Tax Sales and Sheriff Sales in Virginia

How tax sales work in Virginia

Virginia sells the property itself: the buyer gets a deed, and the owner's chance to pay ends at or before the sale.

What the buyer gets. The property itself, by deed from the court-appointed special commissioner, with no interest to collect and no owner to wait out once the sale is final.

Redemption. None after the sale; owner may redeem up to the date of sale by paying all delinquent amounts and costs (Va. Code 58.1-3974).

When and where the sales are held

Who runs them: Court-appointed special commissioner (on suits brought by the locality's treasurer through its delinquent tax attorney); small parcels may be sold non-judicially by the treasurer (58.1-3975).

When: Throughout the year as cases are decreed; many localities hold one or two large sales a year.

Where: Public auction, often at the courthouse or on-site, with many localities using licensed auction firms and online bidding.

The list of parcels for each sale is published by the office that runs it, usually a few weeks ahead, in the county's legal newspaper and on the county or platform site. UX Search does not list tax sale parcels; these sales are run by the counties and the platforms they contract, and the links on this page go to the official sources.

Sheriff sales and foreclosure sales in Virginia

Virginia mortgage foreclosure is non-judicial: the trustee under the deed of trust sells at public auction (commonly at the courthouse steps) after advertising in a newspaper as the deed of trust provides, or absent provision once a week for four successive weeks (Va. Code 55.1-322), and mailing 14 days' notice to the owner. There is no right of redemption after the trustee's sale; the sheriff is not involved except in rare judicial foreclosures.

A tax sale and a sheriff sale are different animals even when the same office runs both. A tax sale clears unpaid property taxes and in most states wipes out junior liens; a mortgage foreclosure sale pays the lender and may leave tax liens in place. Before bidding at either, pull the title, read the judgment or the tax certificate, and know which liens survive the sale in Virginia.

Official sources for Virginia

• Va. Code § 58.1-3965 (when land may be sold)
• Va. Code § 58.1-3974 (redemption by owner)

Statute: Va. Code §§ 58.1-3965 to 58.1-3975 (sale of delinquent tax lands); foreclosure Va. Code §§ 55.1-320 to 55.1-345.

Questions people ask

Does Virginia sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Virginia sells the property itself: the buyer gets a deed, and the owner's chance to pay ends at or before the sale. Virginia localities do not sell tax liens. When taxes remain delinquent on December 31 following the second anniversary of their due date (sooner for blighted, derelict or low-value parcels), the local treasurer refers the parcel to counsel, who files a bill in equity in circuit court; the court appoints a special commissioner who sells the property at public auction and conveys a deed free of the tax lien. The owner may redeem by paying all taxes, interest and costs any time before the sale, but there is no redemption after the court-confirmed sale.

How long is the redemption period after a tax sale in Virginia?

None after the sale; owner may redeem up to the date of sale by paying all delinquent amounts and costs (Va. Code 58.1-3974)

Who runs tax sales in Virginia?

Court-appointed special commissioner (on suits brought by the locality's treasurer through its delinquent tax attorney); small parcels may be sold non-judicially by the treasurer (58.1-3975). Public auction, often at the courthouse or on-site, with many localities using licensed auction firms and online bidding

When are tax sales held in Virginia?

Throughout the year as cases are decreed; many localities hold one or two large sales a year

Are sheriff sales in Virginia judicial?

Virginia mortgage foreclosure is non-judicial: the trustee under the deed of trust sells at public auction (commonly at the courthouse steps) after advertising in a newspaper as the deed of trust provides, or absent provision once a week for four successive weeks (Va. Code 55.1-322), and mailing 14 days' notice to the owner. There is no right of redemption after the trustee's sale; the sheriff is not involved except in rare judicial foreclosures.

Can anyone bid at a tax sale or sheriff sale in Virginia?

Generally yes, with registration through the office or platform that runs the sale, and often a deposit or proof of funds. Payment is usually due the same day or within a few days in certified funds, and the property is sold as is with whatever title questions come with it. Read the county's terms for the sale you are bidding in; they differ from one county to the next in the same state.

Written from the Virginia statutes and official county pages, last checked October 27, 2026. Rules change by session and by county; the official sources above control. UX Search is independent, lists no tax sale parcels and never takes a bid.