Franklin County, Virginia

Tax Deed55,637 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-deed county (no private tax-lien certificates). Franklin County sells delinquent real estate at public auction under Code of Virginia Title 58.1 — 2026 auction noticed for Thursday, June 18, 2026, 1:00 p.m. at the Franklin County Government Center, 1255 Franklin Street, Rocky Mount. Parcel list PDF published on county Real Estate Tax Sale page (counsel James W. Elliott pattern). Surplus proceeds above delinquent taxes belong to the former owner under VA practice. Smith Mountain Lake / Rocky Mount foothills market with Roanoke MSA fringe demand.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person public auction

Frequency

Periodic, roughly annual when inventory is ready (2026: June 18, 1:00 p.m.) — confirm Treasurer/counsel notice

Platform

Franklin County — Real Estate Tax Sale (public auction) ↗

Deposit rules

Judicial/special-commissioner sale terms control deposit and balance. Register/attend as directed in the published auction notice and parcel PDF; typically certified funds day of sale or per decree. Confirm current deposit percentage, buyer's premium (if any), and confirmation timeline with sale counsel before bidding. Owner may redeem until court confirms the sale.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Proper judicial tax sale after confirmation generally cuts off most junior liens named in the action; federal tax liens can survive. Omitted parties and easements of record create residual risk. Full title search mandatory before bidding.

Quiet title

Court confirmation is the primary clearing step; quiet title may still be used if notice or chain-of-title 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

Franklin County Treasurer / Real Estate Tax Sale ↗

540-483-3030

Clerk of court

Franklin County Circuit Court Clerk (sale confirmation; land records) ↗

Property appraiser

Franklin County Commissioner of the Revenue / GIS ↗

GIS / parcel map

Franklin County GIS parcel viewer (CivQuest) ↗

Areas trending up

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

Rocky Mount / county-seat core

Government services and US-220 retail with the steadiest local SF turnover

Smith Mountain Lake / Westlake fringe

Recreation and second-home demand supporting higher liquidity than inland farms

Boones Mill / Roanoke commute corridor

US-220 northbound access toward Roanoke job centers with attainable workforce housing