Tax sale

Richmond officials announced plans to restart the city's real estate tax sale program, dormant since the Levar Stoney administration quietly suspended it in January 2023. The move aims to address more than $32 million in overdue real estate taxes, over $24 million of which is at least six months delinquent. Some debts date to 2006 and risk becoming uncollectible under Virginia's 20-year statute of limitations.

Mayor Danny Avula and Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II described the revamped effort as "enforcement with compassion," emphasizing outreach, payment plans and education rather than property seizure as the primary goal. Under state law, tax-delinquent properties can be auctioned after two years of nonpayment (one year if blighted), with proceeds settling debts and remainder returned to owners. Before the 2023 suspension, 85% of cases were resolved without reaching auction.

The City Attorney's Office has opened cases on 85 properties, while more than 7,600 accounts owing $5.4 million are currently eligible for sale. The program is set to resume by November, with the first auction expected in June 2027.