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Tax Sale Atlas

Alleghany County, VA tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Alleghany County, seat of Covington: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Virginia tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Alleghany County does not hold an annual sale.
Format
In person
Registration
There is no online bidding and no absentee bidding.
County office
(540) 863-6630
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Alleghany County sells delinquent taxes

No tax lien certificate sale

Virginia localities do not sell tax lien certificates to investors. The locality holds its own first-priority tax lien and enforces it through a judicial sale of the property.

Tax deed sale

In person
Run by
Special Commissioner of Sale appointed by the Alleghany County Circuit Court, the Law Office of James W. Elliott, acting on delinquency certified by the Alleghany County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Alleghany County does not hold an annual sale.
Registration
There is no online bidding and no absentee bidding.
Sale list
Public Auction of Real Estate notice and next auction date, Alleghany County Treasurer
When it runs
Alleghany County does not hold an annual sale. The Treasurer lists past auctions on September 28, 2021, October 25, 2022 and September 25, 2025, and gives the next auction date as "None scheduled at this time." The September 25, 2025 auction began at 1:00 p.m.
Registration and deposit

There is no online bidding and no absentee bidding. Anyone intending to bid must attend the auction or send a representative. The winning bidder puts down at least 25% of the bid price at the sale and pays the balance to the Special Commissioner within ten days, by cash, cashier's check, certified check, personal check or money order. Credit and debit cards are not accepted at these auctions. Parcel listings and advance notice of auction dates go to subscribers of the Special Commissioner's mailing list, which costs $20.00 and is requested on a printed form.

Sale format and venue
Delinquent Alleghany County real estate is cleared through a judicial sale under Va. Code 58.1-3965 et seq., not an administrative auction. The Treasurer certifies the delinquency, the court-appointed Special Commissioner files suit in Alleghany County Circuit Court, and the Circuit Court enters a decree authorizing the sale. This is a live auction with no online bidding platform. The September 25, 2025 sale ran at the Alleghany County Government Center, 9212 Winterberry Avenue, Covington, at 1:00 p.m. and offered 54 parcels, mixing court-ordered judicial sales with nonjudicial sales of low value parcels on the same list. Town of Clifton Forge delinquencies are sold at the same auction. Every bid is subject to approval by the county and confirmation by the Circuit Court, and the Court must be satisfied the price is fair, so bids that do not cover the taxes and costs of sale can be rejected. Parcels may be redeemed or withdrawn at any point before the auction. Buyers receive a Special Commissioner's deed generally thirty to forty-five days after the sale, with recording costs starting near $60 and paid by the buyer. Property is sold in gross, with no warranty of insurable title, so inspect and run title before bidding. In person at the Alleghany County Government Center
Source: September 2025 Sale of Valuable Real Estate parcel listing and terms, Alleghany County Treasurer· Verified Aug 23, 2026

Alleghany County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Alleghany County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid.

  1. Get the advertised list

    Use Public Auction of Real Estate notice and next auction date, Alleghany County Treasurer for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    There is no online bidding and no absentee bidding. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Alleghany County does not hold an annual sale. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Special Commissioner of Sale appointed by the Alleghany County Circuit Court, the Law Office of James W. Elliott, acting on delinquency certified by the Alleghany County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Alleghany County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Public Auction of Real Estate notice and next auction date, Alleghany County Treasurer. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    There is no online bidding and no absentee bidding. Anyone intending to bid must attend the auction or send a representative. The winning bidder puts down at least 25% of the bid price at the sale and pays the balance to the Special Commissioner within ten days, by cash, cashier's check, certified check, personal check or money order. Credit and debit cards are not accepted at these auctions. Parcel listings and advance notice of auction dates go to subscribers of the Special Commissioner's mailing list, which costs $20.00 and is requested on a printed form.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Virginia due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.

  4. Set a walk-away number

    Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax sale office

Alleghany County Treasurer

(540) 863-6630

Alleghany County Government Center, 9212 Winterberry Avenue, Suite F, Covington, VA 24426

Official website

County notes

  • County offices sit at the Alleghany County Government Center, 9212 Winterberry Avenue in Covington, off Interstate 64 at Exit 21, and that is where the tax auction is held rather than on courthouse steps.
  • Auctions here are occasional rather than annual, with three sales between 2021 and 2025. Track the county by subscribing to the Special Commissioner's notice list and calling the Treasurer at (540) 863-6630, not by waiting for a fixed yearly date.
  • Covington is an independent city and is not governed by Alleghany County. Its delinquent parcels sell at a separate City of Covington auction handled by the same Special Commissioner, so a Covington address on a listing does not mean it came from the county sale.
  • The September 2025 offering was weighted toward small platted lots in the Town of Clifton Forge and the C & O Development Co. and Iron Gate Land & Improvement subdivisions, with a handful of improved parcels on Kanawha Trail, Rich Patch Road and Clifton Forge street addresses. Expect low value infill lots more often than acreage.
  • Mobile homes, personal property and building contents are taxed separately and do not convey with the land. One 2025 parcel was advertised expressly as "MOBILE HOMES DO NOT CONVEY."
  • Real estate and refuse bills are due December 5 each year. Parcels become eligible for judicial sale once taxes are delinquent on December 31 following the second anniversary of the due date.

Virginia rules

Redemption
An owner listed in the published notice, or the owner's heirs, devisees, successors, and assigns, may redeem the real estate at any time before the date set for the judicial sale by paying into court everything due. The right ends when the sale happens; Virginia gives no redemption window after the hammer falls and no redemption window after the deed is recorded. Partial payment does not redeem the property and does not suspend, invalidate, or moot the suit. The treasurer may instead suspend the sale by entering an installment agreement with the owner running no more than 72 months, and an owner who defaults on such an agreement cannot enter a second one for the same property for three years. The same before-the-sale-only cutoff applies on the nonjudicial track under 58.1-3975. What does exist after the sale is not redemption but a challenge: a party served only by publication may petition for a rehearing for good cause within 90 days of the order confirming the sale.
Deed deposit
No statewide deposit percentage exists. Article 4 leaves the terms of sale to the special commissioner and the confirming court, so the deposit is whatever the advertised terms of that sale require. Read the terms of sale published with each auction and confirm accepted funds with the commissioner before bidding.
Surplus proceeds
The former owner and the owner's heirs, devisees, successors, or assigns are entitled to the surplus received from the sale above the taxes, penalties, interest, reasonable attorney fees, costs, and any liens chargeable on the parcel, and the burden is on the claimant to prove entitlement. If no claim is made within two years after the date the sale is confirmed, the clerk pays the money to the locality that received the sale proceeds. On the nonjudicial track, excess proceeds sit in an interest-bearing escrow account held by the treasurer, a claimant has two years from the date of sale to schedule a hearing in circuit court, and unclaimed money goes to the locality's general fund.
Governing statute
Va. Code Title 58.1, Chapter 39, Article 4

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.

See the full Virginiarules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Alleghany County, Virginia sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax deeds. Virginia sells no tax lien certificates to investors; the county sells the property itself at a public tax sale.

How often does Alleghany County hold tax deed sales?

Alleghany County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Alleghany County does not hold an annual sale. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Virginia's redemption rule: Until the date set for the sale. Virginia has no post-sale redemption period. Call the Special Commissioner of Sale appointed by the Alleghany County Circuit Court, the Law Office of James W. Elliott, acting on delinquency certified by the Alleghany County Treasurer as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Where can I find the Alleghany County tax sale list?

Alleghany County posts its tax sale list at co.alleghany.va.us. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state sources.

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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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Virginia tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Alleghany County Treasurer