Bath County, VA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Bath County, seat of Warm Springs: 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
- Bath County keeps no fixed annual sale date.
- Format
- County site
- Registration
- Bidding is online only, so there is no courthouse-steps auction to attend.
- County office
- (540) 839-7257
On this page
How Bath County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Special Commissioner of Sale appointed by the Circuit Court of Bath County, with Virginia Auction Company, Inc. as auctioneer
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Bath County keeps no fixed annual sale date.
- Registration
- Bidding is online only, so there is no courthouse-steps auction to attend.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Bidding is online only, so there is no courthouse-steps auction to attend. Register in advance on the Virginia Auction Company bidding platform or its free mobile app and wait for approval, which is not automatic. On judicial lots the winning bidder owes a 20 percent deposit in cash or certified funds at the close of the auction plus a 10 percent buyer's premium, with the balance due within ten days and payment delivered to the special commissioner. On nonjudicial lots sold under Va. Code 58.1-3975 the full price plus a 15 percent buyer's premium and a $200 deed recording fee is due within two hours of the close by cash, cashier's check, money order or wire transfer, with a $15 fee added on wires. If approval is still pending when bidding opens, call the auctioneer at (757) 538-0123.
Sale format and venue
Bath County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Bath 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.
Get the advertised list
Use Bath County tax auction listing and pre-registration for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
Bath County keeps no fixed annual sale date. Bidding runs on County site; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Special Commissioner of Sale appointed by the Circuit Court of Bath County, with Virginia Auction Company, Inc. as auctioneer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Bath County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Bath County tax auction listing and pre-registration. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Bidding is online only, so there is no courthouse-steps auction to attend. Register in advance on the Virginia Auction Company bidding platform or its free mobile app and wait for approval, which is not automatic. On judicial lots the winning bidder owes a 20 percent deposit in cash or certified funds at the close of the auction plus a 10 percent buyer's premium, with the balance due within ten days and payment delivered to the special commissioner. On nonjudicial lots sold under Va. Code 58.1-3975 the full price plus a 15 percent buyer's premium and a $200 deed recording fee is due within two hours of the close by cash, cashier's check, money order or wire transfer, with a $15 fee added on wires. If approval is still pending when bidding opens, call the auctioneer at (757) 538-0123.
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.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
P.O. Box 306, Warm Springs, VA 24484 (office at 65 Courthouse Hill Road, Warm Springs, VA 24484)
Official websiteCounty notes
- Bath County sales are online only, run on the Virginia Auction Company platform. Pre-registering there is how notice of the next sale actually reaches bidders, because the county website carries no sale calendar and no delinquent list.
- One Bath County auction can carry two different sets of terms. Judicial lots take a 10 percent buyer's premium and a 20 percent deposit with the balance due in ten days; nonjudicial lots under Va. Code 58.1-3975 take a 15 percent buyer's premium, a $200 recording fee and payment in full within two hours.
- An owner can redeem right up to the sale. Under Va. Code 58.1-3974 redemption is made by paying all taxes, penalties, interest and costs, so a listed parcel can drop off the auction late. Call the Treasurer at (540) 839-7257 to confirm a parcel is still in play.
- Nonjudicial lots reach the block under a narrower rule than the judicial ones: Va. Code 58.1-3975 covers parcels assessed at $15,000 or less and delinquent three years, plus certain unimproved, condemned, blighted or nuisance parcels assessed up to $40,000.
- The Bath County Circuit Court Clerk in Warm Springs, (540) 839-7226, holds the case file for each delinquent tax suit, which is where the chain of title, the special commissioner's report and the confirmation order can be read before bidding.
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.
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 Bath County, Virginia sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Bath County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Bath County tax sale list?
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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