Newport News City, Virginia — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

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

Newport News is a Virginia independent city (FIPS 51700) — it is not part of any county and runs its own treasurer, circuit court, and tax-sale machinery entirely. Like all Virginia localities, it uses a judicial tax-deed sale process: the treasurer refers delinquent accounts to outside counsel (DolanReid PLLC, serving as court-appointed special commissioner), the Circuit Court for the City of Newport News oversees the bill-in-equity proceeding, and the resulting auction is conducted online via Virginia Auction Company (vaauctionco.com).

C0. Identity

• Name: Newport News City (independent city — not part of any county)
• FIPS: 51700
• County seat / governing seat: Newport News City Hall, 2400 Washington Avenue, Newport News, VA 23607
• Recording unit type: Independent city — maintains its own Circuit Court Clerk for land records and its own Treasurer for tax collection; no separate county recorder
• Population: ~186,247 (2020 census)
• Parent legal framework: virginia

C1. Local Tax Sale

• Conducts own sale? Yes — the City Treasurer’s office refers delinquent accounts (2+ years past due) to DolanReid PLLC as outside counsel / court-appointed special commissioner for the judicial bill-in-equity proceeding under Va. Code §§ 58.1-3965 to 58.1-3969. Source: https://www.nnva.gov/faq.aspx?TID=23 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Sale platform: Virginia Auction Company, Inc. (VAF#662) conducts the online auction.

  • Auction listing portal: https://www.vaauctionco.com
  • Bidding platform: https://bid.vaauctionco.com
  • Address: 3533 Pruden Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23434 · Phone: (757) 538-0123 Sources: https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw139238 (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw147362 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Sale calendar: Newport News holds multiple online auctions per year. Confirmed auction dates from official auction pages:

  • August 24 – September 8, 2021 (w/ Isle of Wight & Southampton)
  • April 18 – May 2, 2023
  • April 16–23, 2024 (w/ Isle of Wight & Southampton)
  • March 18–25, 2025 (w/ Halifax County)
  • May 13–20, 2025
  • July 15–22, 2025
  • July 23–30, 2025
  • September 23–30, 2025 (w/ Isle of Wight & Southampton)
  • Frequency: 3–6 auctions per year, no fixed single annual date; auctions occur as judicial suits ripen. Newport News sometimes joins multi-jurisdiction auctions with neighboring Isle of Wight County and Southampton County. Sources: https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw139238 (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw120366 (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw147362 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Rate within statutory range: Real estate tax rate $1.18 per$100 of assessed value (FY2024 forward, per City Council; prior year FY2023 rate was $1.20). Tax bills due December 5 and June 5 annually. Sources: https://www.nnva.gov/faq.aspx?TID=23 (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.nnva.gov/529/Tax-Rate-Schedules (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Registration & deposit:

  • Register at https://www.vaauctionco.com with proper identification before the auction opens.
  • 20% deposit required at the close of the auction for properties selling above $3,000; full payment within 24 hours for properties at or below$3,000.
  • Balance due within 10 days of auction close.
  • No buyer’s premium on judicial lots (contrast: nonjudicial/§ 58.1-3975 lots carry a 15% buyer’s premium + $200 deed recordation fee).
  • Payments made payable to: James J. Reid, Esq. / DolanReid PLLC, 12610 Patrick Henry Drive, Suite D, Newport News, VA 23602. Sources: https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw139238 (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw147362 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Bidder requirements:

  • Must electronically sign the Memorandum of Sale / Purchase Agreement within 30 minutes of receipt.
  • Must affirm: not an elected official of Newport News; not affiliated with DolanReid PLLC or its employees/family members; does not owe delinquent taxes to the City.
  • May be asked to demonstrate availability of funds for the required deposit.
  • Default (failure to sign or pay) → deposit forfeiture + ban from future VAA auctions. Source: https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw139238 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Delinquent list location: The City posts current delinquent-tax auction listings at https://www.nnva.gov/2889/Real-EstateProperty-Auctions. When no auction is active, the page states “At this time, there is no active delinquent tax auctions.” Individual auction property lists are posted on Virginia Auction Company’s site ~3 weeks before bidding opens. Sources: https://www.nnva.gov/2889/Real-EstateProperty-Auctions (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://www.nnva.gov/2887/Real-EstateProperty-Auctions (retrieved 2026-06-02)

