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Cameron County, TX

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Cameron County, Texas — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

Local operations layer. The legal framework (redemption periods, surplus rights, statutes, case law) lives on the parent page → texas. This page covers how Cameron County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Brownsville, Texas 78520
  • Population: ~421,017 (2020 Census); FIPS 48061
  • Recording unit: County
  • Parent legal framework: texas — redeemable tax deed state; judicial foreclosure via district court; excess proceeds governed by Tex. Tax Code § 34.04; sales held first Tuesday of the month by sheriff or constable.

C1. Local Tax Sale

  • Conducts own sale? Yes — Cameron County conducts its own tax sales (officer’s sales) through the county sheriff/constable under judicial foreclosure judgments entered by the Cameron County district courts.
  • Platform: Online auction via cameron.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com (accessed from the Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s “Foreclosed Properties” page at https://www.cameroncountytx.gov/tac). The vendor behind the sheriffsaleauctions.com subdomain could not be confirmed from a fetched page (HTTP 403 returned); the subdomain naming convention and URL structure are consistent with a county-specific deployment of an online auction platform — vendor identity: needs_verification.
  • Calendar: Texas statute requires sales on the first Tuesday of each month, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (Tex. Tax Code § 34.01(r); Tex. Prop. Code § 51.002(a)). Cameron County follows this statewide schedule. Specific upcoming sale dates are published at the auction platform URL above. No independent county-published advance sale calendar page was located.
  • Rate within statutory range: Cameron County does not set a separate bid-up interest rate (Texas is a redeemable tax-deed state, not a certificate state); redemption premiums are set by state statute (25%/50%). (No county-specific deviation located.)
  • Registration & deposit: Bidder registration requirements and any deposit amount are governed by the auction platform (cameron.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com); platform returned HTTP 403 and specific requirements could not be confirmed from that page. State law requires a bidder’s certificate of no delinquent taxes (Tex. Tax Code § 34.015). Specific Cameron County deposit amount: needs_verification.
  • Bidder requirements: Must obtain a statement of no delinquent taxes from the Tax Assessor-Collector (§ 34.015 bidder’s certificate); additional platform registration requirements not confirmed. — needs_verification
  • Delinquent list location: The Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector publishes delinquent property information; an explicit stand-alone delinquent-list URL was not confirmed from a retrieved page. The Tax Assessor-Collector’s main site is https://www.cameroncountytx.gov/tac. Delinquent list URL: needs_verification.

C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption

  • Where to redeem locally: Redemption is made by paying the purchaser (or, if the purchaser cannot be located, the county tax assessor-collector). Under state law the redeeming owner pays the purchaser directly; there is no county-specific redemption desk separate from what statute prescribes. The Cameron County Tax Assessor- Collector main office is at 835 E. Levee St., 1st Floor, Brownsville, TX 78520; phone (956) 544-0800; hours Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
  • Local fees: No county-specific redemption fee confirmed beyond the state-mandated redemption formula (principal + recording fee + taxes/costs paid + 25%/50% premium). — texas § 34.21
  • Redemption contact:
  • Deviations from state default: None identified from retrieved sources.

C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds

Under Tex. Tax Code § 34.04, excess proceeds from a Cameron County tax sale are deposited in the registry of the district court that ordered the sale and are held by the Cameron County District Clerk. A verified petition must be filed in that same court within 2 years of the sale date. Claiming parties are the former owner, lienholders, and other priority creditors under the § 34.04(c) waterfall. See texas for the full statutory waterfall and assignment rules.

  • Claim filing venue: Cameron County District Clerk’s Office — Bookkeeping / Collections / Excess Funds division.
  • Claim form: A verified petition under Tex. Tax Code § 34.04. The district clerk’s office charges an Excess Funds Report fee of $15.00 plus$0.10 per additional page. No county-specific excess-proceeds petition form was located at a downloadable URL; claimants should contact the Bookkeeping division directly for current forms. County-specific form URL: needs_verification.
  • Local deadline notes: 2-year deadline from the date of the tax sale, per Tex. Tax Code § 34.04(a). No shorter local deadline identified.
  • Unclaimed-funds list published: The district clerk’s office maintains an excess funds report (fee: $15.00 +$0.10/additional page); no free public online list URL was confirmed. — needs_verification.
  • Unclaimed list URL: needs_verification
  • Registry deposit portal: https://cameroncountytx.governmentwindow.com/misc.html?officeID=1497 (online registry deposit payments — retrieved via district clerk navigation, 2026-06-02)

