Skip to content
Tax Sale Atlas

Surry County, VA tax sales

How tax deed sales work in Surry County, seat of Surry: 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
Surry County sets no fixed annual sale date.
Registration
Bidder terms are set in the notice of sale for each auction rather than by the county.
County office
757-294-5206
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Aug 23, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Surry 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

Run by
Surry County Treasurer's Office, with the auction conducted by a special commissioner of sale appointed by the Surry County Circuit Court
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Surry County sets no fixed annual sale date.
Registration
Bidder terms are set in the notice of sale for each auction rather than by the county.
When it runs
Surry County sets no fixed annual sale date. A parcel becomes eligible for judicial sale, in the Treasurer's words, when 'any taxes on [such] real estate are delinquent on December 31 following the second anniversary of the date on which such taxes become due,' and the auction is scheduled only after the circuit court suit is filed, so sale dates fall at irregular intervals.
Registration and deposit

Bidder terms are set in the notice of sale for each auction rather than by the county. Call the Treasurer's Office at 757-294-5206 to identify the special commissioner handling the current suit and request the bidder qualifications and deposit amount. Virginia commissioners routinely bar anyone who owes delinquent taxes to the locality, or who is a defendant in the delinquent tax suit, from bidding.

Sale format and venue
Virginia sells the deed itself through a suit in equity in circuit court, so there is no certificate to buy and no redemption period after the sale. Surry County refers real estate that stays delinquent more than two years without consistent payment attempts to a collection attorney, who files the suit and serves as special commissioner of sale. The county publishes no property list or bidder terms of its own, so the notice of sale issued by that commissioner carries the parcel details, deposit and settlement deadline. Virginia judicial sales are commonly conducted in person, and Surry County advertises no online bidding platform, so confirm the format in the notice before you plan to bid.
Source: Delinquent Tax Collection Methods, Surry County Treasurer· Verified Aug 23, 2026

Surry County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Surry 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

    A county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the office and platform details on this page before relying on a copied list.

  2. Register to bid

    Bidder terms are set in the notice of sale for each auction rather than by the county. Full requirements are in the sale card above.

  3. Sale day

    Surry County sets no fixed annual sale date. The auction platform is still being verified. Confirm the next sale date and registration window with the county before you bid.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Surry County Treasurer's Office, with the auction conducted by a special commissioner of sale appointed by the Surry County Circuit Court as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in Surry County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    The county sale-list URL is still being verified. Use the county office contacts below and confirm the advertised parcels directly before you price a bid.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Bidder terms are set in the notice of sale for each auction rather than by the county. Call the Treasurer's Office at 757-294-5206 to identify the special commissioner handling the current suit and request the bidder qualifications and deposit amount. Virginia commissioners routinely bar anyone who owes delinquent taxes to the locality, or who is a defendant in the delinquent tax suit, from bidding.

  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

Surry County Treasurer's Office

757-294-5206

45 School Street, Surry, VA 23883 (mailing: P.O. Box 286, Surry, VA 23883)

Official website

County notes

  • Surry County collects delinquent real estate through a judicial sale in circuit court, not an administrative auction. The Treasurer certifies the delinquency, a court-appointed special commissioner files the suit and sells the property, and the circuit court confirms the sale.
  • There is no redemption window after the sale. The owner's right to pay and keep the property ends on the date set for the sale, so a confirmed purchase is final.
  • Surry County publishes no tax sale calendar and no list of parcels headed to sale. Call the Treasurer's Office at 757-294-5206 to learn which attorney holds the special commissioner appointment, and watch the county's legal advertisements for the notice of sale.
  • Many Virginia localities contract the sale to an outside law firm whose own auction calendar is the operative notice. Confirm with the Treasurer which firm handles Surry County before relying on any statewide auction list.
  • The case file for each sale suit, and the deed once the court confirms it, sit with the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 28 Colonial Trail E, Surry, phone 757-294-3161. Pull the suit papers there to see the parcels, the lienholders served and the confirmation order.
  • The Treasurer's Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 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.
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 Surry 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 Surry County hold tax deed sales?

Surry County holds its tax deed sale once a year. Surry County sets no fixed annual sale 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 Surry County Treasurer's Office, with the auction conducted by a special commissioner of sale appointed by the Surry 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.

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.

More Virginia counties

Browse all 133 Virginia counties

Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Virginia tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Surry County Treasurer's Office