We counted 11,463 tax lawsuits on the public docket. Most never get near an auction, and the ones that do take close to two years.
Most writing about tax sales covers the law. This page counts what the public record shows. We buy houses in Hidalgo County, including ones with tax suits against them, so we pull these records for our own research and we have a business interest in the subject. Even so, if you want to keep the house, the tax office is the first call, not us.
Everything here is a total, range or typical gap. We don't list any person, property or case. The dates and limits are in how we counted.
In Hidalgo County, the road to a tax sale usually runs through a lawsuit. A delinquent-tax law firm sues on behalf of the taxing units, naming the owners it can find. Here is every suit we found, by the year it was filed and where the docket stood on October 19, 2026.
| Year filed | Suits filed | Dismissed | Disposed | Still open* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,790 | 418 | 1,312 | 60 |
| 2020 | 1,245 | 465 | 711 | 69 |
| 2021 | 1,627 | 641 | 835 | 151 |
| 2022 | 1,298 | 416 | 665 | 217 |
| 2023 | 1,354 | 345 | 670 | 339 |
| 2024 | 1,495 | 324 | 573 | 598 |
| 2025 | 1,404 | 233 | 393 | 778 |
| 2026 (through Oct. 15) | 1,250 | 27 | 173 | 1,050 |
| Total | 11,463 | 2,869 | 5,332 | 3,262 |
*Still open combines the docket statuses Filed, Active, Inactive, Re-Opened and Appealed. "Disposed" means the case was closed, not that the property was sold. The status field doesn't say why a case was dismissed, so we don't assume it was paid.
Before a judgment, the owners have to be served, and often they're hard to find or no longer living. Among the 931 suits filed in 2023 and not dismissed:
If you inherited a house and got papers about it, you're not unusual. Texas heirship and probate routes are covered in our inherited house guide for McAllen.
Two filing years are old enough to show the pattern. Each suit below is counted once, at the furthest step on its docket.
| Furthest step on the docket | Filed in 2023 | Share | Filed in 2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dismissed | 345 | 27% | 324 | 23% |
| Non-suit order, no judgment | 278 | 22% | 265 | 18% |
| Still open, no judgment | 285 | 22% | 525 | 37% |
| Other closure, no judgment | 21 | 2% | 13 | 1% |
| Judgment, no order of sale | 272 | 21% | 268 | 19% |
| Order of sale issued | 75 | 6% | 38 | 3% |
| All suits counted | 1,276 | 100% | 1,433 | 100% |
These can't be read as final rates, because open suits can still move ahead and 2024 has had less time. But an order of sale is clearly the exception so far. Even a judgment isn't the end of the story. Of the 347 suits filed in 2023 with a judgment, 78 (22%) later showed a release of judgment and 9 (3%) showed an order to vacate. An order of sale doesn't guarantee a sale either, since a property can be pulled before the sale happens.
| Step | Suits | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filing to first judgment | 653 | 539 days (about 18 months) | 360 to 722 days |
| Judgment to order of sale | 113 | 157 days (about 5 months) | 89 to 296 days |
| Filing to order of sale | 113 | 690 days (about 23 months) | 482 to 870 days |
| Order of sale to officer's return filed | 97 | 59 days (about 2 months) | 49 to 70 days |
These figures lean short: slow cases that haven't reached a step aren't counted yet, so the true typical time may be longer. The fastest judgment was 61 days after filing, so don't take a median as your deadline. The docket for your own case is on the District Clerk's free online search.
From 3,634 suits filed from 2023 on where we could read an amount in the petition:
Those amounts can be small next to what a house is worth. That's a reason to check the payoff and any plan you qualify for before assuming the house is lost.
Hidalgo County tax sales are conducted by the sheriff or a constable on the first Tuesday of the month, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and recent sales and resales have run as online auctions, which Tex. Tax Code § 34.01(a-1) allows a commissioners court to authorize. Format and location have changed more than once, so we don't publish one here. Confirm any specific sale with the Hidalgo County Tax Office. In the lists we've tracked, law firms post properties about three to four weeks ahead.
