Fairfax County, Virginia

Tax Deed1,160,925 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Deed

Redemption periodstate default

Right to redeem up until the court confirms the sale, not after

Investor returnstate default

N/A — outright deed transfer once confirmed

Governing statutestate default

Code of Virginia Title 58.1, Ch. 39

Notes

Virginia judicial tax sale (deed, not lien certificates — Code of Virginia does not authorize tax lien certificate sales). Fairfax has a very high collection rate; real estate tax auctions are last resort and infrequent. Sales handled by contracted collection counsel Taxing Authority Consulting Services, P.C. (TACS / taxva.com) under Department of Tax Administration oversight. Join TACS bidders list to be notified if/when a public auction is scheduled. Court confirmation required; owner may redeem until confirmation.

Auction logistics

Format

Online / public auction when scheduled (TACS-administered)

Frequency

Infrequent / as needed only (not a fixed annual mass sale) — join bidders list for notices

Platform

Taxing Authority Consulting Services, P.C. (TACS) — Fairfax collection counsel ↗

Deposit rules

Set by Circuit Court decree and TACS sale advertisement for each parcel (historically online auction with buyer’s premium and short payment window — e.g. full payment within ~7 days on some Virginia TACS sales). Confirm per sale notice. Purchasers typically cannot themselves be delinquent to the county.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Proper judicial tax sale after court confirmation generally cuts off most junior liens; federal tax liens can survive. Always read the decree of sale for exceptions.

Quiet title

Court confirmation is the primary clearing step; quiet title may still be used if chain defects appear.

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

Tax collector

Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration — Real Property Auctions ↗

Clerk of court

Fairfax County Circuit Court Clerk (land records) ↗

Property appraiser

Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration — Real Estate Assessments ↗

GIS / parcel map

Fairfax County RESviewer / GIS property map ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Tysons / McLean edge

Metro and office densification supporting high-end multifamily demand

Reston / Herndon tech corridor

Employment-node absorption and Silver Line access

Springfield / Franconia / Huntington

Relative value within Fairfax with transit and federal employment access