Washington County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Washington County, seat of Brenham: 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 Washington County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Sheriff or constable sale held for the Washington County taxing units, with delinquent tax suits and sale notices handled by Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP. Neither the county website nor the sheriff website names a conducting officer; Linebarger's Washington County sheet directs bidders to "contact the officer conducting the sale."
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Linebarger's Washington County record lists "Sales are typically scheduled for: 10:00 AM" and a sale location of "at the Steps, 100 East Main Street of the Courthouse of the said County, in the City of Brenham, Texas 77833." No specific sale date is published at the time of this check: all three notices on the Washington CAD Tax Sale Information page (current tax sale, current tax resale, current mobile home sale) return a one-page PDF reading "No sales at this time." Texas sheriff sales run on the first Tuesday of the month under Tax Code 34.01.
Registration and deposit
No county-specific bidder registration procedure is published. Linebarger's Washington County entry answers "Bidder Registration:" with "For more information, contact the officer conducting the sale." Under Texas Tax Code 34.015 a bidder must obtain a written statement from the county assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes owed before bidding. Payment terms listed for Washington County are "Cash or Cashier's Check."
Washington County runs its tax foreclosure sale IN PERSON on the courthouse steps in Brenham. No online auction platform was found for this county, so no platform URL is given. Sale notices are published in The Brenham Banner Press per Linebarger's county sheet. The county's own website has no tax sale page; the sale notices live on the Washington County Appraisal District site, which posts three PDFs (current tax sale, current tax resale, current mobile home sale) that all currently read "No sales at this time." Linebarger's county record also states that struck-off properties and properties not yet scheduled may be set for sale in the future. Washington County does not appear in MVBA's upcoming Texas tax sale calendar. The county's separate On-Line Auction Service page covers government surplus, not tax-foreclosed real estate. In person at the Washington County Courthouse steps, 100 East Main Street, Brenham, TX 77833
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)
Washington County Tax Assessor-Collector
Washington County Courthouse, 100 East Main, Suite 100, Brenham, TX 77833
Official websiteNotes for Washington County
- Tax Assessor-Collector is Cheryl Gaskamp; office hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, fax 979-277-6282, email [email protected].
- Washington County Appraisal District (1301 Niebuhr Street, Brenham, TX 77833; mailing P.O. Box 681, Brenham, TX 77834-0681; phone 979-277-3740) hosts the tax sale notices and collects for the taxing units as "Consolidated Tax Collections of Washington County."
- Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP lists Washington County, TX in its tax sale county registry with a Brenham courthouse-steps sale location, a 10:00 AM start, cash or cashier's check payment, and notices published in The Brenham Banner Press.
- Linebarger's live property listing feed returned zero active or struck-off Washington County parcels at the time of this check, matching the appraisal district's "No sales at this time." notices.
- The Washington County Sheriff's Office website has no civil process, sheriff sale, or tax sale section.
- Web search quota was exhausted during this run, so discovery relied on direct fetches of official county, appraisal district, sheriff, and delinquent-tax-firm URLs. Every URL listed in sources was fetched and returned content.
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 Washington County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Washington County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Washington 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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