West Virginia Tax Liens

West Virginia State Overview:

In West Virginia the Sheriff is responsible for the collection of back taxes. The Sheriff prepares a list of delinquent properties in the first two weeks of September. His responsibilities include conducting and overseeing the tax lien auction. All of the tax liens are sold to the highest bidder. All counties will publish their list in their local newspapers three to six weeks prior to the date of the auction. The starting bid begins with the back taxes, any penalties, and administrative fees included. The property owner has up to 5:00 pm the day before the sale to pay off all of his taxes, penalties, and fees. The highest bidder gets the tax lien certificate, but the amount of money that anyone bids past the amount that is owed does not accrue interest. So anything that is overbid does not accrue interest for the investor.