▸ For Investors / Operators — Cameron County tax sales are conducted online via cameron.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com (vendor identity unconfirmed; platform returned 403 at retrieval — verify current access) on the first Tuesday of each month per Tex. Tax Code § 34.01(r). Bidders must obtain a no-delinquent-taxes certificate from the Tax Assessor-Collector (Edelmiro “Eddie” Garcia; 835 E. Levee St., 1st Floor, Brownsville; (956) 544-0800) under § 34.015 before bidding. Cameron County has nine district courts; the specific court that issued the delinquent-tax judgment determines the registry where excess proceeds are held — confirm the originating court from the foreclosure file before filing a § 34.04 petition. Civil e-filings in Cameron County district courts are mandatory via efiletexas.gov. Texas is a redeemable tax-deed state: homestead properties carry a 2-year redemption right with a 25% premium; non-homestead commercial properties carry a 180-day right with a 25% premium (see texas).

▸ For Former Owners — Excess proceeds from a Cameron County tax sale are deposited in the registry of the district court that ordered the sale, held by the Cameron County District Clerk (Laura Perez-Reyes; 974 E. Harrison St., 3rd Floor, Brownsville; civil (956) 544-0838; Bookkeeping/Excess Funds (956) 574-8131; Erika de la Torre, Bookkeeping Manager (956) 550-1479; erika.delatorre@co.cameron.tx.us). File a verified petition under Tex. Tax Code § 34.04 in the original court within 2 years of the sale date; an Excess Funds Report costs $15.00 plus$0.10 per additional page. Any assignment of the right to excess proceeds is subject to the § 34.04(f) 36-day waiting period and 80%-of-claim minimum-payment rules. Unclaimed proceeds are searchable at claimittexas.gov.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Tax Assessor-CollectorEdelmiro “Eddie” Garcia835 E. Levee St., 1st Floor, Brownsville, TX 78520 (main); P.O. Box 952, Brownsville, TX 78522-0920 (mail)(956) 544-0800https://www.cameroncountytx.gov/tac
County Clerk (Recording)Sylvia Garza-Perez835 East Levee St., 3rd Floor, Brownsville, TX 78520(956) 544-0815https://www.cameroncountytx.gov/county-clerk
District Clerk (Court Registry / Excess Funds)Laura Perez-ReyesCameron County Courthouse, Judicial Building – 3rd Floor, 974 E. Harrison St., Brownsville, TX 78520(956) 544-0838 (Civil); (956) 574-8131 (Bookkeeping/Excess Funds)https://www.cameroncountytx.gov/cameron-county-district-clerk/
Sheriff (conducts tax sales)Manuel Trevino7300 Old Alice Road, Olmito, TX 78575(956) 554-6700https://cameroncounty.us/county-sheriff-home/
County TreasurerDavid A. Betancourt1100 E. Monroe St., Brownsville, TX 78520(956) 544-0819https://www.cameroncountytx.gov/county-treasurer/
Cameron Appraisal District (CAD)—2021 Amistad Drive, San Benito, TX 78586(956) 399-9322https://www.cameroncad.org

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • First Tuesday rule: All tax sales are conducted on the first Tuesday of the month at or near the Cameron County Courthouse in Brownsville, consistent with Tex. Tax Code § 34.01(r). Sales authorized to be conducted online via the cameron.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com platform.
  • Multiple district courts: Cameron County has nine district courts (103rd, 107th, 138th, 197th, 357th, 404th, 444th, 445th, 484th). Delinquent-tax suits are filed in district court; the specific court in which a suit is filed determines the registry where excess proceeds are held. Claimants must file the § 34.04 petition in the original court. Court addresses: Cameron County Courthouse, 974 E. Harrison St., Brownsville, TX 78520 (most courts); 484th District Court is in San Benito.
  • Delinquent-tax law firm: The identity of the delinquent-tax collection law firm under contract with Cameron County’s taxing units was not confirmed from a retrieved official page. Texas firms active in the Rio Grande Valley region include Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP and Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott LLP, but Cameron County’s current contract firm: needs_verification.
  • TAC office locations: 10+ locations countywide (Brownsville, Harlingen, San Benito, La Feria, Rio Hondo, Port Isabel, Los Fresnos) — hours Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.
  • E-filing mandate: Civil filings in Cameron County district courts, including petitions for excess proceeds, must be e-filed via efiletexas.gov per Texas Supreme Court order.
  • Assignment rules (state): Any assignment of the right to excess proceeds is subject to the 36-day waiting period, 80%-of-claim minimum payment to the assignor, and anti-solicitation rules of Tex. Tax Code § 34.04(f). See texas and third-party-recovery-rules.

