Upton County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Upton County, seat of Rankin: 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 Upton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Upton County Tax Assessor-Collector (Monica Zarate) handles county property tax collection. Under Texas Tax Code 34.01 the foreclosure sale itself is conducted by the county sheriff or a constable at the courthouse; Upton County publishes no separate tax sale office page.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Upton County does not publish a tax sale calendar on its website. Texas Tax Code 34.01 sets tax foreclosure sales for the first Tuesday of the month between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the county courthouse. Confirm each date directly with the Tax Assessor-Collector at 432-693-2572 before planning a trip.
Registration and deposit
No county registration page was found. Texas Tax Code 34.015 requires a bidder to obtain a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes owed in the county, then present it to the officer conducting the sale. Request that statement from the Upton County Tax Assessor-Collector office at 1000 N. Rankin St., Rankin, or by phone at 432-693-2572.
Upton County (county seat Rankin, population roughly 3,300) runs a small, low-volume tax sale program and maintains no dedicated tax sale web page. Searches of the county site turned up no auction platform, no bidder registration form, and no posted struck-off or delinquent property list, so treat the sale as an in-person courthouse sale unless the office says otherwise. No online auction platform was verified for this county. The county and district clerk posts foreclosure and substitute trustee sale notices online at https://www.co.upton.tx.us/page/upton.County.Clerk, but no tax sale notice appeared there at the time of review; statutory notices of sale are also posted at the courthouse. The county is not listed among the counties with upcoming sales or trust property offered by MVBA, the firm that handles many small Texas counties. Property values and parcel data come from the Upton County Appraisal District, which relocated to 210 E. 5th St. and also lists an office at 700 E. 3rd St., McCamey. Call the Tax Assessor-Collector to confirm the next sale date, the property list, and deposit or payment terms.
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)
Upton County Tax Assessor-Collector
P.O. Box 14, Rankin, TX 79778-0014 (office at 1000 N. Rankin St., Courthouse Annex, Rankin, TX 79778)
Official websiteNotes for Upton County
- Tax Assessor-Collector Monica Zarate; office hours Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed noon to 1:00 p.m.) and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fax 432-693-2333, email [email protected].
- Upton County Sheriff Sara Brown, 1106 North Grand Street, Rankin, TX 79778, mailing P.O. Box 27, Rankin, TX 79778, phone 432-693-2422. The sheriff's page carries no sale notices.
- Upton County Courthouse is at 205 E. 10th St., Rankin, TX 79778, main line 432-693-2321. The county and district clerk is LaWanda McMurray, P.O. Box 465, Rankin, TX 79778, phone 432-693-2861.
- Upton County Appraisal District (uptoncad.org) handles appraisal only; chief appraiser Linda Zarate, phone 432-652-3221. Property tax payments can be made online through acipayonline.com using jurisdiction code 6910.
- No online auction platform, bidder registration portal, or published sale list was found for this county. Verify sale logistics by phone before bidding.
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 Upton County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Upton County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Upton 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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