Wise County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Wise County, seat of Decatur: 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 Wise County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Wise County Tax Assessor-Collector (Wise County Tax Office), Monte S. Shaw. The sale itself is a sheriff's sale of foreclosed property under Texas Tax Code 34.01; the county Tax Office page states the office "conducts Sheriff Sales for real and personal property," and the county Auctions page routes tax foreclosure auction questions to the Tax Assessor.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Texas tax sales run on the first Tuesday of the month. The LGBS Texas FAQ states: "Public Tax Sales may only be conducted on the first Tuesday of the month except when January 1 or July 4 occurs on the first Tuesday. Then Sales may be conducted on the first Wednesday of the month." For Wise County the LGBS county-detail record states, under "Sales are typically scheduled for:", that "Sales are conducted between 10:00 a.m. CT and 4:00 p.m. CT. All sales will cease at 4:00 p.m. CT on the day of the sales and any sales not completed may be reposted for a future date." No Wise County sale date was posted on the portal at the July 2026 check.
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online through GovEase. The LGBS Wise County record answers "Bidder Registration:" with "For more information, visit the Online Auction Website." GovEase's own getting-started guide gives two stages: first create an account (go to govease.com, click Sign Up/Log In, complete all fields, agree to the GovEase Terms & Conditions, click sign up); then log in, click "Register/Add Auctions" under My Account, click "Register" beside the county auction, "Electronically sign all documents and/or upload all documents," and check approval status on the My Registrations page. Texas Tax Code 34.015 separately requires a bidder to present a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing no delinquent taxes are owed, so request that statement from the Wise County Tax Office at 940-627-3523 before the sale.
Wise County's own "Find Tax Sale Properties" link points to the Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson (LGBS) tax sale portal at taxsales.lgbs.com, which hosts the county's sale and struck-off listings. The portal's Wise County detail record states under "Sale Location:": "Pursuant to Texas Tax Code 34.01, and as further provided in the contract for Online Auction Portal between Wise County and GovEase Auction, LLC, adopted by vote of Commissioners Court of Wise County, Texas, on March 9, 2026. The sale shall be conducted as an ONLINE AUCTION at the following URL: https://www.govease.com/auctions". So Wise County is an online-auction county, not a courthouse-steps county, as of the March 2026 Commissioners Court vote. Notice of sale is published in the Wise County Messenger. Payee and payment method are both answered on the LGBS county record with "For more information, visit the Online Auction website," so confirm funding rules inside GovEase before bidding. At the July 2026 check the portal held 5 Wise County records, all with sale type STRUCK OFF and status "Available for Future Sale" with no scheduled sale date, and several carried the note "Please see Wise County Appraisal District for location." Buyers take a redeemable deed subject to the owner's Texas Tax Code 34.21 right of redemption.
Register on GovEaseOver-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 Wise County
- County seat is Decatur. The Tax Office main location is 404 W. Walnut, Decatur, TX 76234, open Monday through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM, with substations at 125 FM 730 N., Boyd, TX 76023 (940-433-2886) and 1007 13th Street, Bridgeport, TX 76426 (940-683-2299).
- Tax Assessor/Collector is Monte S. Shaw; the county Auctions page lists [email protected] as the contact for tax foreclosure auctions and [email protected] for sheriff auctions.
- Property tax search and payment run on a separate subdomain, https://tax.co.wise.tx.us, which carries no tax sale content.
- Wise County Sheriff's Office is at 200 Rook Ramsey Drive, Decatur, TX 76234, 940-627-5971. Its web page carries no tax sale schedule; the Civil Process page lists only a fee line, "Tax Warrant/Sale: $200."
- Do not confuse the county's Rene Bates surplus property auction (equipment and vehicles, listed on the same Auctions page) with the tax foreclosure sale. They are separate events on separate platforms.
- GovEase account signup and auction registration happen at https://liveauctions.govease.com/Account/Login.
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 Wise County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Wise County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Wise 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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