The lists show a value and an estimated minimum bid for each property. Under § 34.01, the floor is generally tied to the lesser of the property's market value and the amount of the judgments, which is why it can be far below value. Here is what our saved lists show. They're small snapshots, each from a single firm, not the whole county.
| List | Tracts | Listed value | Minimum bid | Minimum as % of value (median, range) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 6, 2026 sale (one firm's list) | 8 | $23,000 to $272,000 | $14,000 to $113,000 | 38% (17% to 92%) |
| July 7, 2026 resale (one firm's list) | 6 | $24,000 to $162,000 | $100 to $57,000 | 21% (under 1% to 47%) |
| Struck-off inventory (one firm's list, Oct. 2026) | 58; 51 show a minimum | $2,000 to $383,000 | $2,000 to $155,000 | 82% (14% to 381%) |
A minimum bid isn't the price. The sale and resale lists warn that taxes may be due beyond the listed minimum. On the struck-off list, 11 of 51 minimums about equal the listed value, and 6 are higher than it. We can't tell from the list why those 6 are higher.
No sufficient bid. Under § 34.01(j), unless the taxing unit ends the sale, the officer bids the property off to the taxing unit that requested it. People call this "struck off." Under § 34.05, that unit can resell it later. A sheriff's or constable's public resale may be at any amount consistent with the Texas Constitution, which fits the very low minimums on the resale list above. Any resale is subject to the former owner's redemption right.
Redemption. Under § 34.21, a residence homestead, agricultural land or mineral interest generally has two years from the date the deed is filed for record, with a 25% premium in the first year and 50% in the second when redeeming from a private purchaser. Other property generally has 180 days and a premium of up to 25%. The right doesn't give the former owner use or possession during that period.
Excess proceeds. Among suits filed in 2023 and 2024, 23 showed a notice of excess proceeds on the docket. We didn't total the amounts. Under § 34.03, the clerk holds excess proceeds for two years after the sale, and under § 34.04 a claimant must petition before the second anniversary. Lienholders come ahead of former owners. If no one establishes a claim, the money goes to the taxing units. The statute also limits how a claim can be assigned, including a bar on transfers that result from in-person or telephone solicitation, and it limits fees. Ask an attorney or the court clerk how to petition. (General information, not legal advice.)
Related guides: Hidalgo County guide · Back property taxes in McAllen · Sell My House Fast in McAllenSell My House Fast in McKinney · Back taxes · Selling your share
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your own dates and amounts with the Hidalgo County Tax Office at (956) 318-2157, the District Clerk or a Texas attorney. Statutes change, and the law controls over this summary.
Not usually, based on our count. Of 1,276 suits filed in 2023, 75 (6%) showed an order of sale by October 19, 2026. About half had been dismissed or ended with a non-suit order and no judgment. Some still open could reach a sale later, and your own case may move faster, so check your docket and call the tax office.
Among 2023 and 2024 suits that had reached the step by October 19, 2026, the median was about 18 months from filing to judgment and about 23 months from filing to an order of sale. The middle half of orders of sale came about 16 to 29 months after filing. Those are not guarantees: the fastest order of sale in that group came about 6 months after filing.
In the 3,634 suits filed from 2023 on where we could read the amount in the petition, the median was about $7,500, and about two-thirds were under $10,000. The middle half ran from about $4,400 to $12,200. The petition's figure is a point in time, and the payoff grows after that.
Lists show an estimated minimum for each property. On one firm's list for the October 6, 2026 sale, the minimum ran from 17% to 92% of adjudged value, with a median of 38%, across 8 tracts. That small sample isn't a forecast of what any property will bring, and taxes beyond the listed amounts may still be due.
Under Tex. Tax Code § 34.01(j), if the taxing unit doesn't end the sale, the officer bids the property off to the taxing unit that requested it. That's what "struck off" means. The taxing unit can resell it later, and any resale is subject to the former owner's redemption right.
Often, within the deadline. Under Tex. Tax Code § 34.21, a residence homestead, agricultural land or mineral interest generally has two years from the date the deed is filed for record, with a 25% premium in the first year and 50% in the second when redeeming from a private purchaser. Other property generally has 180 days and a premium of up to 25%. You don't get use or possession during that time.
The excess goes to the court's registry. Under Tex. Tax Code §§ 34.03 and 34.04, the clerk holds it for two years, and a former owner or other claimant can petition the court before the second anniversary of the sale. Lienholders come ahead of former owners. If no one establishes a claim, it goes to the taxing units. Be careful with anyone offering to get it for you: the statute limits assignments and fees.
Pay it, or ask the Hidalgo County Tax Office at (956) 318-2157 about your options. A homestead owner may qualify for a mandatory installment agreement under Tex. Tax Code § 33.02, and someone 65 or older, disabled, or a disabled veteran may qualify for a § 33.06 deferral. Selling is another way out, but not the first one to check if you want to keep the house.
If you want to keep the house, call the tax office first. If you don't, or you've inherited a mess, call or text (956) 339-1848 and we'll go through your options with no pressure.