Lubbock County Tax Delinquent List: Payment, Deferrals, and Tax Sale

The Lubbock County delinquent tax list is the public record of properties with unpaid property taxes after the February 1 deadline, and you can search it through the Lubbock Central Appraisal District’s online portal at lubbockcad.org or in person at the Tax Assessor-Collector’s office.¹ Once a property shows up on that list, penalties begin at six percent and climb every month the balance sits unpaid, so finding the record is only the first step.

Where to Search

The appraisal district’s property search tool lets you pull accounts by owner name, address, or property number. The property account number returns the cleanest result, especially when the owner’s name is common or the deed has recently changed hands.¹

If you’d rather handle it face to face, the Lubbock County Tax Assessor-Collector’s main office is at 916 Main Street, Suite 102, in Lubbock. Staff can pull account details, print statements, and take payment on the spot.²

What Each Record Shows

A delinquent record ties one property to its outstanding debt. You’ll see the property number, the legal description, the owner’s name as it appears on the most recent deed, and the situs address.¹ The record also breaks out which tax years remain unpaid, so you can see whether the owner missed one year or several.

Beyond the base tax, the ledger carries accumulated penalties and interest calculated through the date of your search. Each taxing unit that levies on the property, including the county, city, school district, hospital district, and any special districts, may appear as a separate line item. The total owed is almost always higher than the original bill, sometimes substantially higher for debts that have run for years.

How the Balance Grows

Texas sets a strict schedule. On February 1, a six-percent penalty plus one-percent interest attaches immediately. For each additional month through June, the penalty rises by one percent and another one percent of interest accrues.³

July 1 is the jump. The total penalty becomes a flat twelve percent of the original tax regardless of how many months have passed.³ If the taxing unit has contracted an attorney to collect, an additional collection penalty may be added, capped at the compensation specified in that attorney contract.⁴ In practice, that often adds another fifteen to twenty percent to the balance. Interest keeps running at one percent per month, with no cap, for as long as any amount remains unpaid.

Paying What You Owe

The Tax Assessor-Collector accepts credit cards, electronic checks through the online portal, personal checks by mail, and cash in person at the Main Street office.² Online and card payments carry a processing fee. Keep the receipt. You’ll need proof the delinquency is cleared if you ever sell or refinance.

Paying the full balance clears the account. Partial payments made without a formal agreement do not stop penalties and interest from continuing to accrue, so pay in full or set up an installment plan.

Installment Agreements

Any property owner can ask the tax collector for an installment agreement, and the collector has discretion to approve it. If the property has a homestead exemption and the owner has not entered into an installment agreement with that taxing unit in the past 24 months, the collector is required to grant the request.⁵

Monthly payments cover taxes, penalties, and interest.
For a homestead, the agreement must run at least 12 months.
No agreement may exceed 36 months.
The agreement must be in writing. Verbal arrangements don’t count.

While the agreement is in force and payments are current, the taxing unit cannot seize the property or file a collection lawsuit.⁵ Miss a payment, fall behind on the current year’s taxes, or breach any other term, and that protection ends immediately.

Deferrals for Seniors and Disabled Homeowners

Owners who are 65 or older or who have a qualifying disability have a separate option on a homestead. Filing an affidavit with the appraisal district pauses all collection activity for as long as the owner continues to own and live in the home. No lawsuits, no tax sale. Deferred taxes still accrue interest, but at five percent per year rather than the standard monthly penalty schedule. Penalties and attorney fees added before the deferral stay on the account, but no new ones are added while the deferral is active.

Deferred taxes don’t disappear. Once the homeowner (or a surviving spouse) moves out or sells, the full balance comes due. If it remains unpaid 180 days after that change in residency, the normal penalty and interest schedule resumes and the taxing units may pursue collection.

If the Debt Isn’t Resolved: Tax Sale

Properties left on the delinquent list long enough face a tax foreclosure lawsuit. The taxing units owed money file suit, and if the court enters judgment, the property is ordered sold at public auction. These sales run between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at the Lubbock County Courthouse. If the first Tuesday falls on January 1 or July 4, the sale moves to the first Wednesday.⁶

The minimum bid covers taxes, penalties, interest, and court costs owed on the property. If no bidder meets that threshold, the taxing unit that requested the sale can either end the auction or let the officer bid the property off to the taxing unit for the lesser of the judgment amount or the market value stated in the judgment.⁶ Unsold properties can be resold later.

Redemption After a Sale

Losing a property at a tax sale isn’t necessarily permanent, but the cost of buying it back rises quickly.

For a homestead or agricultural property, the redemption period lasts two years from the date the buyer’s deed is recorded. During the first year, the former owner must pay the buyer the full bid amount, recording fees, and any taxes the buyer has paid since the sale, plus a 25-percent premium on that total. During the second year, the premium doubles to 50 percent.⁷

For every other kind of property, including commercial buildings, vacant land, and rental units, the window is 180 days from the recording of the buyer’s deed, with a 25-percent premium on the aggregate total. There is no second-year option.⁷

1
Lubbock Central Appraisal District. Lubbock Central Appraisal District
2
Lubbock County, Texas. Main Office
3
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
4
Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Opinion No. KP-0483
5
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.02 – Installment Payment of Delinquent Taxes
6
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Chapter 34 – Tax Sales and Redemption
7
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 34.21 – Right of Redemption