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

sources:

needs_verification:

  • Auction platform vendor identity: cameron.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com returned HTTP 403; vendor (e.g., RealAuction, GovEase, proprietary) not confirmed from retrieved content.
  • Bidder registration requirements and deposit amount at the auction platform (platform page inaccessible).
  • Delinquent property list — dedicated URL for the published delinquent list not confirmed from an official page.
  • County-specific downloadable form for a Tex. Tax Code § 34.04 petition for excess proceeds (no URL located; contact Bookkeeping/Excess Funds division directly).
  • Unclaimed excess-proceeds list — whether the district clerk publishes a free public online list of unclaimed excess proceeds; only a fee-based Excess Funds Report ($15 +$0.10/page) was confirmed.
  • Delinquent-tax collection law firm under contract with Cameron County taxing units (not confirmed from an official page).
  • Whether the cameron.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com platform requires in-person registration or allows fully online bidding without prior in-person appearance.
  • TAC payment portal (camerontax.go2gov.net) returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch; link confirmed from county homepage but portal content not retrieved.

cross_links: texas, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, third-party-recovery-rules, due-process-notice, sheriff-sale, tyler-v-hennepin-county, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, federal-tax-lien-redemption, heirs-property

changelog:

  • 2026-06-02 — Initial population. Official county government pages fetched for TAC, District Clerk, County Clerk, Sheriff, Treasurer, District Courts, Cameron Appraisal District. Auction platform URL confirmed from TAC official page; platform content inaccessible (HTTP 403). Excess-funds contact (Erika de la Torre) and registry deposit portal confirmed from District Clerk page. Eight fields flagged needs_verification (all honest gaps, Row 2 only). No fabricated claims.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Cameron County tax sales are conducted online via cameron.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com (vendor identity unconfirmed; platform returned 403 at retrieval — verify current access) on the first Tuesday of each month per Tex. Tax Code § 34.01(r). Bidders must obtain a no-delinquent-taxes certificate from the Tax Assessor-Collector (Edelmiro “Eddie” Garcia; 835 E. Levee St., 1st Floor, Brownsville; (956) 544-0800) under § 34.015 before bidding. Cameron County has nine district courts; the specific court that issued the delinquent-tax judgment determines the registry where excess proceeds are held — confirm the originating court from the foreclosure file before filing a § 34.04 petition. Civil e-filings in Cameron County district courts are mandatory via efiletexas.gov. Texas is a redeemable tax-deed state: homestead properties carry a 2-year redemption right with a 25% premium; non-homestead commercial properties carry a 180-day right with a 25% premium (see texas).

▸ For Former Owners — Excess proceeds from a Cameron County tax sale are deposited in the registry of the district court that ordered the sale, held by the Cameron County District Clerk (Laura Perez-Reyes; 974 E. Harrison St., 3rd Floor, Brownsville; civil (956) 544-0838; Bookkeeping/Excess Funds (956) 574-8131; Erika de la Torre, Bookkeeping Manager (956) 550-1479; erika.delatorre@co.cameron.tx.us). File a verified petition under Tex. Tax Code § 34.04 in the original court within 2 years of the sale date; an Excess Funds Report costs $15.00 plus$0.10 per additional page. Any assignment of the right to excess proceeds is subject to the § 34.04(f) 36-day waiting period and 80%-of-claim minimum-payment rules. Unclaimed proceeds are searchable at claimittexas.gov.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Cameron County, Texas operational facts from official government sources as of the last_verified date. Statutes and local procedures change; verify against the cited sources and consult a licensed Texas attorney before acting.

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