrell County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Terrell 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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