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

• Where to redeem locally: Contact the Treasurer’s Delinquent Department before the auction date. Payment must cover all taxes, penalties, interest, attorney’s fees, and costs (Va. Code § 58.1-3965). Once a property is referred to DolanReid PLLC, the payoff amount is coordinated through the special commissioner. Source: https://www.nnva.gov/faq.aspx?TID=23 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Local fees / delinquency trigger: Accounts more than 2 years delinquent may be sent to outside attorneys for collection or tax sale (consistent with Va. Code § 58.1-3965’s 2-year trigger for most residential properties). The delinquency penalty and interest rates are set by Newport News ordinance (Code Ch. 40, Art. II, Sec. 40-28) pursuant to Va. Code § 58.1-3916, which caps penalty at 10% of tax due and interest at 10% per year (or IRS rate, whichever is greater, for 2nd+ years). (Exact Newport News Sec. 40-28 text not directly retrieved — needs_verification.) Sources: https://www.nnva.gov/faq.aspx?TID=23 (retrieved 2026-06-02); https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter39/section58.1-3916/ (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Installment agreement: The Treasurer’s Delinquent Department (757-926-8731) can negotiate payment plans; the Treasurer may suspend the judicial action under a ≤72-month installment agreement per Va. Code § 58.1-3965. Source: https://www.nnva.gov/faq.aspx?TID=23 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Post-sale redemption: None — Virginia is a no-post-sale-redemption state. Title vests in the purchaser upon Circuit Court confirmation (30–60 days after auction). The owner’s only redemption window closes at the moment the auction is held. Source: virginia (Va. Code §§ 58.1-3965, 58.1-3967)

• Redemption contact:

  • Office: Newport News Treasurer — Delinquent Department
  • Phone: 757-926-8731
  • Address: 2400 Washington Ave. (P.O. Box 975), Newport News, VA 23607
  • URL: https://www.nnva.gov/376/Treasurer

• Deviations from state default: None identified beyond standard judicial process; Newport News follows the standard Virginia judicial bill-in-equity track for most parcels. Nonjudicial minimal-value track (§ 58.1-3975) is also used for small-assessed properties — these appear as separate lots in the same VAA auctions (with buyer’s premium, full payment same day).

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

• Claim filing venue:

  • Office: Circuit Court for the City of Newport News (Clerk: The Honorable Angela F. Reason)
  • Address: 2500 Washington Avenue, Newport News, VA 23607
  • Phone: 757-926-8561 (main); 757-926-8355 (Land Records)
  • Email: circuitcourtclerk@nnva.gov
  • URL: https://www.nnva.gov/191/Circuit-Court
  • Surplus from the judicial tax sale is deposited in the Circuit Court registry by the special commissioner (DolanReid PLLC) after confirmation and is claimed by petition to the Circuit Court (Va. Code § 58.1-3967).

• Claim form: No Newport News-specific surplus claim form identified on official city or court websites. Claimants must file a petition to the Circuit Court for release of court-registry funds. (Court-specific petition form or instruction sheet — needs_verification.)

• Local deadline notes: 2 years from the date of confirmation of sale under Va. Code § 58.1-3967. After 2 years, the locality may seek to have unclaimed funds paid to its general fund — but note the constitutional limit from mckeithen-v-city-of-richmond-2023 (Va. 2023): where the City’s lien is already satisfied, the escheat-to-locality provision cannot take a junior lienor’s vested interest. Operators should treat the 2-year window carefully.

• Unclaimed-funds list published: No Newport News-specific published unclaimed surplus list found on official city/court websites. (Needs verification — ask Circuit Court Clerk.)

• Contact:

  • Name: The Honorable Angela F. Reason (Clerk of Court)
  • Phone: 757-926-8561
  • Email: circuitcourtclerk@nnva.gov
  • For surplus-related questions, contact DolanReid PLLC (special commissioner) at 12610 Patrick Henry Drive, Suite D, Newport News, VA 23602.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Newport News runs an all-online judicial bill-in-equity sale (3–6 times per year) through Virginia Auction Company at vaauctionco.com, with DolanReid PLLC as special commissioner. Judicial lots require a 20% deposit and 10-day balance with no buyer’s premium, while nonjudicial § 58.1-3975 lots in the same auction carry a 15% buyer’s premium and same-day full payment — know which track applies before bidding. Title transfers only after 30–60 days of Circuit Court confirmation; Virginia has no post-sale redemption. Check virginia §5b for the marketable-title path and §7b for surviving lien exposure.

▸ For Former Owners — Surplus from a Newport News judicial tax sale is deposited in the Circuit Court registry (Hon. Angela F. Reason, Clerk, 2500 Washington Ave., 757-926-8561) and claimed by petition under Va. Code § 58.1-3967. The deadline is 2 years from the date of confirmation; after that the locality may seek the funds, though mckeithen-v-city-of-richmond-2023 limits that right where the City’s lien is already satisfied. Contact the Circuit Court Clerk or DolanReid PLLC for the specific case file and surplus amount.

