How to File a Tax Lien in Texas
- 1). Apply for any numbers, such as a Central Tax Collector Number, by downloading the proper form from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Access website at tdhca.state.tx.us/mh/tax-lien-db.htm or by calling them directly at 888-576-2240 and having them mail them to you. If you file a lien you must have a Taxing Unit Identification Number if you are representing a municipality, or a Central Tax Collector Number.
- 2). Gather the information required for filing a tax lien. This includes the Taxing Unit Identification Number or Central Tax Collector Number; a Tax Roll Account Number; the tax collector's name, address and phone number; any Housing and Urban Development or serial number (if it's a manufactured home); the proper tax year; the taxpayer's name; the tax collector's signature; and the dollar amount of the lien. Manufactured homes are homes not built on site, but instead built in a factory and then assembled on site. These are sometimes called modular homes or mobile homes.
If you are a part of municipal government, the numbers you need should be on file. If not,
contact the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to obtain your number if you don't know it. - 3). Make sure the home for which you are filing has a label, serial number or Texas Seal before proceeding. Many filings are rejected because the home does not have a seal. Apply for a seal first, if you can't locate the proper number. In cases where a home does not have a label or serial number, a seal can be obtained as a way to distinguish the home from other homes. The seal sticks onto a manufactured home and is used for identification purposes only.
- 4). Submit the above information to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs either electronically or by mail. If sent electronically, the information must be laid out in a .txt (text) document.
- 5). File the lien with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs before June 30 of the following tax year.