Texas has no state income tax and funds local government substantially through property tax, which makes the property tax lien unusually powerful here. If you are behind, the position is serious, but it is also more workable than most people assume.
The lien attaches automatically on January 1 each year for that year\'s taxes. It is not something the county has to file to create. Taxes are generally due by January 31, and amounts unpaid on February 1 become delinquent and begin accruing penalty and interest on a statutory schedule.
The cost of waiting is the part that surprises people. Penalty and interest accumulate monthly, and once the account is referred for collection an additional attorney fee can be added to the balance. A shortfall that felt manageable in February is a materially larger number by the following winter, and it grows on a schedule rather than at anyone's discretion.
The taxing unit can ultimately foreclose on the lien and sell the property at a tax sale. This is a judicial process and it takes time, which means there is usually a window to act. It also means the window is finite, and it closes.
Several relief mechanisms exist and are underused. Texas allows an installment agreement in many circumstances, which stops the situation compounding while you work through it. Homeowners who are over sixty-five or disabled may qualify for a tax deferral on a homestead, which postpones collection while they live there, though interest continues to accrue and the balance eventually comes due from the estate. Your county tax office can tell you what applies to your account. More on this at https://emiliohkix827.inkharbory.com/posts/estate-cleanouts-and-selling-a-house-in-texas-2 .
Check your exemptions while you are there. A homestead exemption that was never filed, or that dropped off after a refinance or a change in ownership, is a common and quietly expensive error. Over-sixty-five and disability exemptions carry additional protections, including a ceiling on school district taxes.
Delinquent taxes do not prevent a sale. They are paid from the proceeds at closing like any other lien, and the title company handles the payoff. What matters is that the equity covers the balance. Where it does, the problem is arithmetic rather than a crisis, and it resolves at the closing table.