Norfolk City, VA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Norfolk City, seat of Norfolk: 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 city publishes these attorney contacts for questions about parcels already in the judicial sale process: F.
- Format
- County site
- Registration
- Online only, and pre-registration is required before you can bid.
- County office
- 757-664-7800 main; 757-664-7849 real estate tax
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Norfolk City sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Special Commissioner of Sale appointed by the Norfolk Circuit Court, acting on delinquency certified by the Norfolk City Treasurer
- Frequency
- annual
- Registration
- Online only, and pre-registration is required before you can bid.
- Sale list
- Norfolk tax auction listings
When it runs
Norfolk sells in batches rather than on a fixed annual calendar, and recent sales have opened in June and in late August with each bidding window running roughly one to two weeks. The Norfolk tax auction posted for late August 2026 opens Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM EDT and closes Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 10:00 AM EDT.
Registration and deposit
Online only, and pre-registration is required before you can bid. Register through Virginia Auction Company ahead of the open, since approval can take up to 72 hours; bidders still awaiting approval once the auction opens are told to call 757-538-0123. Anyone who owes delinquent Norfolk taxes, or who controls an entity that does, is not permitted to bid.
Sale format and venue
This is a judicial sale, so every winning bid is subject to confirmation by the Norfolk Circuit Court and title passes by special commissioner's deed after confirmation. On the 14-lot Norfolk sale posted for late August 2026, lots 1 through 13 carry no buyer's premium and take a 20 percent deposit by certified or cashier's check within two hours of the close, with the balance due within ten days; bids under $3,000 are payable in full on sale day. One lot in that same sale is offered with a 15 percent buyer's premium and payment in full at the close. Parcels sell as is, free and clear of liens and encumbrances. Different special commissioners handle different lots inside one auction: Robert M. Reed of Tavss Fletcher, F. Sullivan Callahan and Jason A. Dunn all act for Norfolk, and the Norfolk Circuit Court Clerk offers some lots directly. Call the Treasurer's real estate tax department at 757-664-7849 about the delinquency and the auction company at 757-538-0123 about bidding mechanics.
Source: Norfolk Tax Auction Terms and Lot List, Virginia Auction Company· Verified Aug 23, 2026
Norfolk City tax sale list and auction calendar
For Norfolk 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 Norfolk tax auction listings for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
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 Special Commissioner of Sale appointed by the Norfolk Circuit Court, acting on delinquency certified by the Norfolk City Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Norfolk City
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Norfolk tax auction listings. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Online only, and pre-registration is required before you can bid. Register through Virginia Auction Company ahead of the open, since approval can take up to 72 hours; bidders still awaiting approval once the auction opens are told to call 757-538-0123. Anyone who owes delinquent Norfolk taxes, or who controls an entity that does, is not permitted to 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
757-664-7800 main; 757-664-7849 real estate tax
810 Union Street, First Floor, Norfolk, VA 23510. Mailing: P.O. Box 3215, Norfolk, VA 23514-3215
Official websiteCounty notes
- Norfolk is an independent city and a county equivalent. It elects its own treasurer, runs its own tax sales and is not part of any Virginia county, so nothing on a neighbouring county site applies here.
- Norfolk tax sales run online through Virginia Auction Company rather than on the courthouse steps, and the auction house is reachable at 757-538-0123, 3533 Pruden Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23434.
- Several private law firms serve as Norfolk's special commissioners, and one auction can mix lots from more than one of them. The city publishes these attorney contacts for questions about parcels already in the judicial sale process: F. Sullivan Callahan at 757-623-5000, Robert Reed of Tavss Fletcher at 757-625-1214, and Jason Dunn at 757-937-0872.
- The city posts a Delinquent Property Taxes dataset on its open data portal covering parcels at least one quarter behind on taxes, which is the earliest public view of parcels that may later reach suit.
- Treasurer's Office counter hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk City hold tax deed sales?
Norfolk 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 Special Commissioner of Sale appointed by the Norfolk Circuit Court, acting on delinquency certified by the Norfolk City 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 Norfolk City tax sale list?
Norfolk City posts its tax sale list at vaauctionco.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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