The Collin County delinquent property tax list is published by the county Tax Assessor-Collector as a downloadable roll covering every account with unpaid taxes going back 20 years. The file is refreshed each Saturday and posted the following Monday, and it is available at no cost from the Tax Assessor-Collector’s website.1Collin County. Tax Assessor: Property Taxes For a single property, the county’s search portal at taxpublic.collincountytx.gov is the faster tool.
Two Ways to Check Delinquent Status
The formal Delinquent Tax Roll is a raw data file, not a searchable web page. Opening it usefully takes spreadsheet or data-processing software, and it makes sense mainly if you need every delinquent account in the county.
For almost everyone else, the online search portal is the practical option. It lets you pull up a property by account number, owner name, mailing address, property address, or legal description, and it shows immediately whether taxes are current or overdue.2Collin County. Search and Pay Property Tax Whether you are verifying your own account or checking a property before you buy it, the portal answers the question without the download.
What Delinquency Costs, Month by Month
Collin County property taxes are due when the bill arrives and become delinquent if unpaid before February 1.3State of Texas. Texas Tax Code TAX 31.02 – Delinquency Date Penalties and interest start that same day, and they build quickly.
On February 1, a 6 percent penalty and 1 percent interest attach to the unpaid balance. Each month after that, another 1 percent penalty and another 1 percent interest accrue. By July 1, the penalty portion caps at 12 percent, and interest reaches 5 percent for the five months from February through June.4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
The bigger hit lands on July 1. The county can impose an additional collection penalty to cover the cost of the private law firm hired to pursue unpaid accounts, and that penalty can reach 15 to 20 percent of the outstanding tax depending on the county’s contract with the firm.5State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 33.07 – Additional Penalty for Collection Costs for Taxes Due Before June 1 The county must mail notice of this penalty at least 30 days before July 1. Owners who set the letter aside often miss the warning.
If the account goes to court, the taxing unit can recover another 15 percent in attorney’s fees on top of the taxes, penalties, and interest already owed.6State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 33.48 – Recovery of Costs and Expenses Add the 12 percent penalty, five months of interest, the collection penalty, and litigation fees, and a bill left alone through July can grow by 40 percent or more. Interest keeps running at 1 percent per month, with no cap, until the balance is paid.
Installment Agreements With the County
If you cannot pay in full, you can request an installment agreement from the Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector. For a residence homestead, the collector must grant the agreement as long as you have not entered into one in the previous 24 months. For other property, approval is discretionary.7State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 33.02 – Installment Payment of Delinquent Taxes
The plan must last at least 12 months and cannot run longer than 36. Interest keeps accruing on the unpaid portion during the plan, but a valid agreement blocks a tax foreclosure lawsuit as long as you make the scheduled payments. Default, and the county can accelerate the full remaining balance and sue.
Deferral for Seniors, Disabled Owners, and Disabled Veterans
Texas law offers a protection that many delinquent homeowners never hear about. If you are 65 or older, legally disabled, or a qualified disabled veteran, and the delinquent tax is on property you own and occupy as your homestead, you can defer collection entirely by filing an affidavit with the Collin Central Appraisal District.8State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 33.06 – Deferred Collection of Taxes on Residence Homestead of Elderly or Disabled Person or Disabled Veteran
Once the affidavit is on file, no taxing unit can sue you, and your property cannot be sold at a tax sale. The deferral lasts as long as you own and live in the home. When it ends because you sell, move out, or pass away, the taxing units must wait 181 days after sending a delinquency notice before taking collection action. The tax lien stays in place and interest continues to accrue during the deferral, but you will not lose the home while you live in it.
The deferral can also stop a lawsuit or foreclosure sale already underway. If suit has been filed, the affidavit goes to the court. If a sale date is set, the affidavit must be delivered to the chief appraiser, the collector or taxing unit’s attorney, and the officer conducting the sale at least five days before the auction. Qualifying homeowners who never hear about this provision sometimes lose homes they could have kept.
How to Pay a Delinquent Balance
Collin County accepts payment three ways:1Collin County. Tax Assessor: Property Taxes
- Online at taxpublic.collincountytx.gov by credit card or electronic check. A convenience fee applies and is shown before you authorize the transaction.
- By mail using the return envelope from your statement, or to the McKinney office at 2300 Bloomdale Road, McKinney, TX 75071.
- In person at the McKinney office (2300 Bloomdale Rd.), the Frisco office (6101 Frisco Square Blvd.), or the Plano office (900 E. Park Blvd.). You get an immediate receipt, which is worth keeping if the account is seriously delinquent.
Before you pay, confirm the total reflects every penalty and interest charge as of the payment date. Partial payments reduce the balance but do not stop penalties from accruing on the remainder.
What Happens if the Debt Is Not Resolved
When delinquent taxes stay unpaid and no deferral or installment agreement is in place, the county’s contracted attorneys file suit seeking a court judgment against the property. If the court grants judgment, it can order the property sold to satisfy the debt.
Tax sales in Collin County are held on the first Tuesday of the month at the county courthouse. Notice of each auction is published in a local newspaper and posted publicly. The officer conducting the sale, usually the constable or sheriff, executes a deed to the winning bidder. That deed transfers the former owner’s interest subject to redemption rights, recorded restrictive covenants, and valid easements that predate the tax lien.9State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Chapter 34 – Tax Sales and Redemption
Bidders should understand what they are buying. The purchase price must cover the full judgment amount, and no guarantee comes with the property’s physical condition or with encumbrances the judgment does not address.
Redemption After a Tax Sale
The window to reclaim a property after a tax sale depends on what kind of property it was.
If the property was the owner’s residence homestead, was designated for agricultural use, or was a mineral interest, the former owner has two years from the date the purchaser’s deed is recorded to redeem. During the first year, the former owner pays the purchaser the bid price plus all taxes, penalties, interest, and costs the purchaser paid, plus a 25 percent premium on that total. During the second year, the premium rises to 50 percent.10State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 34.21 – Right of Redemption
For other property, including commercial buildings and vacant non-agricultural land, there is no statutory redemption right. Once the deed is recorded, the sale is final. The difference matters to both sides of the transaction: a bidder on a homestead may wait two full years to know whether the sale sticks, while a bidder on commercial property has clear title much sooner.