Salem City, VA tax sales
How tax deed sales work in Salem City, seat of Salem: 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
- The city publishes no fixed auction month and runs no recurring annual sale.
- County office
- 540-375-3024
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Salem City sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- City of Salem Treasurer's Office, with the auction itself conducted by the special commissioner appointed by the Salem Circuit Court
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The city publishes no fixed auction month and runs no recurring annual sale.
- Sale list
- Treasurer's judicial sale page
When it runs
The city publishes no fixed auction month and runs no recurring annual sale. Parcels become eligible once they have been delinquent for more than two years: the Treasurer's office states that "The Code of Virginia 58.1-3965 instructs the Treasurer to commence with the sale of real properties that are delinquent for more than 2 years as of December 31st." Each sale then follows a decree entered in the Salem Circuit Court, and the office notes the judicial sale process "can take several months," so dates are set case by case rather than on a calendar.
Registration and deposit
The city posts no standing bidder registration form, deposit schedule, or bidder number process. Terms for each sale are fixed by the decree of sale and appear in the special commissioner's published auction advertisement. Call the Treasurer's Office at 540-375-3024 to ask whether a judicial sale suit is pending and how that particular sale will be conducted.
Sale format and venue
No online auction platform is confirmed for Salem, and the city posts no parcel list, so treat the special commissioner's advertisement as the operative notice. Delinquent parcels are sold through a suit in equity in the Salem Circuit Court, and a sale happens only after the court enters a decree; the Treasurer's office works with the city's contracted collection law firm through the case. Owners can redeem at any point before the sale by paying all taxes, penalties, interest, and costs, so advertised parcels regularly come off the list before the hammer falls, and the Treasurer's office cautions that appearing on its review list does not automatically put a parcel up for sale. Watch the legal advertisements in the local Salem and Roanoke newspapers and the statewide Virginia public notice index, and confirm status with the Treasurer before spending money on diligence.
Source: Judicial Sales, City of Salem Treasurer· Verified Aug 23, 2026
Salem City tax sale list and auction calendar
For Salem 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 Treasurer's judicial sale page 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
The city publishes no fixed auction month and runs no recurring annual sale. 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 City of Salem Treasurer's Office, with the auction itself conducted by the special commissioner appointed by the Salem Circuit Court as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Salem City
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from Treasurer's judicial sale page. Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
The city posts no standing bidder registration form, deposit schedule, or bidder number process. Terms for each sale are fixed by the decree of sale and appear in the special commissioner's published auction advertisement. Call the Treasurer's Office at 540-375-3024 to ask whether a judicial sale suit is pending and how that particular sale will be conducted.
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
City of Salem Treasurer's Office
114 North Broad Street, City Hall, Salem, VA 24153; mailing address P.O. Box 869, Salem, VA 24153
Official websiteCounty notes
- Salem is an independent city and a county equivalent, entirely separate from Roanoke County even though Salem is also Roanoke County's seat. City real estate taxes and city tax sales are handled by the Salem Treasurer at 114 North Broad Street, not by any Roanoke County office, so a Roanoke County sale list will not include Salem parcels.
- Real estate becomes eligible for judicial sale once it has been delinquent more than two years as of December 31, and the owner can stop the sale at any time before it occurs by paying the taxes, penalties, interest, and costs in full.
- Salem sells through one off court proceedings rather than a scheduled annual auction, so there are stretches with no sale at all. Bidders should call the Treasurer's Office at 540-375-3024 to learn whether a suit is currently moving toward a decree of sale.
- Because the sale is a special commissioner's auction ordered and later confirmed by the Salem Circuit Court, a winning bid is not final until the court ratifies it. Budget for that confirmation lag before planning any resale or improvement work.
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 Salem 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 Salem City hold tax deed sales?
Salem City holds its tax deed sale once a year. The city publishes no fixed auction month and runs no recurring annual sale. 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 City of Salem Treasurer's Office, with the auction itself conducted by the special commissioner appointed by the Salem 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 Salem City tax sale list?
Salem City posts its tax sale list at salemva.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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