Albemarle County, Virginia
County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.
Sale typestate default
Redemption periodstate default
Investor returnstate default
Governing statutestate default
Notes
Virginia judicial tax sale (deed, not lien certificates — Code of Virginia does not authorize tax lien certificate sales). Albemarle outsources delinquent real estate tax collection and tax sales to Taxing Authority Consulting Services, P.C. (TACS). Parcels become eligible for judicial sale when taxes are delinquent as of Dec 31 following the second anniversary of the tax due date. Sales are infrequent/as-needed public auctions (often courthouse steps or courtroom; some cycles used Nicholls Auction / special commissioner). Join TACS bidder notification list. Charlottesville is an independent city with separate process — confirm parcel jurisdiction.
Auction logistics
Format
Frequency
Deposit rules
Title risk
Deal maths for Virginia
- Assessment ratio
- 1× of market value
- Typical quiet title
- $1,800–$5,000 · 5 mo
- Recording and transfer
- $250
Va. Const. art. X, § 2: "All assessments of real estate and tangible personal property shall be at their fair market value, to be ascertained as prescribed by law." There is no classification and no ratio below full value, except the agricultural, horticultural, forest and open-space use-value deferral the same section authorises.
Offices and records
Areas trending up
Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.
UVA and regional employment spillover supporting higher-demand SF and small multifamily
Master-planned suburban absorption with school-driven demand
Medical and retail job access with relatively liquid inventory versus rural Albemarle