TaxLien.io
My Liens
← Texas

Jefferson County

Texas · Upcoming sale ·

Sale dateDecember 1, 2026
Sale typeredeemable-deed
PlatformSheriff (in-person, 10am)
Texas rate / penalty25% penalty

Jefferson County, Texas holds its next tax foreclosure sale on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, the first Tuesday of the month, as an original sheriff's sale opening at 10:00 a.m. It is the only one left on the tax office's 2026 calendar, after the March 3 original sale and the June 2 resale. Two things decide whether you can bid at all: a Statement of No Delinquent Taxes Owed picked up before the weekend, and cash or a cashier's check in hand by 4:00 p.m.

The December 1 sale

The Jefferson County Tax Office lists two original sheriff sales for 2026: March 3 and December 1, 2026. Texas holds in-person tax sales between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month (Tax Code § 34.01), and Jefferson's starts at 10:00 a.m. Once the sale begins, nobody else can get a bidder number.

The sale is conducted by the sheriff, and the property is sold for cash to the highest bidder on oral bids. The general rules of auctions apply. The office's guidelines also cover conduct in the room: hats off, phones silenced, conversations kept down, and anyone the sheriff has to warn twice is asked to leave.

When we checked on October 16, the December tract list had not been posted; the page still showed the June 2 resale list. Watch the tax office page in November.

The statement you need before the weekend

To register, every bidder needs a Statement of No Delinquent Taxes Owed from the Jefferson County Tax Office, requested with the form on its website or at the office. It cannot be obtained on the day of the sale. It must be obtained by the end of business on the Friday before the sale; if that Friday is a holiday, by Thursday; if both are holidays, by Wednesday.

For December 1, 2026, the Friday before is November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, and Thursday is Thanksgiving itself. Under the office's own rule, if both are holidays the deadline is Wednesday, November 25. Ask the office which applies, and get the statement early in that week.

Buying in a company's name needs more paper: an Assumed Name Certificate from the County Clerk or a Franchise Tax Account Status listing officers and directors from the Comptroller. If you are not an officer or director, bring a letter on company letterhead signed by one, authorizing you to bid. Submit the statement to the person conducting the sale when you register.

Opening bids and payment

At an original sale, the opening bid is printed next to each tract, and bidding must start at that figure or higher; lower sums cannot be accepted. (At a resale the figure is only a suggested opening bid and the tax assessor-collector may accept less.)

Purchases are paid in cash or by cashier's check payable to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the sale. Exact change is recommended if you pay cash. A winning bidder who fails to pay is liable for 20% of the value of the property plus the costs of the default under Rule 652 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, and, if the property later resells for less than the taxes and costs, for the difference.

The sale covers taxes through every tax year delinquent on the date of judgment. That may or may not include the latest year. You will owe the taxes for every year that came due after the judgment, so ask which years a tract includes.

What a sheriff's deed gives you

You receive an ordinary sheriff's deed, without warranty, express or implied, and the property is sold "as is". The tax office warns that a title insurance policy may be difficult to obtain with only a sheriff's deed.

The former owner can still redeem. The period runs from the date the original sheriff sale deed is filed with the County Clerk: two years for a residence homestead or land appraised as agricultural, and 180 days for all other property. On a homestead or agricultural tract the owner pays your price plus a 25% premium in the first year or 50% in the second; on other property, up to 25% (Tax Code § 34.21). The redeeming party also reimburses costs you reasonably spent on maintenance, preservation and safekeeping (§ 34.21(g)(2)). Anyone with a legal interest at the time of the original sale may redeem. The office says determining the redemption period is the bidder's responsibility.

Locate the property yourself before you bid. Maps and plats are on file with the County Clerk and the lawsuit papers with the District Clerk; the address on the tax roll may be wrong, and the office suggests not buying from slides shown at the sale unless you have seen the property and the maps at the Jefferson Central Appraisal District.

If a tract sells for more than the judgment, the excess goes to the court registry. The former owner is notified and claims must be filed before the second anniversary of the sale (§§ 34.03–34.04). See our Texas excess proceeds guide.

Four ways people lose money here

  1. 1. Leaving the statement for Friday of Thanksgiving week

    If Thursday and Friday are both holidays, the deadline is Wednesday, November 25. It cannot be obtained on sale day.

  2. 2. Arriving after 10:00 a.m.

    No bidder numbers are issued once the sale starts.

  3. 3. Defaulting on a bid

    A non-paying winner is liable for 20% of the property's value plus costs, and any shortfall on resale.

  4. 4. Assuming the house is yours outright

    A homestead can be redeemed for two years, other property for 180 days, both counted from when the deed is recorded.

Sources

Checked against these sources on 2026-10-16.

County snapshot

Population (2024)253,948
Change since 2020-0.9%
Net migration (2024)-83

Jefferson County's population has been roughly flat since 2020 (-0.9%), with net migration of -83 in 2024. Stable counties tend to behave predictably: most certificates redeem, few end in a deed.

