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Ellis County, TX

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Ellis 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 Ellis County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Waxahachie
  • Population: ~240,867 (task figure); U.S. Census QuickFacts and the county’s own 2024 estimate place the county in the ~232,000–242,000 range (the county’s 2025 projected population is ~241,818). Ellis is the 25th-most-populous of Texas’s 254 counties. — https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/elliscountytexas/PST045224
  • Recording unit: county (one of Texas’s 254 counties); FIPS 48139
  • Parent legal framework: texas — Texas is a redeemable tax-deed, judicial-tax-foreclosure state (Tex. Tax Code Ch. 34); a peace officer (here the Ellis County Sheriff) conducts the officer’s sale after a delinquent-tax judgment.

C1. Local Tax Sale

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

  • Where/how to redeem: Redemption follows the statewide scheme (texas / Tex. Tax Code § 34.21). The former owner redeems by paying the purchaser directly (bid + deed-recording fee + taxes/costs paid by the purchaser + the statutory 25%/50% premium), or pays the Ellis County Tax Assessor-Collector if the purchaser cannot be located. — Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(f); texas
  • Periods: 2 years (residence homestead / agricultural-use land / mineral interest) or 180 days (all other property), running from the date the officer’s deed is filed for record with the Ellis County Clerk. — Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(a), (e); texas
  • Redemption contact / office: Ellis County Tax Assessor-Collector, Richard Rozier; 302 N. Monroe St. (P.O. Drawer 188), Waxahachie, TX 75165; phone (972) 825-5150; email taxoffice@co.ellis.tx.us. — https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/county-directory/ellis.php ; https://ellistaxoffice.com/
  • Local fees / deviations from state default: None identified. Ellis County applies the statewide Ch. 34 redemption rules without known local variation. (confirm no local ordinance at refresh — see needs_verification)

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

  • Claim filing venue: Excess proceeds from an Ellis County tax-foreclosure sale are deposited into the registry of the district court that ordered the sale and held by the Ellis County District Clerk, Melanie Reed. A claim is filed by verified petition/application in that same district court under Tex. Tax Code § 34.04. The District Clerk’s office is at 109 S. Jackson St., 2nd Floor, Waxahachie, TX 75165 (P.O. Box 250, Waxahachie, TX 75168); phone (972) 825-5091; hours Mon.–Fri. 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. — https://www.elliscountytx.gov/79/District-Clerk ; Tex. Tax Code §§ 34.03, 34.04(a)
  • Claim form: No pre-printed Ellis County excess-proceeds claim form was located. The claimant files a verified petition in the originating district court (the court that entered the tax judgment and ordered the sale), setting forth the claimant’s legal interest. — Tex. Tax Code § 34.04(a) (confirm whether the Ellis County district courts publish a local excess-proceeds policy or fill-in form — see needs_verification)
  • Local deadline notes: Statewide 2-years-from-sale filing bar (Tex. Tax Code § 34.04(a)) applies — the petition must be filed before the second anniversary of the date of the sale. If no valid claim is established within that window, the court distributes the excess proceeds to the participating taxing units. — Tex. Tax Code § 34.04(a), (e); texas
  • § 34.04(f) assignment / anti-solicitation rules (statewide, apply in Ellis): An assignment of the right to excess proceeds is valid only if made on or after the 36th day after the proceeds are deposited; in writing and signed; the assignee pays at least 80% of the claim; and not procured by in-person or telephone solicitation. The assignor must sign a sworn affidavit with prescribed disclosures. An attorney’s fee to obtain the proceeds is capped at 25% of the amount obtained or $1,000, whichever is less (§ 34.04(i)). — Tex. Tax Code § 34.04(f), (i); texas
  • Unclaimed-funds list published? No dedicated Ellis County “excess proceeds” or “excess funds” list was located on the District Clerk’s website. Excess proceeds are held in the court registry and claimed through the originating district court rather than published as a standalone list. (confirm whether the District Clerk or county publishes a registry-fund / excess-proceeds disclosure — see needs_verification)
  • Contact for excess proceeds: Ellis County District Clerk, Melanie Reed, (972) 825-5091; 109 S. Jackson St., 2nd Floor, Waxahachie, TX 75165. — https://www.elliscountytx.gov/79/District-Clerk

▸ For Investors / Operators — Ellis County runs an online (RealAuction) first-Tuesday officer’s sale; the overbid generates excess proceeds that flow through the § 34.04 waterfall held in the district-court registry. Before committing capital, weigh the redemption risk (texas §2/2b — the 180-day or 2-year window, the 25%/50% premium, and that the redemption right itself is non-transferable under § 34.21(l)), the marketable/insurable-title path (texas §5b — the § 33.54 one-/two-year limitation bar plus trespass-to-try-title in Ellis County District Court), and which liens survive (texas §7b — federal tax liens with the IRS § 7425 120-day redemption; municipal/POA liens folded into redemption costs under § 34.21(g)).

