Southampton County, VA tax sales

County offices

County notes

• •Southampton County runs two separate routes to a sale. Court-ordered judicial sales under Va. Code 58.1-3965 carry no buyer's premium, take a 20 percent deposit at the close of bidding with the balance due in ten days, and settle through James J. Reid, Esq., 12610 Patrick Henry Dr., Suite D, Newport News, VA 23602. Non-judicial auctions of nominal-value parcels under Va. Code 58.1-3975 are put up by the Treasurer and posted on the county's own Non-Judicial Tax Auction Information page.
• •Every Southampton sale is online only through Virginia Auction Company of Suffolk, so there is no courthouse step to show up for. Bidder approval has to clear before the auction opens; the auctioneer's line for approval problems is 757-538-0123.
• •Southampton lots ride along with other localities in one combined auction, which means the auction title on the calendar may not lead with Southampton. Check the lot list rather than the auction name when you are hunting for Southampton parcels.
• •The Treasurer publishes a running delinquent real estate list under Va. Code 58.1-3924 showing owner name, tax years, map number and amount due. It is the earliest public read on which parcels are heading toward a sale, well before any auction is advertised.
• •Southampton County and the neighbouring City of Franklin are separate governments with separate treasurers and separate tax auctions. A Franklin parcel is not a Southampton parcel, and the two localities pre-register bidders under their own listings on the same auctioneer's calendar.
• •Treasurer Cynthia J. Edwards is the office to call for delinquency payoffs and sale status, at (757) 653-3025, weekdays 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Real estate tax bills there are due December 5 and the 2025 rate is $0.71 per $100.

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.Va. Code 58.1-3974 - Redemption of land by owner; lien for taxes paidVa. Code 58.1-3974Verified Aug 23, 2026

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.Va. Code 58.1-3967 - How proceedings instituted; parties; title acquired; disposition of surplus proceeds of saleVa. Code 58.1-3967Verified Aug 23, 2026

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.Va. Code 58.1-3967 - How proceedings instituted; parties; title acquired; disposition of surplus proceeds of saleVa. Code 58.1-3967Verified Aug 23, 2026

Governing statute

Va. Code Title 58.1, Chapter 39, Article 4Code of Virginia Title 58.1, Chapter 39 - Enforcement, Collection, Refunds, Remedies and Review of Local TaxesVa. Code Title 58.1, Ch. 39Verified Aug 23, 2026

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.

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