C4. Offices & Contacts

C5. Local Procedure Notes

• Nonjudicial minimal-value track (§ 58.1-3975): Newport News conducts both judicial (bill-in-equity) sales and nonjudicial minimal-value sales. The nonjudicial lots appear in the same VAA auctions as the judicial lots but under different payment terms: full payment within 2 hours of auction close; 15% buyer’s premium + $200 deed recordation fee; payment to Virginia Auction Company directly (not to DolanReid). Verified in the September 2025 auction (Lots 4–8 vs. Lots 1–3). Source: https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw147362 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Court confirmation window: After each auction, the special commissioner submits results to the Circuit Court. Confirmation takes 30–60 days from the sale date. Deed transfers to the purchaser only after confirmation and full payment. Source: https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw139238 (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Multi-jurisdiction auctions: Newport News regularly pools its delinquent parcels with neighboring jurisdictions (Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, Halifax County) in combined VAA auctions. Each jurisdiction’s lots remain subject to their own circuit court for confirmation (the Newport News lots confirm in Newport News Circuit Court).

• Independent-city structure: independent-city-recording — Newport News is one of Virginia’s 38 independent cities; it is not part of any county. All functions that elsewhere rest in county officers (treasurer, circuit court clerk, commissioner of revenue, assessor) are performed by city officers. There is no county treasurer or county circuit court involved.

• No sheriff involvement in tax sales: Virginia’s judicial tax-sale process uses a special commissioner (DolanReid PLLC), not the Sheriff. The Newport News Sheriff’s Office handles court security and civil process but is not a party to the delinquent tax sale proceedings.

• Tax rate history: Rate has changed in recent years — $1.22/100 (pre-FY2023),$1.20/100 (FY2023), $1.18/100 (current as of FAQ retrieved 2026-06-02). The current FAQ states$1.18.

• City-surplus vs. tax-sale surplus: Newport News also auctions city-owned surplus property (equipment, vehicles) through Public Surplus and GovDeals — those auctions are administered by the Office of Purchasing (Gary Sightler, 757-926-8721) and are entirely separate from delinquent tax auctions. Source: https://www.nnva.gov/700/Surplus-Property (retrieved 2026-06-02)

C6. Records Access

• Parcel search portal: https://assessment.nnva.gov/PT/search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=address (Newport News Real Estate Assessor — Public Access; search by address or parcel number) Source: https://www.nnva.gov/302/Property-Assessment-Search (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Recorder / deed search (land records): Remote subscription access to grantor/grantee index and deed images from 1896 onward via Virginia courts’ JSRA portal: https://risweb.vacourts.gov/jsra/sra/#/home In-person access at the Circuit Court Clerk’s Land Records division, 2500 Washington Ave., 8 AM–4 PM M–F (757-926-8355; landrecords@nnva.gov). Source: https://www.nnva.gov/225/Remote-Access-of-Land-Records (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• GIS map:

  • GeoHub (open data / parcel layer): https://geohub.nnva.gov
  • Parcels dataset: https://geohub.nnva.gov/datasets/nngov::parcels/explore
  • Interactive GIS Map Viewer: https://maps.nnva.gov/ Source: https://www.nnva.gov/277/Real-Estate-Assessor (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Tax payment portal: https://www.billerpayments.com/app/cust/guestauth.do?bsn=nnvare (Newport News “Easy Check” real-estate eCheck payment; Invoice Cloud credit-card payments also available with 2.95% fee / $2.95 minimum) Source: https://www.nnva.gov/393/Easy-Check (retrieved 2026-06-02)

• Auction listings: https://www.nnva.gov/2889/Real-EstateProperty-Auctions (City’s official real estate/property auctions page — links to active VAA auctions)

C7. Meta

sources:

• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/faq.aspx?TID=23”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Real Estate Tax FAQs: tax rate $1.18/100, due dates Dec 5/Jun 5, 2-year delinquency threshold, Delinquent Department phone
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/376/Treasurer”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Treasurer: Sanu Dieng Cooper, 757-926-8731, P.O. Box 975, treasurer@nnva.gov
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/2887/Real-EstateProperty-Auctions”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Auctions page (current): no active auction; Treasurer Sanu Dieng Cooper contact
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/2889/Real-EstateProperty-Auctions”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Auctions page (alternate URL): two auction categories confirmed, VAA link
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/191/Circuit-Court”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Circuit Court Clerk Angela F. Reason, 757-926-8561, 2500 Washington Ave.
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/277/Real-Estate-Assessor”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Real Estate Assessor Jon D. Fountain, 757-926-1926, 700 Town Center Dr. Suite 220
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/330/Commissioner-of-the-Revenue”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Commissioner Tiffany Boyle, 757-926-8752
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/366/Sheriffs-Office”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Sheriff Gabriel Morgan, 224 26th St., 757-926-8535
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/302/Property-Assessment-Search”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Parcel search portal confirmation
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/225/Remote-Access-of-Land-Records”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Remote deed/land records via JSRA; in-person Land Records 757-926-8355
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/393/Easy-Check”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Tax payment URL: billerpayments.com/…bsn=nnvare; Invoice Cloud for credit card
• {type: official_city, url: “https://www.nnva.gov/529/Tax-Rate-Schedules”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Tax rate schedules page (personal property confirmed; real estate $1.18 per FAQ)
• {type: auction_platform, url: “https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw139238”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — May 2025 Newport News auction: 13 lots, DolanReid PLLC special commissioner, 20% deposit, 10-day balance, VAA online platform, 30-60 day court confirmation
• {type: auction_platform, url: “https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw120366”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — July 2025 Newport News auction: 8 lots, same terms, DolanReid confirmed
• {type: auction_platform, url: “https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw147362”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Sept 2025 multi-jurisdiction auction: judicial (Lots 1-3, 20% deposit, DolanReid) vs. nonjudicial (Lots 4-8, 15% premium + $200 fee, full payment 2hrs)
• {type: auction_platform, url: “https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw131596”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — March 2025 Newport News + Halifax County auction: DolanReid, 20% deposit, same terms
• {type: auction_platform, url: “https://www.vaauctionco.com/auctions/detail/bw67423”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — 2021 multi-jurisdiction auction: confirms DolanReid long-term relationship, same payment structure
• {type: statute, url: “https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter39/section58.1-3916/”, retrieved: “2026-06-02”} — Va. Code § 58.1-3916: localities may set penalty (max 10%) and interest for delinquent taxes

needs_verification:

• [NV-1] Exact text of Newport News City Code § 40-28 (penalty and interest rates for delinquent real estate taxes) — Municode returned 403; Va. Code § 58.1-3916 caps penalty at 10% and interest at 10%/yr, but local ordinance text not directly retrieved
• [NV-2] Newport News Circuit Court-specific petition form or written instructions for claiming surplus from the court registry (court clerk did not publish a form online)
• [NV-3] Whether Newport News Circuit Court or city publishes a searchable unclaimed tax-sale surplus list; no list found on official websites
• [NV-4] Whether any 2024–2026 General Assembly act imposes a Virginia surplus-recovery fee cap or finder-licensing requirement (none identified through this research pass)
• [NV-5] Federal lien interaction: whether any IRS § 7425 120-day post-sale redemption has been exercised in a Newport News tax sale

cross_links: virginia, right-of-redemption, surplus-funds, third-party-recovery-rules, mckeithen-v-city-of-richmond-2023, tyler-v-hennepin-county, jones-v-flowers, independent-city-recording, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, federal-tax-lien-redemption, heirs-property

changelog:

• 2026-06-02 — Initial population. Sources: Newport News official city pages (treasurer, circuit court, assessor, commissioner of revenue, sheriff, tax FAQs, auctions page); Virginia Auction Company auction pages for 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 Newport News tax auctions (confirming DolanReid PLLC as special commissioner and VAA as platform); Va. Code § 58.1-3916.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Newport News runs an all-online judicial bill-in-equity sale (3–6 times per year) through Virginia Auction Company at vaauctionco.com, with DolanReid PLLC as special commissioner. Judicial lots require a 20% deposit and 10-day balance with no buyer’s premium, while nonjudicial § 58.1-3975 lots in the same auction carry a 15% buyer’s premium and same-day full payment — know which track applies before bidding. Title transfers only after 30–60 days of Circuit Court confirmation; Virginia has no post-sale redemption. Check virginia §5b for the marketable-title path and §7b for surviving lien exposure.

▸ For Former Owners — Surplus from a Newport News judicial tax sale is deposited in the Circuit Court registry (Hon. Angela F. Reason, Clerk, 2500 Washington Ave., 757-926-8561) and claimed by petition under Va. Code § 58.1-3967. The deadline is 2 years from the date of confirmation; after that the locality may seek the funds, though mckeithen-v-city-of-richmond-2023 limits that right where the City’s lien is already satisfied. Contact the Circuit Court Clerk or DolanReid PLLC for the specific case file and surplus amount.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Newport News City, Virginia tax and surplus procedure from the cited primary sources as of 2026-06-02. Auction schedules, tax rates, office personnel, and local practice change; verify all details against current Newport News official sources, the Circuit Court for the City of Newport News, and consult a licensed Virginia attorney before acting. Last verified: 2026-06-02.