Travis County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Travis County, seat of Austin: 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 Travis County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Travis County Tax Office (Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector, Celia Israel). The sale itself runs online through RealAuction, and the winning bidder receives a Constable's Deed; the auction site lists Travis County Constable Precinct 5 among its official links.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Monthly, on the first Tuesday, starting at 10:00 AM CT. The county FAQ states that "Texas law allows the public to purchase properties from the county at a monthly tax foreclosure sale." The Tax Office publishes a sale-date table of first Tuesdays: November 4, 2025; December 2, 2025; January 6, 2026; February 3, 2026; March 3, 2026; April 7, 2026; May 5, 2026; June 2, 2026; July 7, 2026; August 4, 2026; September 1, 2026; October 6, 2026; November 3, 2026; and December 1, 2026. The RealAuction auction calendar shows the tax sale flagged "TAX SALE ... 10:00 AM CT".
Registration and deposit
Registration has two required steps and bidders must complete both. First, register on the Travis RealAuction site, where you choose the name that will appear on the Constable's Deed and receive a bidder number. Second, register with the Tax Office by submitting the Bidder Registration (the Texas Tax Code written statement that you owe no delinquent taxes) with a $10 fee online at least five business days before the sale date. The Tax Office publishes a per-sale statement deadline; for the July 7, 2026 sale the deadline is June 30, 2026. The Tax Office verifies eligibility and emails approval, after which the RealAuction bidder number can be used to bid. Approval lasts one year, so no re-registration is needed for the next sale within that window. The county states: "If you owe any back taxes on any property in Travis County, you are ineligible to bid at tax sales."
Travis County sells redeemable tax deeds online, not tax liens. The Tax Office FAQ is explicit: "The tax office does not sell tax liens." The property list is posted on the Travis RealAuction site about 15 days before each sale, and photos are included for improved properties but not for raw land. Minimum bid covers tax, penalties and interest, attorney fees, and court fees for the years used to foreclose; other unpaid years show separately as "Additional Taxes Due" and are the purchaser's responsibility. Everything sells as is, with no warranties, and other liens may survive the sale. Receipts are mailed a few weeks after the sale and the Constable's Deed within four weeks; that deed is not a warranty deed. The Tax Office Bidder's Basic Guide worksheet asks bidders to record the redemption period as either 6 months or 2 years, tracking the Texas Tax Code 34.21 split between homestead/agricultural-use/mineral property and other property. Properties that do not sell at auction go to resale, also handled through RealAuction. If a judgment date is before 1/1/1998 there may be additional taxes due; on resales showing a minimum bid of 0, the guide directs bidders to contact the Tax Office.
Register on RealAuctionOver-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)
Travis County Tax Office (Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector)
2433 Ridgepoint Dr., Austin, TX 78754-5231. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1748, Austin, TX 78767-1748.
Official websiteNotes for Travis County
- County seat is Austin. The Tax Assessor-Collector named on the Tax Office Bidder's Basic Guide letterhead is Celia Israel.
- The auction is fully online through RealAuction at travis.texas.realforeclose.com. There is no in-person courthouse-steps bidding described on the county's foreclosed-properties page.
- Dual registration is the main trap for new bidders. RealAuction registration alone is not enough; the Tax Office written statement plus $10 fee must be filed at least five business days before the sale, and the county warns "You must register with BOTH RealAuction and the tax office."
- Tax Office approval to bid is valid for one year, so a bidder cleared once can participate in subsequent monthly sales within that period.
- Travis County Constable Precinct 5 (Constable Carlos B. Lopez, 1003 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78701, (512) 854-9100) is the office whose deed conveys the property; the Precinct 5 page links back to the Tax Office foreclosed-properties page rather than hosting its own sale list.
- Non-tax foreclosure sales are handled separately by the Travis County Clerk, per the Tax Office FAQ.
- The Tax Office site returns HTTP 200 for missing pages with a "Page Not Found" title, so URL checks there need a title check rather than a status-code check. RealAuction blocks generic fetchers with HTTP 403 but loads normally in a browser.
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 Travis County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Travis County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Travis 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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