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Tax Sale Atlas

Northampton County, VA tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Northampton County, seat of Eastville: 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
Northampton County has no fixed annual sale month.
Format
In person
Registration
Bidding is live and in person.
County office
757-678-0450
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Northampton 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
Law Office of James W. Elliott, Yorktown, court-appointed Special Commissioner of Sale for Northampton County, acting on delinquencies certified by the Northampton County Treasurer
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Northampton County has no fixed annual sale month.
Registration
Bidding is live and in person.
Sale list
County delinquent balances as of June 30, 2026
When it runs
Northampton County has no fixed annual sale month. The Special Commissioner sets an auction date once the Circuit Court is ready to confirm a batch of suits, and the firm's calendar records Northampton County sales on April 6, 2026, October 29, 2025, August 19, 2025, December 14, 2023, November 9, 2022 and May 18, 2022. Plan on one or two auctions in a typical year, advertised in a newspaper of general circulation a few weeks ahead.
Registration and deposit

Bidding is live and in person. Anyone intending to bid must attend the auction or have a representative attend on their behalf. The winning bidder puts down 25 percent of the bid price, with the balance due to the Law Office of James W. Elliott within ten days. Cash, cashier's check, certified check, personal check and money order are accepted; credit and debit cards are not. For advance notice of Northampton County sale dates and parcel lists, subscribe to the firm's auction mailing list for a $20 fee, which opens the members-only listing section.

Sale format and venue
Northampton County collects through a judicial sale in the Circuit Court, not an administrative auction. The Treasurer certifies parcels still delinquent on the December 31 following the second anniversary of the original due date, the Special Commissioner files suit under Va. Code 58.1-3965 et seq., and the court confirms the sale. Auctions are typically held in front of the circuit court of the locality where the taxes are owed, which for Northampton County is the courthouse in Eastville, so there is no online bidding site and any third-party listing claiming to host the bidding should be treated with caution. Most parcels that reach the newspaper advertisement are redeemed by the owner or a lienholder before the auction, so the advertised list shrinks up to sale day. The buyer receives a Special Commissioner's deed, generally thirty to forty five days after the sale, and buys the land and buildings only; contents of buildings, personal property, mobile homes and vehicles on the land are not included. Attorney fees and costs of sale are charged to the delinquent owner.

Northampton County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Northampton 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 County delinquent balances as of June 30, 2026 for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.
  2. Register to bid

    Bidding is live and in person. Full requirements are in the sale card above.
  3. Sale day

    Northampton County has no fixed annual sale month. 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 Law Office of James W. Elliott, Yorktown, court-appointed Special Commissioner of Sale for Northampton County, acting on delinquencies certified by the Northampton County Treasurer as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Northampton County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from County delinquent balances as of June 30, 2026. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.
  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidding is live and in person. Anyone intending to bid must attend the auction or have a representative attend on their behalf. The winning bidder puts down 25 percent of the bid price, with the balance due to the Law Office of James W. Elliott within ten days. Cash, cashier's check, certified check, personal check and money order are accepted; credit and debit cards are not. For advance notice of Northampton County sale dates and parcel lists, subscribe to the firm's auction mailing list for a $20 fee, which opens the members-only listing section.

  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

Northampton County Treasurer's Office

757-678-0450

PO Box 598, 16404 Courthouse Road, Eastville, VA 23347

Official website

County notes

  • The auction is run by the Law Office of James W. Elliott in Yorktown, the court-appointed Special Commissioner for Northampton County, and its sale calendar at vataxsale.com is the operative notice. Reach the firm at 757-898-7000 or PO Box 1410, Yorktown, VA 23692 for the next Northampton date.
  • Two firms touch Northampton County delinquencies and only one runs the land auctions. TACS at 1-804-545-2500 collects delinquent personal property taxes for the Treasurer, while real estate tax sales go through the Law Office of James W. Elliott.
  • Parcel lists for each auction sit in the firm's members-only section, which opens after a $20 mailing list subscription. Budget for that if you want the list before the newspaper advertisement runs.
  • The county's own published file is a delinquent balance report, not a sale list. It covers every taxpayer owing more than $20 as of June 30 and mixes real estate with personal property, so most names on it will never reach an auction.
  • Bring certified funds and be ready to close fast: 25 percent of the bid is due as a deposit and the remaining 75 percent goes to the Special Commissioner within ten days, with no card payments accepted.
  • Northampton County sits on the Eastern Shore and shares its Special Commissioner with neighbouring Accomack County, so bidders often work both calendars; Accomack sales appear on the same firm's list.

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 Northampton 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 Northampton County hold tax deed sales?

Northampton County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Northampton County has no fixed annual sale month. 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 Law Office of James W. Elliott, Yorktown, court-appointed Special Commissioner of Sale for Northampton County, acting on delinquencies certified by the Northampton 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 Northampton County tax sale list?

Northampton County posts its tax sale list at co.northampton.va.us. 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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Call Northampton County Treasurer's Office