Monongalia County, West Virginia

Tax Lien108,697 residents

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

Sale typestate default

Tax Lien

Redemption periodstate default

18 months from sale

Investor returnstate default

12% per annum statutory

Governing statutestate default

West Virginia Code Ch. 11A

Notes

West Virginia hybrid: (1) Monongalia County Sheriff Tax Office sells delinquent real estate tax liens annually (historically fall/November; office states selling of delinquent RE taxes in November). Purchasers buy liens, not deeds. (2) After statutory process, certified lands may be sold via WV State Auditor Deputy Land Commissioner (wvsao.gov county collections) by sealed/online bid. Morgantown / WVU market. Confirm current Sheriff sale date and any shift toward State Auditor centralization under recent WV reforms.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (Sheriff lien sale); sealed/online bid via State Auditor for certified land sales

Frequency

Sheriff lien auction annually (typically November); Deputy Land Commissioner land sales on statewide cycles

Platform

Monongalia County Sheriff Tax Office — Delinquent Tax Lien Sale; WV State Auditor (certified lands) ↗

Deposit rules

Follow Sheriff published notice for bidder registration, deposit, and payment each cycle. Certified land bids submitted on State Auditor forms by posted deadlines at wvsao.gov. Lien purchasers must track Notice to Redeem and costs.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Tax lien purchase does not clear mortgages. After Deputy Land Commissioner sale, title quality depends on statutory compliance; federal tax liens and some interests can survive.

Quiet title

After tax deed from Deputy Land Commissioner process, quiet title is commonly required for marketable/insurable title in WV.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Monongalia County Sheriff — Tax Office ↗

304-291-7244

Clerk of court

Monongalia County Clerk (land records) ↗

Property appraiser

Monongalia County Assessor ↗

GIS / parcel map

MapWV / Monongalia parcel resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

Downtown Morgantown / WVU campus edge

University-driven rental demand and selective adaptive-reuse

Suncrest / Evansdale

Hospital and campus-adjacent owner/renter liquidity

Westover / Granville I-79 fringe

Relative entry pricing with logistics and retail employment access