Adams County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Adams County, seat of Quincy: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
Verified Jul 30, 2026 against official county and state sources.
New here? Read how Illinois tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Adams County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Adams County Collector (the Adams County Treasurer serving as ex officio County Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county states it "traditionally conducts its annual tax sale on the last Monday in October." The 2026 sale is set for "MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2026, 1:00 PM, ADAMS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, COURTROOM 2D." The Collector's tax collection calendar lists October 9 to publish the delinquent tax list and as the last day to register, October 22 as judgment day, and October 23 as the last day to pay taxes before the sale.
Registration and deposit
Register with the County Collector's office at least 10 business days before the sale under 35 ILCS 200/21-220. For 2026 the office accepts registrations until 4:30 PM on Friday, October 9, 2026. Each buyer files a Certificate of Registration with a $300 deposit and a completed IRS Form W-9, including the federal tax classification. Checks must be drawn on a US bank in US dollars. Each buyer registers once, holds a unique taxpayer identification number, and names one agent or bidder, with alternate bidders allowed on the form. A substitute bidder may be named in writing by e-mail or fax by 4:30 PM on Monday, October 19, 2026. The deposit is refunded only if the registrant attends and attempts but fails to buy any parcel. Buyers check in at the Collector's office at least 30 minutes before the sale with a signed check payable to "Adams County Collector" and the amount left blank, then draw a seat and computer number by lot.
Adams County runs a live, in person tax lien sale at the courthouse. Bidders must attend and bid from county-supplied networked laptops running R.A.M.S.; RAMS Auctions confirms "Purchasers attend the sale in person and bid via our networked computers." There is no remote or internet bidding, so no online auction site is available for this sale. Bidding on all delinquent taxes starts at 9 percent and the certificate goes to the lowest penalty bid; if two bidders enter the same rate, the parcel sells to the first bid submitted, and all bids are final. Real estate taxes sell first and mobile homes last. Buyers pay the county for taxes purchased on the day of the sale plus penalties and costs due at that time. The delinquent property list is advertised in local newspapers about three weeks before the sale, and the Collector sells the list in paper or electronic form for $100 (the electronic version includes updates); check the box on the registration form and include payment. In the 2025 sale, 9 buyers registered and participated, 377 of 504 real estate parcels sold on $915,163.36 of tax value, and winning rates ran from 9.0 percent down to 0.0 percent with an 8.38 percent average and a 7.33 percent weighted average. Certificates are issued only to the registered buyer that bought the taxes. Adams County does not sell certificates over the counter; assignable certificates are handled by the county delinquent tax agent, Joseph E. Meyer and Associates, PO Box 96, Edwardsville IL 62025-0096, (618) 656-5744, with lists at iltaxsale.com. Tax buyers pay subsequent taxes in person at the Collector's and County Clerk's offices, normally starting on or around September 18; call first to confirm. After the 2.5 year redemption period a buyer may petition the Eighth Circuit Court for a tax deed, and the county states it does not handle the foreclosure process. Separately, the county buys taxes not sold at the October sale, takes deeds after redemption expires, and auctions those properties by sealed bid in the summer through iltaxsale.com, with a minimum bid including recording fee of $831 for real estate and $905 for mobile homes. In person at the Adams County Courthouse, bidding on Real Time Auction Management System (R.A.M.S.) terminals provided by the county
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Sheriff or a court-appointed private selling officer, under an order of the circuit court. A county acting as trustee runs its own tax deed auctions.
- Frequency
- as ordered by the circuit court
- Typical timing
- Within 120 days after the court order authorizing the auction. Public Act 104-0553 created this route for tax certificates issued on or after July 10, 2026, so the earliest Illinois judicial tax deed auctions fall in 2027, after the 1 year short redemption track runs.
Registration and deposit
Terms of a judicial tax deed auction, including whether it runs online, in person, or both, and what deposit is required, are set in the court's order and published in the notice of tax deed auction. That notice runs once a week for 3 consecutive weeks, starting no more than 45 days and ending no less than 7 days before the auction. Read the notice for each parcel; there is no statewide platform or standing bidder registration.
