Rockingham County, VA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Rockingham County, seat of Harrisonburg: 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 annual auction date.
- Format
- In person
- County office
- (540) 564-2408
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Rockingham County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Grant D. Penrod, Special Commissioner of Sale, Hoover Penrod PLC, appointed by the Rockingham County Circuit Court
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- No fixed annual auction date.
- Sale list
- Real Estate Delinquent Tax List
When it runs
No fixed annual auction date. The Circuit Court sets a sale date for each delinquent tax suit as it reaches decree, and recent sales have opened at 12:00 noon on the south steps of the Rockingham County Circuit Courthouse in Harrisonburg. The March 2026 ad reads "March 18, 2026 AT 12:00 NOON, SOUTH STEPS OF THE ROCKINGHAM COUNTY CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA," and a second sale followed on June 3, 2026 at the same hour and place. Ahead of the suits the county runs a notice in the Daily News-Record naming parcels it may sue on, with the March 16, 2026 notice setting that cutoff at "After April 16, 2026."
Registration and deposit
Bidding is live on the courthouse steps, with no online platform and no advance registration published. The high bidder posts the deposit named in that sale's legal ad on the spot, then pays the cash balance within 30 days at closing. Deposits are set sale by sale and have run from $100 to $1,000. Terms of sale state that "All sales are subject to confirmation by Circuit Court" and the buyer takes a special warranty deed.
Sale format and venue
Rockingham County sells through a suit in equity under Va. Code 58.1-3965, not an administrative auction, and there is no post-sale redemption: the owner's right to pay ends on the date set for the sale. The Treasurer certifies the delinquency and publishes the annual delinquent list, and the court-appointed special commissioner, Grant D. Penrod of Hoover Penrod PLC in Harrisonburg, files the suits and conducts the sale in person on the south steps of the Circuit Courthouse. There is no online bidding. Neither the county nor the special commissioner publishes a sale calendar, so the legal ad in the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record is the operative notice of a date. Call the special commissioner at (540) 437-2232 for the current docket and the Treasurer at (540) 564-2408 for payoff figures.
Source: Tax Sale Notice for the June 3, 2026 Dalight tract, Rockingham County Special Commissioner of Sale· Verified Aug 23, 2026
Rockingham County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Rockingham 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
Use Real Estate Delinquent Tax List for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.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 annual auction date. 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.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Grant D. Penrod, Special Commissioner of Sale, Hoover Penrod PLC, appointed by the Rockingham County Circuit Court as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Rockingham County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Real Estate Delinquent Tax List. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
Bidding is live on the courthouse steps, with no online platform and no advance registration published. The high bidder posts the deposit named in that sale's legal ad on the spot, then pays the cash balance within 30 days at closing. Deposits are set sale by sale and have run from $100 to $1,000. Terms of sale state that "All sales are subject to confirmation by Circuit Court" and the buyer takes a special warranty deed.
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
- Harrisonburg is an independent city with its own treasurer and its own tax sales, so a delinquent parcel inside the city limits does not sell through the county suit even though the city is the county seat.
- Watch the public notices in the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record for sale ads. The county publishes no sale calendar, and the ad is the only advance word of a date, a parcel list and a deposit figure.
- Deposits vary by sale rather than by a standing rule. The March 18, 2026 sale of two rural tracts required a $100 bidder deposit; the June 3, 2026 sale of the fifty-parcel Dalight, LLC tract near Timberville required $1,000. The balance is due in cash within 30 days at closing.
- Each year the county advertises the parcels it may sue on, giving the earliest view of what could reach a sale. The March 16, 2026 notice warned that after April 16, 2026 proceedings may begin under Va. Code 58.1-3965 to sell the listed parcels for unpaid Rockingham County real estate taxes.
- Sale ads cite the underlying case, such as "County of Rockingham v. Unknown Heirs of Thomas Crompton Lindon" Case No. CL25-1767, so the Circuit Court file is where to check title derivation before bidding.
- Reach the special commissioner at Hoover Penrod PLC, 342 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, (540) 437-2232; the firm's main line is (540) 433-2444.
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 Rockingham 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 Rockingham County hold tax deed sales?
Rockingham County holds its tax deed sale once a year. No fixed annual auction date. 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 Grant D. Penrod, Special Commissioner of Sale, Hoover Penrod PLC, appointed by the Rockingham County Circuit Court 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 Rockingham County tax sale list?
Rockingham County posts its tax sale list at rockinghamcountyva.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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