▸ For Former Owners — When an Ellis County tax sale produces more than the taxes, penalties, interest, and costs, the excess proceeds belong to you (as the judgment defendant or a qualifying relative/devisee) after senior claims (§ 34.04). You claim by verified petition filed in the Ellis County District Court that ordered the sale, where the District Clerk (Melanie Reed) holds the funds in the court registry — and it must be filed before the second anniversary of the sale or the money is distributed to the taxing units.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Tax Assessor-Collector (tax payment, Written Statement, redemption if purchaser unreachable)Richard Rozier302 N. Monroe St. (P.O. Drawer 188), Waxahachie, TX 75165(972) 825-5150https://ellistaxoffice.com/
District Clerk (court registry / excess proceeds / tax-suit files)Melanie Reed109 S. Jackson St., 2nd Floor, Waxahachie, TX 75165 (P.O. Box 250, 75168)(972) 825-5091https://www.elliscountytx.gov/79/District-Clerk
County Clerk (recorder / deed filings / foreclosure notices)Krystal Valdez109 S. Jackson St., Waxahachie, TX 75165 (P.O. Box 250, 75168)(972) 825-5070https://www.elliscountytx.gov/74/County-Clerk
Sheriff (conducts officer’s sales)Brad Norman300 S. Jackson St., Waxahachie, TX 75165(972) 825-4900https://elliscountysheriff.com/
Central Appraisal District (value / parcel data)Kathy Rodrigue, Chief Appraiser400 Ferris Ave., Waxahachie, TX 75165(972) 937-3552https://www.elliscad.org/
Delinquent-tax counsel (tax suits / sale lists)Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP(statewide firm; county portal at taxsales.lgbs.com)—https://taxsales.lgbs.com/

(Sheriff main phone (972) 825-4900 and street address from the Sheriff’s Office site/county directory; the published mailing line “300 South Jackson” appears in some directories as ZIP 75065 — treat as a likely typo for 75165 and confirm at refresh — see needs_verification.)

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • Online sales (RealAuction) since Aug. 1, 2023: Ellis County moved its tax-foreclosure officer’s sales from the courthouse steps to the online RealAuction platform at ellis.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com. Bidders must register and complete online training in advance. — https://ellistaxoffice.com/tax-sales-2/ ; https://www.waxahachiesun.com/business/county-tax-sales-to-go-online-aug-1/article_f2bf1008-1440-11ee-80d3-e7923b56a311.html
  • Linebarger-administered sale lists: Unlike counties whose property lists live on a county page, Ellis County’s tax-sale property list is hosted on the Linebarger taxsales.lgbs.com portal; the county Tax Office links out to it. — https://ellistaxoffice.com/tax-sales-2/
  • Written Statement (§ 34.015) pre-purchase requirement: A bidder must obtain a Statement of No Delinquent Taxes from the Tax Assessor-Collector before the officer may deliver the deed. — Tex. Tax Code § 34.015; texas
  • Post-judgment taxes may be due from the buyer: the Tax Office expressly warns that taxes for post-judgment years may be owed by the winning bidder. — https://ellistaxoffice.com/tax-sales-2/
  • As-is / no warranty: The officer’s deed is without warranty (Tex. Tax Code § 34.01(n)); title insurance is the buyer’s responsibility and typically unavailable until the redemption period runs and title is quieted. — texas
  • Deviations from state default: No Ellis County ordinance varying the statewide first-Tuesday schedule, redemption periods, or excess-proceeds process was identified. The county follows Tex. Tax Code Ch. 34 as enacted.