Bidding opens at the tax deed judgment amount plus 0.75 percent per month since judgment, plus publication and selling officer costs. The petitioning certificate holder is entered as a credit bidder at that minimum. Surplus above the minimum goes to the county treasurer for the former owner to claim.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
Certificates nobody bids on at the annual sale are forfeited to the county as trustee for the taxing districts. The county may then assign a forfeited certificate to any party or sell property it has acquired, which many counties handle through a delinquent tax agent rather than a public counter. Counties may also offer county-held certificates at a scavenger sale with a minimum bid of $250, or half the tax when total liability is under $500. Ask the county collector and the county clerk which program the county runs and who may buy.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Notes for Adams County
- County seat is Quincy. The Collector's office is in the Adams County Courthouse at 507 Vermont St, Suite G12; the sale itself is held upstairs in Courtroom 2D.
- Courtrooms sit inside the secured area of the courthouse. The buyer package directs bidders to the southeast entrance near 6th and Vermont Street and bars electronics, weapons, food, and drinks through security. The courtroom opens 30 minutes before the sale.
- The sale covers delinquent real estate taxes and mobile home local service taxes.
- Fax is 217-277-2000 and the sale contact address is [email protected]; the department page lists [email protected] for general treasurer matters.
- Tax records and duplicate tax bills are free online at https://adamsil.devnetwedge.com/ , useful for verifying parcel amounts before bidding.
- The buyer package cites 35 ILCS 200/21-215 for penalty bidding, 35 ILCS 200/21-220 for registration, 35 ILCS 200/21-110 and 21-115 for publication of the delinquent list, and 35 ILCS 200/20-25 for accepted forms of payment.
- The Collector reserves the right to modify sale rules during the sale, sets the bidding time per item, and can strike and refund items later found ineligible for sale.
- ILTaxSale.com is the site of the county's delinquent tax agent and covers assignable certificates and the summer sealed-bid deed auction. It is not the platform for the October lien sale.
Illinois statewide rules
- Redemption
- Property sold at an Illinois tax sale may be redeemed at any time before the redemption period expires. Public Act 104-0553 set the standard period at 3 years from the date of sale for tax certificates issued on or after July 10, 2026. Certificates issued between January 1, 2024 and July 9, 2026 run on the earlier 2.5 year (30 month) track, and on that track the certificate holder could file a written notice with the county clerk extending redemption to a date no later than 3 years from the sale. A short 1 year period applies when the parcel was, on the date of sale, vacant non-farm property, commercial or industrial property, or improved with a structure holding 7 or more residential units. Certificates the county holds or assigns as trustee run on their own schedule under Section 21-385, and an assignee must file notice within 60 days of assignment setting a redemption deadline no later than 3 years from the assignment.
- Deed deposit
- Illinois does not fix a statutory deposit percentage. Deposit and payment terms are set in the court's order authorizing the auction and by the selling officer, so read the notice of tax deed auction for each sale. A purchaser who fails to complete the sale forfeits any deposit already made to the county surplus equity fund, and the court orders a new auction of the property.
- Surplus proceeds
- Any amount by which the winning bid exceeds the minimum bid is surplus. Within 30 days after the court confirms the sale the selling officer deposits the surplus with the county treasurer, who notifies everyone who received the Section 22-10 take notice that the owner at the time of the sale may file a claim for it. A county running its own tax deed auction deposits surplus with the treasurer within 30 days of the sale and notifies interested parties within 60 days. Separately, a previous owner who lost equity through a tax deed can claim an award from the county surplus equity fund, capped at the value of the property when the deed issued less mortgages, liens, and the taxes the purchaser paid.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Adams County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Adams County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Adams County tax certificate sale?
- The county states it "traditionally conducts its annual tax sale on the last Monday in October." The 2026 sale is set for "MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2026, 1:00 PM, ADAMS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, COURTROOM 2D." The Collector's tax collection calendar lists October 9 to publish the delinquent tax list and as the last day to register, October 22 as judgment day, and October 23 as the last day to pay taxes before the sale.. Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the Tax Collector before the sale.
How often does Adams County hold tax deed sales?
- as ordered by the circuit court. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
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