By population, Jefferson County is the 22nd largest of Texas's 254 counties. It has grown more slowly than the state average (+2.9% across Texas) — often where the less contested certificates are, and also where the risk sits. Of the 2024 change, 83 came from people moving out and 620 from births outnumbering deaths.

Counties of similar size in Texas with a sale on our calendar: Smith County, Kaufman County, Bell County. Useful if this county's sale has already closed and you want the next comparable one.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Census population estimates. Population figures are estimates, not a count.

Property & tax profile

Median home value$169,500
Median tax / year$2,600
Tax / home value1.5%
Owned outright56.6%
“Other vacant”9.7%
Median year built1978

The median homeowner in Jefferson County pays $2,600 a year in property tax — below the Texas median of $4,232 (U.S.: $3,119). That is roughly what a typical home here owes for each year it goes unpaid — the debt that the opening bid at a deed sale is usually built from, plus interest and costs. Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $3,663; homes owned outright, $1,831.

On a home with a mortgage, the lender has its own reason to pay a delinquent tax bill: the tax lien outranks the mortgage, and a tax deed can wipe out the loan. On a home owned outright, nobody but the owner — or the heirs — has that reason. In Jefferson County, 56.6% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Texas: 44.0%, U.S.: 39.4%). That is more than the state as a whole, so a larger share of the delinquent bills here have no lender behind them.

13.7% of all housing units in Jefferson County are vacant. The figure that matters for a buyer at the tax sale is the Census “other vacant” category — not for rent, not for sale, not a holiday home, but a catch-all that includes foreclosures, homes held up by legal proceedings or family reasons, homes needing repairs, and abandoned ones. Here it is 9.7% of all units (Texas: 3.5%, U.S.: 3.6%). That is above the state rate, so expect more empty properties on the delinquent list: the ones least likely to redeem, and the most likely to need work if the deed ends up yours. Drive by before you bid.

Half of the homes in Jefferson County were built in or before 1978 (Texas: in or before 1992) — an older stock than the state's, which matters if a deed is what you are buying: older roofs, wiring and plumbing. The typical tax bill is 4.3% of the median household income of $60,026 (Texas: 5.4%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25081, B25002, B25004, B25035, B19013) — see the figures on data.census.gov. Survey estimates with margins of error; anything too uncertain to state is left out.

Note

Original sheriff sale. Statement of No Delinquent Taxes Owed needed by the Friday before (earlier if that Friday is a holiday); pay by 4pm in cash or cashier's check.

View official source ↗

Get an alert when Jefferson County publishes its 2026 tax sale list or the date changes

Leave your email and we'll write when we add Jefferson County's list or a new sale date to this page: one short email per change, nothing else.

Quick answers

When is the Jefferson County tax sale?+

The Jefferson County, Texas tax sale is scheduled for December 1, 2026, hosted via Sheriff (in-person, 10am).

Is Jefferson County a good county to buy tax deed properties in?+

Jefferson County's population has been roughly flat since 2020 (-0.9%), with net migration of -83 in 2024. Stable counties tend to behave predictably: most certificates redeem, few end in a deed. Population in 2024: 253,948. These are U.S. Census Bureau estimates, not a recommendation — the county's own delinquency and redemption history matters more, and only the Texas treasurer publishes that.

How much is the property tax in Jefferson County?+

The median homeowner in Jefferson County pays $2,600 a year, about 1.5% of the median home value of $169,500 (Texas: 1.5%). Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $3,663, homes owned outright $1,831. These are U.S. Census Bureau survey estimates (American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates); the exact bill for a parcel depends on its assessed value and local rates, and the county tax collector has it.

What type of sale is it?+

Jefferson County holds a redeemable tax deed sale. Texas's statewide system: redeemable deed. What the buyer earns: 25% penalty.

What's the redemption period in Jefferson County?+

Jefferson County follows Texas's statewide redemption period: 180 days or 2 years.

Other Texas sales near this date

Every Texas page →

Other sales in December 2026

All December 2026 sales →

Our write-up of the Jefferson County sale: Dec 1, 2026.

Want the full statutory picture for Texas, not just Jefferson County? Read the Texas state page for the rate, redemption period, and every other county we've sourced, or compare it with tax lien interest rates in every state. If a past sale left money over, how surplus funds are claimed in Texas.

Before you bid: how to research a tax sale property, what a tax lien or deed really costs and the risks investors run.

See every other scheduled sale on the full auction calendar, every sale in December 2026, the upcoming Texas sales, or sign up for deal alerts to hear about new Texas dates as soon as we add them.

This page is general information, not financial or legal advice. Auction dates get postponed, cancelled, or rescheduled — always confirm against the official source above before showing up or bidding. Verified 2026-10-16.