Fairfax City, VA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Fairfax City, seat of Fairfax: 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.
- Announcements
- The Treasurer publishes a Delinquent Taxpayer Lists page that is updated quarterly under Va.
- Format
- County site
- County office
- (703) 385-7900
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Fairfax City sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- City of Fairfax Treasurer's Office certifies the delinquency and publishes the delinquent list; the auction itself is conducted by Taxing Authority Consulting Services, PC (TACS), the court-appointed Special Commissioner of Sale, under a Decree of Sale entered in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County
- Frequency
- annual
When it runs
Sales are held only when the Circuit Court enters a Decree of Sale, so there is no fixed annual date. The most recent City of Fairfax notice reads: "Pre-bidding is available now, and bidding will begin to close on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 11:00 am EST or as soon thereafter as may be affected." The Special Commissioner emails its interested bidder list roughly three weeks before each auction and posts the date on its statewide Virginia auction calendar.
Registration and deposit
Registration and bidding are free at tacssale.com, and every bidder must register and be approved by TACS before bidding. Registered bidders may enter a maximum bid and let the system bid in preset increments, or place each bid manually, at any time the auction is open. To qualify you may not owe delinquent taxes to the City of Fairfax and may not be a defendant in a pending delinquent tax matter. Bidders without internet access can have an account created and bids placed by calling TACS at (804) 548-4408 or emailing [email protected].
Sale format and venue
This is a judicial sale under Va. Code 58.1-3965 et seq., and every sale is subject to confirmation by the Circuit Court of Fairfax County. The Special Commissioner may reject any bid it considers unreasonable against the estimated value of the property, and unsold parcels are offered again at a later auction. The high bidder posts a deposit of 25 percent of the bid or $1,000, whichever is greater, plus a 5 percent buyer's premium subject to a $150 minimum; deposits are capped at $20,000 per parcel and bids under $1,000 are paid in full at the close. Wire transfer is preferred; cashier's checks and money orders are made payable to the City of Fairfax, and cash and personal checks are not accepted. The balance of the price plus deed recording costs is due within 15 days of court confirmation, and taxes are prorated to the bidder from the auction date. Property conveys by Special Warranty Deed, as is and where is, subject to recorded easements, covenants and restrictions, with no guarantee of a right of way and no title insurance provided, so order an independent title search before bidding.
Source: Special Commissioner's Sale of Real Estate notice, Taxing Authority Consulting Services· Verified Aug 23, 2026
Fairfax City tax sale list and auction calendar
For Fairfax 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.
Get the advertised list
Use Special Commissioner's sale notice and parcel list for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
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 City of Fairfax Treasurer's Office certifies the delinquency and publishes the delinquent list; the auction itself is conducted by Taxing Authority Consulting Services, PC (TACS), the court-appointed Special Commissioner of Sale, under a Decree of Sale entered in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Fairfax City
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Special Commissioner's sale notice and parcel list. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Registration and bidding are free at tacssale.com, and every bidder must register and be approved by TACS before bidding. Registered bidders may enter a maximum bid and let the system bid in preset increments, or place each bid manually, at any time the auction is open. To qualify you may not owe delinquent taxes to the City of Fairfax and may not be a defendant in a pending delinquent tax matter. Bidders without internet access can have an account created and bids placed by calling TACS at (804) 548-4408 or emailing [email protected].
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
County notes
- The City of Fairfax is an independent city and is not part of Fairfax County. It assesses, bills and collects its own real estate tax through its own Treasurer, and its tax sale is a separate proceeding from any Fairfax County sale. The two do share one court: the city's Decrees of Sale are entered in, and its sales confirmed by, the Circuit Court of Fairfax County.
- The Treasurer publishes a Delinquent Taxpayer Lists page that is updated quarterly under Va. Code 58.1-3924 and carries a real estate delinquent accounts list showing owner names and amounts owed including penalty and interest. That list is the earliest public view of which parcels may eventually reach a judicial sale, well before any suit is filed.
- The city runs no sale calendar of its own. Watch the Special Commissioner's statewide auction page at taxva.com/auctions and join its interested bidder email list, selecting Northern Virginia, which sends notice about three weeks before an auction.
- City real estate tax is billed in two halves, due June 21 and December 5, with a 10 percent late penalty and interest accruing on the 15th of each month. Under Va. Code 58.1-3965 a parcel becomes eligible for judicial sale once taxes are delinquent on December 31 following the second anniversary of the due date.
- Deposits are capped at $20,000 per parcel, so on a higher priced Fairfax parcel most of the purchase price is not due at the auction but within 15 days of the court confirming the sale. Budget for the 5 percent buyer's premium on top of the bid.
- Send deposit funds and correspondence to Taxing Authority Consulting Services, PC, Attn: City of Fairfax Tax Sale, P.O. Box 31800, Henrico, Virginia 23294-1800; questions go to [email protected], (804) 548-4408, or fax (804) 545-2378.
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 Fairfax 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 Fairfax City hold tax deed sales?
Fairfax City holds its tax deed sale once a year. 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 Fairfax Treasurer's Office certifies the delinquency and publishes the delinquent list; the auction itself is conducted by Taxing Authority Consulting Services, PC (TACS), the court-appointed Special Commissioner of Sale, under a Decree of Sale entered in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County 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 Fairfax City tax sale list?
Fairfax City posts its tax sale list at taxva.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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