C6. Records Access

C8. Title & Quiet Title

  • Title type: redeemable tax deed — Texas is a redeemable tax-deed state, not a tax-lien-certificate state. The Ellis County officer’s deed conveys “without warranty” the judgment defendant’s interest, subject to the right of redemption. — Tex. Tax Code §§ 34.01(n), 34.21; texas
  • Quiet title (trespass to try title) required? Practically yes after the redemption period expires. The statutory method of determining title to real property in Texas is a trespass-to-try-title action (Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 22), often paired with a suit to quiet title; title insurers generally will not insure a tax-deed title until the redemption period and the § 33.54 one-/two-year limitation bar have run and title is quieted. — Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 22; Tex. Tax Code § 33.54; texas §5b
  • Type / court: Judicial — filed in the Ellis County District Court. Ellis County has three district courts — the 40th, 378th, and 443rd Judicial District Courts, all at the Ellis County Courts & Administration Building, 109 S. Jackson St., Waxahachie, TX 75165. The 378th hears only family-law cases, so a tax-title / quiet-title (civil) action is heard by the 40th (Judge Bob Carroll, (972) 825-5060) or 443rd (Judge Grace Pandithurai, (972) 825-5284) District Court. Cases are filed with the District Clerk (Melanie Reed, (972) 825-5091). — https://www.elliscountytx.gov/771/Judicial-District-Courts ; https://www.elliscountytx.gov/84/378th-Judicial-District-Court
  • Typical timeline: Uncontested trespass-to-try-title / quiet-title actions in Texas may resolve in a few months (defendants have 20 days to answer after personal service; longer where citation by publication is needed for unknown owners/heirs). Contested cases with discovery and trial can run 12–24 months or more. (Ellis County-specific timeline not located in a fetched primary source — see needs_verification)
  • Typical cost range: roughly $3,000–$10,000 for an uncontested Texas quiet-title action, materially higher if contested or if publication service is required; filing fees are set by the Ellis County District Clerk (contact (972) 825-5091 for the current fee schedule). (Ellis County-specific filing fees not extracted from a fetched primary source — see needs_verification)
  • Deed seasoning: The redemption period (180 days or 2 years from deed filing) plus the § 33.54 limitation window must run before a clearing action is meaningful; most local title counsel will not underwrite until then and a quiet-title judgment is obtained. — texas §5b
  • Title insurers active locally: Title/abstract companies serving Ellis County (Waxahachie, Midlothian, Ennis, Red Oak) include Ellis County Title Company (408 Ferris Ave., Waxahachie, TX 75165; (972) 938-2601; https://www.elliscountytitlecompany.com/) and Ellis County Abstract & Title (408 Ferris Ave., Waxahachie). (Whether any local insurer will underwrite a tax-deed title before the redemption period and § 33.54 bar run and a quiet-title judgment is entered was not confirmed from a fetched primary source — see needs_verification.)

C9. Purchaser Obligations

  • Subsequent tax payment office: Post-judgment property taxes that accrue on the purchased property are paid to the Ellis County Tax Office (Tax Assessor-Collector Richard Rozier), 302 N. Monroe St., Waxahachie, TX 75165; (972) 825-5150; https://ellistaxoffice.com/. The Tax Office expressly notes that “Taxes for post[-]judgment years may also be due from the buyer.” Such taxes the purchaser pays are recoverable as part of the redemption “costs” the former owner must repay (Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(g)). — https://ellistaxoffice.com/tax-sales-2/ ; Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(g); texas
  • Notice to owner procedure: Texas law (Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(g)) requires the purchaser, upon written request from the person redeeming, to deliver a written itemization of the “costs” spent on the property within a statutory window so the redeeming party can compute the payoff. No Ellis County-specific local form or procedure for this notice was identified; it follows the statewide statutory requirement. — Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(g); texas (no Ellis County ordinance separately governing purchaser-to-owner notice identified — see needs_verification)
  • Redemption payment office: The former owner redeems by paying the purchaser directly (bid + recording fee + taxes/costs paid + 25%/50% premium). If the purchaser cannot be located, payment is tendered to the Ellis County Tax Assessor-Collector (Richard Rozier, (972) 825-5150). — Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(f); texas
  • Occupancy and access during redemption: The right of redemption does not grant the former owner use or possession during the redemption period (Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(h)); the purchaser holds the recorded (defeasible) deed and may pursue possession, subject to eviction process. Eviction (forcible-entry-and-detainer) proceedings are heard by the Ellis County Justice of the Peace courts. — Tex. Tax Code § 34.21(h); texas (specific JP precinct routing for the property not pinned to a fetched primary source — see needs_verification)

