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Tax Sale Atlas

Fauquier County, VA tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Fauquier County, seat of Warrenton: 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
On August 24, 2026, or as soon thereafter as is practicable,.Monday · 2026
Format
In person
County office
(540) 422-8180
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Fauquier 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 Fauquier County Circuit Court, on suit brought by the Fauquier County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
On August 24, 2026, or as soon thereafter as is practicable,.
Sale list
Notice of Judicial Sale and parcel descriptions
When it runs
No fixed annual date. The county states that "Tax sales are held periodically without any regularity," and the Circuit Court sets each sale date after the suit is filed and the Court fixes fair market value. The Special Commissioner then advertises the time, place and terms in the local newspaper and posts the Notice of Judicial Sale on the Treasurer's Judicial Tax Sale page. The Treasurer's standing notice opens proceedings on seven parcels "On August 24, 2026, or as soon thereafter as is practicable," which starts the court case rather than fixing an auction date.
Registration and deposit

Registration happens in person immediately before the auction on the front steps of the Fauquier County Circuit Courthouse, 40 Culpeper St., Warrenton. No money changes hands at registration; only the winning bidder pays. The deposit is $1,000 or 10 percent of the purchase price, whichever is greater, by cashier's check payable to "Clerk, Fauquier County Circuit Court." Cash is not accepted. The county advises getting a certified or cashier's check for 20 percent of your maximum bid so the deposit is covered if bidding runs past what you expected. If the high bidder cannot tender the full 10 percent at the close of the auction, the Special Commissioner declares no sale and reopens the bidding on the spot.

Sale format and venue
Bidding is live on the courthouse steps at 40 Culpeper St., Warrenton, and no online bidding platform is used. Every offer is subject to confirmation by the Fauquier County Circuit Court, and the balance of the price is due within 30 days after confirmation. The Court sets a fair market value for each parcel before the sale from a licensed appraisal and expects bidding to reach at least that figure, so delinquent tax owed is not an opening price. The Court may also allow the Special Commissioner to take private written offers rather than run an auction, and often advertises a parcel both ways. Title passes by special commissioner's deed with special warranty, free and clear of the liens named in the tax sale complaint, but properties sell as-is with all faults and no warranty. Parcels are not perc tested or surveyed before sale, and entry to inspect requires written permission from the Special Commissioner. The buyer pays recording costs and transfer taxes including grantor's tax. An owner can stop the sale any time before the sale date by paying all taxes, penalty, interest and costs. In person on the front steps of the Fauquier County Circuit Courthouse
Source: Judicial Tax Sale FAQs, Fauquier County Treasurer's Office· Verified Aug 23, 2026

Fauquier County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Fauquier 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 Notice of Judicial Sale and parcel descriptions for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    On August 24, 2026, or as soon thereafter as is practicable,. 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 Fauquier County Circuit Court, on suit brought by the Fauquier County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Fauquier County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Notice of Judicial Sale and parcel descriptions. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Registration happens in person immediately before the auction on the front steps of the Fauquier County Circuit Courthouse, 40 Culpeper St., Warrenton. No money changes hands at registration; only the winning bidder pays. The deposit is $1,000 or 10 percent of the purchase price, whichever is greater, by cashier's check payable to "Clerk, Fauquier County Circuit Court." Cash is not accepted. The county advises getting a certified or cashier's check for 20 percent of your maximum bid so the deposit is covered if bidding runs past what you expected. If the high bidder cannot tender the full 10 percent at the close of the auction, the Special Commissioner declares no sale and reopens the bidding on the spot.

  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

Fauquier County Treasurer's Office

(540) 422-8180

10 Courthouse Square, Suite 100, Warrenton, VA 20186; mailing address PO Box 677, Warrenton, VA 20188

Official website

County notes

  • Fauquier County does not run an annual tax auction. Sales are one-off court proceedings, so watch the Treasurer's Judicial Tax Sale page, where the Notice of Judicial Sale and the parcel write-ups are posted, and sign up for the county's eNotification list under Judicial Tax Sales on the Calendar to get sale dates by email.
  • The Treasurer's current notice, filed under Code of Virginia 58.1-3965, names seven parcels in the Scott and Marshall magisterial districts and near Marshall, The Plains, Bealeton and Rosstown Road. Several are small unimproved tracts with no physical address and owners of record dating to the 1920s and 1930s, which is typical of the heir-property parcels that reach a Virginia judicial sale.
  • The Treasurer's Delinquent Listings page carries a separate annual real estate delinquent list. That list is a collections roster, not a sale list, and the county cautions that inclusion does not mean a parcel is eligible or authorized for tax sale.
  • Bring a cashier's check. Cash is refused, the deposit must be tendered the moment the auction closes, and the check has to be payable to "Clerk, Fauquier County Circuit Court" rather than to the county or the Special Commissioner.
  • Questions before a sale is scheduled go to the Treasurer's Office at [email protected] or (540) 422-8180. Once a sale is on the calendar, direct questions to the Special Commissioner named on that Notice of Judicial Sale. Payment agreement inquiries from owners go to the Real Estate section of the Treasurer's Office at (540) 422-8193.

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 Fauquier 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 Fauquier County hold tax deed sales?

Fauquier County holds its tax deed sale once a year. On August 24, 2026, or as soon thereafter as is practicable,. 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 Fauquier County Circuit Court, on suit brought by the Fauquier 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 Fauquier County tax sale list?

Fauquier County posts its tax sale list at fauquiercounty.gov. 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 Fauquier County Treasurer's Office