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Tax Sale Atlas

Covington City, VA tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Covington City, 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
Covington has no fixed annual sale month.
Format
In person
Registration
There is no online bidding and no absentee bidding.
County office
(540) 965-6340
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Covington City 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
City of Covington Treasurer's Office, with the auction conducted by the city's court-appointed special commissioner of sale, the Law Office of James W. Elliott of Yorktown
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Covington has no fixed annual sale month.
Registration
There is no online bidding and no absentee bidding.
Sale list
Judicial sale auction calendar covering the City of Covington
When it runs
Covington has no fixed annual sale month. The special commissioner schedules each city auction as its circuit court case matures and posts it on his Real Estate Tax Sales calendar, which lists the most recent City of Covington auction under "MAY 2024" as "14th City of Covington". The same office sold Alleghany County parcels on September 25, 2025, so watch the calendar and the mailing list rather than a set month, and call (757) 898-7000 to ask when the next Covington sale is docketed.
Registration and deposit

There is no online bidding and no absentee bidding. The special commissioner's office states that "Anyone intending to bid on property must attend the auction or have a representative attend on their behalf." No advance bidder registration is described; you show up and bid live. Terms are cash, or a down payment of not less than 25 percent of the bid price with the balance due to the office within ten days, payable by cash, cashier's check, certified check, personal check or money order. Credit and debit cards are not accepted at delinquent real estate tax auctions. To get the parcel list and advance notice of sale dates, subscribe to the office mailing list for a $20.00 fee, delivered by mail or email, which opens the Members Only area where every auction notice and property list is posted.

Sale format and venue
Covington is an independent city and is not part of Alleghany County, so its delinquent real estate runs through the City Treasurer and the city's own circuit court suit, never through a county office. The sale is judicial: the Treasurer certifies the delinquency, the special commissioner files the suit, and the auction is a live outcry sale held in front of the circuit court for the jurisdiction where the taxes are due. Covington's cases sit at the Alleghany Circuit Court, 266 West Main Street, Covington. Every bid is subject to approval by the city and confirmation by the Circuit Court, and the Treasurer can reject a bid that does not cover all taxes due plus the costs of sale. Delinquent taxes are paid through the date of sale, possession passes on confirmation, and the buyer receives a Special Warranty Deed issued by the Court, generally thirty to forty-five days after the auction, with recording costs starting around $60.00 and rising with the sale price or assessment. Parcels sell in gross rather than by the acre, as is, subject to boundary and acreage discrepancies, parties in possession, unrecorded easements and encroachments, with no warranty of insurable title, so inspect the property and run title before you bid. Any parcel can be redeemed, sold beforehand or withdrawn from the sale. A winning bid is a binding contract enforceable by the court, and the property is at the buyer's risk from the moment it is bid off. The city itself publishes no tax sale page or calendar, so treat the special commissioner's calendar and the newspaper notices headed "NOTICE OF JUDICIAL SALE OF REAL PROPERTY" and "COMMISSIONERS SALE OF VALUABLE REAL ESTATE" as the operative notice.
Source: Real Estate Tax Sales calendar and represented localities, Law Office of James W. Elliott· Verified Aug 23, 2026

Covington City tax sale list and auction calendar

For Covington City 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 Judicial sale auction calendar covering the City of Covington 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

    Covington has no fixed annual sale month. 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 City of Covington Treasurer's Office, with the auction conducted by the city's court-appointed special commissioner of sale, the Law Office of James W. Elliott of Yorktown as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Covington City

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Judicial sale auction calendar covering the City of Covington. 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. The special commissioner's office states that "Anyone intending to bid on property must attend the auction or have a representative attend on their behalf." No advance bidder registration is described; you show up and bid live. Terms are cash, or a down payment of not less than 25 percent of the bid price with the balance due to the office within ten days, payable by cash, cashier's check, certified check, personal check or money order. Credit and debit cards are not accepted at delinquent real estate tax auctions. To get the parcel list and advance notice of sale dates, subscribe to the office mailing list for a $20.00 fee, delivered by mail or email, which opens the Members Only area where every auction notice and property list is posted.

  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

City of Covington Treasurer's Office

(540) 965-6340

333 W Locust Street, Covington, VA 24426. Mailing: PO Box 878, Covington, VA 24426

Official website

County notes

  • Covington is one of Virginia's independent cities and is not part of Alleghany County. Its assessment, billing, delinquent list and judicial sale are handled by the City Treasurer at 333 W Locust Street, open Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
  • The city's special commissioner of sale is the Law Office of James W. Elliott, 7100 George Washington Memorial Highway, Building A, Yorktown, VA 23692, mailing address P.O. Box 1410, Yorktown, VA 23692, phone (757) 898-7000, fax (757) 890-2826, open weekdays 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and closed on legal holidays. That office lists the City of Covington among the jurisdictions it represents and is the place to call about the next Covington auction.
  • Parcel lists are not free. Auction notices and property lists are posted only in the Members Only area of the special commissioner's site, reached through a mailing list subscription that costs $20.00 and can be delivered by U.S. mail or email.
  • Auctions are held in front of the circuit court for the jurisdiction where the taxes are due. Covington shares a courthouse with Alleghany County: the Alleghany Circuit Court, 266 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, clerk's office (540) 965-1730, open 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
  • A parcel becomes eligible for judicial sale when taxes are delinquent on December 31 following the second anniversary of the date they became due. Most parcels named in the first published notice never reach auction because the owner or a lienholder redeems first, so expect the sale list to shrink between advertisement and sale day.
  • City real estate taxes are billed twice a year and due June 5 and December 5, so confirm any payoff or delinquency figure with the Treasurer at (540) 965-6340 before bidding.
  • The city offers no online auction platform and no absentee bidding, so treat any third-party site advertising Covington parcels as a courtesy listing and verify the date and terms with the special commissioner.

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 Covington City, 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 Covington City hold tax deed sales?

Covington City holds its tax deed sale once a year. Covington has no fixed annual sale month. 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 City of Covington Treasurer's Office, with the auction conducted by the city's court-appointed special commissioner of sale, the Law Office of James W. Elliott of Yorktown 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 Covington City tax sale list?

Covington City posts its tax sale list at vataxsale.com. 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 City of Covington Treasurer's Office