C10. Local Restrictions

  • Right of first refusal active locally? No active municipal/land-bank right of first refusal on Ellis County tax-foreclosure sales was identified. (no Ellis County ROFR ordinance located — see needs_verification)
  • Land bank active? No active formal land bank in Ellis County or its municipalities (Waxahachie, Midlothian, Ennis, Red Oak) was identified. Texas’s Urban Land Bank Demonstration Program (Tex. Local Gov’t Code Ch. 379C) is available to qualifying municipalities, but no Ellis County activation was found. (no land bank entity confirmed — see needs_verification)
  • Land bank name / URL: N/A — none identified.
  • Entity / insider notes: No Ellis County-specific entity or insider-purchase restrictions beyond the statewide framework were identified. The statewide rules apply: the § 34.015 bidder Written Statement (no delinquent taxes); broad “person/purchaser” eligibility for LLCs/corporations/trusts; and the general conflict-of-interest framework. Struck-off property with no sufficient bid is struck off to the taxing units and may be resold under § 34.05 (functioning as the de facto disposition route). — Tex. Tax Code §§ 34.015, 34.05; texas §11b

C7. Meta

  • parent_state: texas
  • last_verified: 2026-06-02
  • confidence: 0.80
  • completeness_score: 0.83
  • gap_score: 9

sources

typeurlretrievednotes
county_tax_officehttps://ellistaxoffice.com/tax-sales-2/2026-06-02Tax Sales page: online auction at ellis.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com; first Tuesday 10:00 a.m.; Linebarger LGBS property list at taxsales.lgbs.com; “Payment in full is required of the winning bidder on the day of sale”; post-judgment taxes may be due from buyer
state_comptrollerhttps://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/county-directory/ellis.php2026-06-02TAC Richard Rozier, 302 N. Monroe St., Waxahachie 75165-3350, (972) 825-5150, taxoffice@co.ellis.tx.us; CAD chief appraiser Kathy Rodrigue, 400 Ferris Ave., (972) 937-3552, ecad@elliscad.com; county seat Waxahachie
county_govhttps://www.elliscountytx.gov/79/District-Clerk2026-06-02District Clerk Melanie Reed; 109 S. Jackson St., 2nd Floor, Waxahachie 75165 (P.O. Box 250, 75168); (972) 825-5091; hours 8:00–4:30; administers court-ordered trust accounts
county_govhttps://www.elliscountytx.gov/74/County-Clerk2026-06-02County Clerk Krystal Valdez; 109 S. Jackson St. (P.O. Box 250, 75168); (972) 825-5070; recording fees $25 first page/$4 additional; records portal public.lgsonlinesolutions.com/ors.html; recording@elliscountytx.gov
county_govhttps://www.elliscountytx.gov/771/Judicial-District-Courts2026-06-02Three district courts: 40th (Judge Bob Carroll, (972) 825-5060), 378th (family-only, Judge William Wallace), 443rd (Judge Grace Pandithurai, (972) 825-5284); all at 109 S. Jackson St.
county_govhttps://www.elliscountytx.gov/84/378th-Judicial-District-Court2026-06-02378th District Court hears only family-law cases (civil/title actions routed to 40th or 443rd)
county_govhttps://www.elliscountytx.gov/960/Public-Notices2026-06-02Public Notices: foreclosure notices posted to public, deleted at end of sale month; County Clerk Foreclosures archive at co.ellis.tx.us/Archive.aspx?AMID=60
sheriff_govhttps://elliscountysheriff.com/ecso/index.php/administration2026-06-02Sheriff Brad Norman (elected 2021, re-elected 2024); Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, Waxahachie
cad_govhttps://www.elliscad.org/property-search2026-06-02ECAD property search by address/owner/account; free; map tool at elliscad.org/maps
censushttps://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/elliscountytexas/PST0452242026-06-02Ellis County population (~232k–242k range; 25th-most-populous TX county); FIPS 48139
newshttps://www.waxahachiesun.com/business/county-tax-sales-to-go-online-aug-1/article_f2bf1008-1440-11ee-80d3-e7923b56a311.html2026-06-02Secondary: Ellis County tax sales moved online Aug 1, 2023 via Real Auction; bidders pre-register and complete online training at ellis.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com; sales conducted by Sheriff
title_cohttps://www.elliscountytitlecompany.com/2026-06-02Ellis County Title Company, 408 Ferris Ave., Waxahachie 75165, (972) 938-2601; title insurance/closings since 1935
directoryhttps://www.taxsaleresources.com/counties/ellis-county-texas2026-06-02Secondary: confirms redeemable-deed sale type; Linebarger county contact John Bridges, john.bridges@lgbs.com, (972) 923-5150

