Wharton County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Wharton County, seat of Wharton: 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 Wharton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Wharton County Sheriff's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Quarterly, always on the first Tuesday of the month, starting at 10:00 a.m. The county's 2026 information sheet states: "Tax Sales are generally held quarterly and are always on the first Tuesday of the month." and "Sales begin at 10:00 A.M. in the Commissioner's Court Room of the County Annex Building at 309 E. Milam, Wharton, TX". Its "2026 Sale Schedule" lists "March 3rd - Original & Re-Sale", "July 7th - Original & Re-Sale" and "October 6th - Original & Re-Sale", with the note "(The below schedule is tentative and subject to change.)" The July 7, 2026 bid sheet is headed "July 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m." at the "front entrance of Courthouse Annex at 309 East Milam in the City of Wharton, Texas".
Registration and deposit
Register in person on the morning of the sale. The county information sheet states "Registration for the Sale begins at 9: 00 the morning of the sale", "Registration requires a valid form of identification", "If you intend to bid for a corporation or business, you must provide proper documentation" and "YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO BID." Per Section 34.015, Texas Tax Code, a bidder must register with the person conducting the sale and present a valid driver's license or state or federal identification card, and the grantee named in the deed must be the same person or entity as the successful bidder. A bidder acting for a corporation or entity must show written authority to bid for it, and that person is personally liable for the bid if the entity fails to pay on time. The bid sheet carries a "BIDDER'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT" form marked "***COMPLETE THIS FORM PRIOR TO YOUR ARRIVAL AT THE SALE***". Winning bidders pay by "cash or a cashier's check payable to Wharton County Sheriff". A defaulting bidder is liable for twenty percent of the value of the property plus costs under Rule 652, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
Wharton County sells redeemable tax deeds at a live, in-person sheriff's sale. There is no online auction platform: the county's own information sheet says property "will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder based on oral bids", and bidders register on site starting at 9:00 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. start. Two documents describe the venue slightly differently, so confirm the room before you go: the 2026 information sheet says sales begin "in the Commissioner's Court Room of the County Annex Building at 309 E. Milam, Wharton, TX", while the July 7, 2026 bid sheet says the "front entrance of Courthouse Annex at 309 East Milam in the City of Wharton, Texas". The county's delinquent-tax law firm is MVBA, McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C., which posts the bid sheets and answers sale questions from a local office at 309 E Milam St, Suite 400, Wharton, TX 77488, phone (979) 282-8089. The county directs bidders to the firm for lists: "The list for the upcoming Tax Sale will be available online at www.mvbalaw.com approximately 2-3 weeks before the sale", and sales are also "published in the Wharton Journal-Spectator and El Campo Leader-News three consecutive weeks before the sale." The Sheriff's Civil Notices page is the most reliable county-hosted copy of the bid sheet. Each sale date combines an original sale and a resale of struck-off trust property, both on the first Tuesday. Struck-off trust property can also be bought over the counter by paying "the market value specified in the judgment of foreclosure; OR the total amount of the judgments against the property pursuant to section 34.05 Subsection "H" of the Property Tax Code." Minimum bids are printed beside each tract and cover taxes delinquent at the date of judgment only, so the buyer still owes taxes accruing after judgment. Buyers receive an ordinary Sheriff's Deed "WITHOUT WARRANTY", title is not guaranteed, and title insurance may be hard to obtain. Redemption follows the state rule as restated by the county: two years for homestead property, agricultural-use land and mineral interests, 180 days for all other property, running from the date the purchaser's deed is recorded, with a redemption premium of 25 percent of the aggregate total in the first year or 50 percent in the second. Buyers get possession twenty days after the deed is filed (Section 33.51, Texas Tax Code). Property may also carry city or property-owners-association liens for demolition, mowing or maintenance that the buyer must pay. Note that MVBA runs online sales for some other Texas counties through its own platform, but Wharton County is not among the counties listed there and its 2026 materials describe an in-person oral-bid sale. In person, live oral-bid auction (no online bidding 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
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Wharton County
- Sales are conducted by the Wharton County Sheriff's Office. The Tax Assessor-Collector, Cindy Hernandez, handles tax accounts and payoff amounts at (979) 532-3312; an El Campo annex at 605 E. Calhoun, El Campo, TX 77437 takes calls at (979) 543-4352. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.
- Sheriff Shannon Srubar's office is at the Wharton County Courthouse, 100 S Fulton St, Wharton, TX 77488, mailing address P.O. Box 726, Wharton, TX 77488, phone (979) 532-1550. Civil Deputy Jeff Fiala handles civil notices at 315 East Elm Street, Wharton, TX 77488.
- The county information sheet points buyers to the Central Appraisal District of Wharton County for market values at (979) 532-8931, the County Clerk for deed information at (979) 532-2381, and the District Clerk for court costs and tax suit files at (979) 532-5542.
- Properties may be pulled before or during the sale: "Subject properties may be withdrawn from the sale at any time prior to the sale, or at the sale, without notification to prospective purchasers."
- Property sells by legal description and "AS IS" with all faults, all sales are final and there are no refunds. Any address on the bid sheet comes from tax records and may not be accurate, so verify location on the ground 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 Wharton County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Wharton County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Wharton 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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