Waller County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Waller County, seat of Hempstead: 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 Waller County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Waller County Sheriff's Office. The county's posted notice states that "Tax foreclosure sales are conducted by the Sheriff or a Constable of the county where the property is located." Sales run on Orders of Sale issued out of the 506th District Court of Waller County. Bidder eligibility statements are issued separately by the Waller County Tax Assessor-Collector (Waller County Tax Office), and the taxing units' delinquent-tax counsel is Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott, LLP.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- First Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. The county notice reads: "These sales are held on the first Tuesday of the month between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the courthouse steps at a place designated by the commissioners' court." The March 2026 notice states the sheriff will "proceed to sell at 10:00 AM on the 3rd day of March 2026, which is the first Tuesday of said month," and the current notice is headed "WALLER COUNTY SALES FOR AUGUST 4, 2026, SCHEDULED FOR 10:00 A.M." Waller does not sell every month; the notices posted on the tax office page cover September 2025, December 2025, March 2026 and August 2026.
Registration and deposit
There is no online bidder account. Texas Tax Code 34.015 eligibility applies: the notice states that "STATE LAW now requires individuals who wish to participate to request a statement of no delinquent tax from the Waller County Tax Assessor-Collector. You must fill out the request under oath and have it notarized." The form is the county's "Request for Written Statement of Eligibility, Texas Property Tax Code 34.015," which asks the bidder to list all property owned in Waller County or in any city or school district lying at least partly in the county. Submit the notarized form with a $10 processing fee in cash, check, cashier's check or money order (no credit cards) to the Waller County Tax Assessor-Collector at 836 Austin St., STE 1400, Hempstead, TX 77445. The county asks that mailed forms arrive "no less than 10 days prior to the sale," and states that the last opportunity to obtain the statement is "the close of business on the Wednesday prior to the Tuesday sale date (5 days prior)." Request forms are not processed on the day of the sale, and the form notes the statement is issued five days after the request date.
Waller County holds a live, in-person redeemable tax deed sale. Bidding takes place in Room 1111, the Training/EOC Room of the Waller County Sheriff's Office at 100 Sheriff R. Glenn Smith Dr, Hempstead, which the Commissioners Court designated in place of the courthouse steps. Winning bidders receive a Sheriff's Deed without warranty; the notice calls it an "as is," "where is," "buyer beware" sale and warns that neither the firm nor its clients guarantee title. Post-judgment taxes may be owed beyond the posted minimum bid and are listed under the minimum bid on the sale list. Payment is due immediately after the sale by cash or business, personal or cashier's check; credit cards are not accepted, a bidder has up to one hour after the close of the sale to return with funds, and the property may be reoffered the same day if payment fails. Each posted notice lists cause number, legal description, account number, minimum bid and adjudged value. The tax office will also email the delinquent property list on request to [email protected]. In person only, 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
Notes for Waller County
- Sales are conducted at the Waller County Sheriff's Office, 100 Sheriff R. Glenn Smith Dr, Hempstead, TX 77445, phone (979) 826-8282, not at the courthouse steps.
- The county seat is Hempstead. A second tax office counter operates at the Brookshire annex, 32225 US HWY 90E, Brookshire, TX 77423. Hempstead hours are Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- The eligibility form's printed footer still shows an older tax office address of 730 9th Street, Hempstead, TX 77445 and phone (979) 826-7620. The current address published on the county site and in the 2026 sale notice is 836 Austin Street, STE 1400, Hempstead, TX 77445, phone (979) 826-7600.
- The tax sale page links to the delinquent-tax firm's domain pbfcm.com. That domain did not serve law-firm content when checked in July 2026, so treat the county's own posted Notice of Sheriff's Sale PDFs as the authoritative sale list and reach the firm by phone at 1-800-833-5886.
- Waller County publishes separate County Clerk foreclosure notices at https://www.co.waller.tx.us/page/CC.ForeclosureNotice. Those are deed-of-trust trustee sales, not tax sales, and the clerk's page states the notices are available walk-in only.
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 Waller County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Waller County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Waller 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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