needs_verification

  • RealAuction (ellis.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com) deposit/escrow and pre-bid funding mechanics — the live site returned HTTP 403 to the fetch tool on 2026-06-02; vendor identity, URL, and pre-registration requirement confirmed via the Tax Office page and county newspaper, but the deposit amount/process was not read directly from the platform.
  • Ellis County’s specific § 34.015 Written-Statement fee, notarization requirement, and validity period (statewide requirement confirmed; county-specific fee/terms not pinned to a fetched county page).
  • Exact accepted payment instruments at sale (the Tax Office states “payment in full on the day of sale” but does not enumerate cashier’s check / money order / etc.).
  • Next specific upcoming sale date pinned to a dated county calendar/notice page.
  • Whether any Ellis County district court publishes a local excess-proceeds policy or a fill-in claim form beyond the statewide § 34.04 petition framework.
  • Whether the District Clerk or county publishes a registry-fund / excess-proceeds (“excess funds”) disclosure list (none located).
  • Sheriff’s Office published mailing line shows “300 South Jackson” with ZIP 75065 in some directories — likely a typo for 75165; confirm exact address and a direct sale-desk phone.
  • Direct online tax-payment lookup/portal URL for the Ellis County Tax Office.
  • Ellis County-specific quiet-title / trespass-to-try-title timeline, cost, and district-court filing fees (statewide ranges used).
  • Whether any local title insurer will underwrite a tax-deed title pre-quiet-title.
  • Ellis County JP precinct routing for post-redemption eviction (FED) actions.
  • Any Ellis County land bank or municipal right-of-first-refusal program (none identified).

changelog

  • 2026-06-02 — Initial population (autoresearch). C0–C10 filled from Ellis County official sources (Tax Office, District Clerk, County Clerk, Judicial District Courts, Public Notices, Sheriff’s Office, ECAD), the Texas Comptroller county directory, and Census QuickFacts, with the RealAuction online-sale migration corroborated by the Waxahachie Sun. Linebarger LGBS confirmed as delinquent-tax counsel and sale-list host. Statute layer inherited from texas. The justex.net “Tax Court Policy” PDF surfaced in search is a Harris County (justex) document, not Ellis-specific, and was deliberately NOT cited. Honest gaps flagged.

texas, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, third-party-recovery-rules, sheriff-sale, tyler-v-hennepin-county, mitchell-v-map-resources-2022

▸ For Investors / Operators — Ellis County’s officer’s sale is online via RealAuction (ellis.texas.sheriffsaleauctions.com) on the first Tuesday, with the delinquent list on Linebarger’s taxsales.lgbs.com. The acquisition-relevant facts: the redemption window is 180 days (or 2 years for homestead/ag/mineral) from deed recording with a 25%/50% premium and a non-transferable redemption right (§ 34.21(l)); the path to insurable title runs through the § 33.54 limitation bar plus a trespass-to-try-title/quiet-title action in the 40th or 443rd Ellis County District Court; and surviving liens (federal tax liens with the IRS § 7425 120-day redemption; municipal/POA liens folded into redemption costs) are detailed at texas §7b.

▸ For Former Owners — If an Ellis County tax sale produced more than the taxes, penalties, interest, and costs, the surplus is yours after senior claims (§ 34.04). You file a verified petition in the Ellis County District Court that ordered the sale; the District Clerk (Melanie Reed, (972) 825-5091) holds the funds in the court registry; and the deadline is before the second anniversary of the sale, after which the money goes to the taxing units. An attorney’s fee to recover it is capped at 25% or $1,000, whichever is less (§ 34.04(i)).

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Ellis County, Texas tax-sale and surplus procedure from the county’s own official sources as of the last_verified date. Offices, platforms, forms, dates, and personnel change; verify against the cited county pages and consult a licensed Texas attorney before acting.

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