Highland County, VA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Highland County, seat of Monterey: 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
- No fixed month and no published auction calendar.
- County office
- 540-468-2265
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Highland County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Special commissioner appointed by the Highland County Circuit Court, with the county's part-time County Attorney assigned to sell delinquent tax properties and the Highland County Treasurer's Office certifying the delinquency
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No fixed month and no published auction calendar.
When it runs
No fixed month and no published auction calendar. A sale happens only when the Circuit Court enters a decree of sale in a delinquent tax suit, so timing follows the litigation rather than a yearly date. Call the Treasurer's Office at 540-468-2265 to ask whether any parcels are in suit, and watch the legal advertisements in the local newspaper for a notice of sale.
Registration and deposit
There is no standing bidder registration list because the county holds no recurring auction. Bidding terms, the deposit amount, the sale location and the time are set by the notice of sale published for each court-ordered auction. Ask the Treasurer's Office or the Circuit Court Clerk who is serving as special commissioner on a given parcel and request a copy of the sale terms before you bid.
Sale format and venue
Highland County is the smallest county in Virginia by population and does not operate a scheduled tax deed auction. Delinquent parcels move one suit at a time: the Treasurer certifies the delinquency, a bill in equity is filed in Highland County Circuit Court under Va. Code 58.1-3965 et seq., and the court confirms the sale to the high bidder. The county's own solicitation for its part-time County Attorney lists selling delinquent tax properties among the position's duties, so the work is handled by the county's own attorney rather than by an outside collections firm. No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county, so expect a live auction announced by published notice and verify the format with the office before travelling.
Source: Highland County Board of Supervisors: Request for Bids, Part-Time County Attorney· Verified Aug 23, 2026
Highland County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Highland 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
A county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the office and platform details on this page before relying on a copied list.Register to bid
Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
No fixed month and no published auction calendar. The auction platform is still being verified. Confirm the next sale date and registration window with the county before you bid.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Special commissioner appointed by the Highland County Circuit Court, with the county's part-time County Attorney assigned to sell delinquent tax properties and the Highland County Treasurer's Office certifying the delinquency as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Highland County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
The county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the county office contacts below and confirm the advertised parcels directly before you price a bid.Confirm registration and deposit
There is no standing bidder registration list because the county holds no recurring auction. Bidding terms, the deposit amount, the sale location and the time are set by the notice of sale published for each court-ordered auction. Ask the Treasurer's Office or the Circuit Court Clerk who is serving as special commissioner on a given parcel and request a copy of the sale terms before you bid.
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 Highland County Treasurer's Office is the payoff and delinquency contact. Christy J. Harper is Treasurer, Samantha Jaccard is Deputy Treasurer, and the office line is 540-468-2265, mailing address P.O. Box 512, Monterey, VA 24465.
- Sale decrees come out of the Highland County Circuit Court at the courthouse, 165 W Main Street, P.O. Box 190, Monterey, VA 24465. The Clerk is Judy Hupman at 540-468-2447. The clerk's file is where a pending delinquent tax suit and its decree of sale can be inspected, and it is the most reliable way to learn a sale date in advance.
- The county publishes no delinquent real estate list and no auction calendar on its website, so the published legal notice and the circuit court file are the operative notice for any sale. Budget for a phone call or a courthouse visit rather than expecting an online listing.
- Highland County has roughly 2,300 residents spread over 460 square miles, with Monterey as its only incorporated town and no independent cities inside its borders. Deal volume is very low and a year can pass with no sale at all, so treat this county as opportunistic rather than as a recurring auction calendar.
- Real estate taxes are billed in halves, with the first half of 2026 due June 15, 2026. A 2 percent penalty applies after that date through June 30, then the penalty rises to 10 percent and interest accrues at 10 percent per year from July 1. Parcels only become eligible for a judicial sale once they are delinquent on December 31 following the second anniversary of the delinquency.
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 Highland 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 Highland County hold tax deed sales?
Highland County holds its tax deed sale once a year. No fixed month and no published auction calendar. 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 appointed by the Highland County Circuit Court, with the county's part-time County Attorney assigned to sell delinquent tax properties and the Highland County Treasurer's Office certifying the delinquency 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.
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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