Greensville County, VA tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Emporia is an independent city and a separate government from Greensville County, even though it serves as the county seat. Parcels inside the Emporia city limits are collected by the City of Emporia Treasurer and never appear in a Greensville County sale, so confirm which jurisdiction a parcel sits in before you chase a notice.
• •Real estate taxes fall due December 5 each year. A parcel becomes eligible for a judicial sale once it remains delinquent on the December 31 following the second anniversary of that due date under Va. Code 58.1-3965, which is a one year wait for certain derelict or blighted parcels.
• •The Greensville County Circuit Court confirms every special commissioner sale, and the case file is where the parcel list, the appointed commissioner and the confirmation order appear. The Clerk is Hon. Linda B. Edwards, 337 South Main Street, Emporia, VA 23847, (434) 348-4215.
• •Treat courtesy listings on third-party auction sites with care. A site that publishes a Virginia sale notice while disclaiming that it conducts the sale is not the auction venue. Verify the venue and the commissioner with the Treasurer's Office or the court file before sending any funds.
• •The Treasurer's Office also fields payoff questions for parcels already in suit. A delinquency can be paid off and the suit dismissed at any point before the court confirms the sale, so a parcel on an advertised list can disappear from it days before the auction.

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.Va. Code 58.1-3974 - Redemption of land by owner; lien for taxes paidVa. Code 58.1-3974Verified Aug 23, 2026

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.Va. Code 58.1-3967 - How proceedings instituted; parties; title acquired; disposition of surplus proceeds of saleVa. Code 58.1-3967Verified Aug 23, 2026

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.Va. Code 58.1-3967 - How proceedings instituted; parties; title acquired; disposition of surplus proceeds of saleVa. Code 58.1-3967Verified Aug 23, 2026

Governing statute

Va. Code Title 58.1, Chapter 39, Article 4Code of Virginia Title 58.1, Chapter 39 - Enforcement, Collection, Refunds, Remedies and Review of Local TaxesVa. Code Title 58.1, Ch. 39Verified Aug 23, 2026

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.

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