Cass County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Cass County, seat of Virginia: 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 Cass County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Cass County Treasurer and Collector (the County Treasurer serving as ex officio County Collector). Travis Cox is the Treasurer/Collector, and the certificate of purchase is issued through the Cass County Collector.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Held annually in the fall. The Treasurer/Collector page states: "Annual tax sale is November 2, 2026 at 9:30 am. Any delinquent tax must be offered for sale." The same page sets the delinquent list publication for October 16, 2026 and states: "To avoid publication full payment must be in office by close of business October 9, 2026." Confirm each year's date with the Collector before making plans.
Registration and deposit
Bidders complete the Collector's Tax Sale Certificate of Registration, executed under 35 ILCS 200/21-220. The form states: "THIS FORM & DEPOSIT OF $250.00 MUST BE RETURNED AT LEAST 10 BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR TO SALE." It collects the buyer or firm name (the name the certificate is issued in), address, telephone, email, tax ID or Social Security number, and the names of the people who will bid. Checks are made payable and mailed to Travis Cox, Cass County Collector, PO Box 167, Virginia, IL 62691. The Collector's page also lists a $250.00 tax sale registration and prices the tax sale list at $100.00 for the E-book and $50.00 for a paper copy.
No online auction platform is named anywhere in Cass County's published tax sale materials. The Treasurer/Collector page and the official registration form both describe a single annual sale run by the Collector's office at a set date and start time of 9:30 am with no bidding website, so plan on a live sale conducted by the Collector and confirm the exact location with the office before registering. No platform is confirmed for this county, so verify with the office. The delinquent list is not posted as a free download: it runs as the delinquent tax publication on October 16, 2026, and the Collector sells the tax sale list as a $100.00 E-book or a $50.00 paper copy. The Collector's page also states that "Interest accrues at a rate of 1.5%" on delinquent amounts. Redemption runs through a different office: the County Clerk & Recorder page states that "Delinquent taxes sold in Cass County tax sales must be redeemed in the Office of the County Clerk," and that office takes only cash, certified check, or money order and asks callers to confirm the exact redemption figure with staff before paying. Cass County also runs a separate mobile home tax cycle. If a third-party auction site advertises a Cass County sale, treat it with caution and verify against the Collector's own page, because courtesy listings are not the sale itself.
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 Cass County
- County seat is Virginia, Illinois. The Treasurer/Collector and the County Clerk & Recorder share the 100 East Springfield Street address and the PO Box 167 mailing address.
- Two offices split the process: the Treasurer/Collector runs the annual tax sale and issues the certificate of purchase, and the County Clerk & Recorder takes redemption payments on taxes sold.
- Treasurer/Collector office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Collector line on the registration form is (217) 452-2277, Ext. 1, and the Clerk's redemption line is (217) 452-2277 Ext. 4. Office email is [email protected] and the fax is (217) 452-7219.
- Chief Deputy Treasurer is Brenda Cowan and Chief Deputy Collector is Kristen Petefish.
- The county's online property tax payment portal is casscountyiltax.us. It is a payment site for current taxes, not a bidding platform and not a published delinquent list.
- 2026 real estate tax installments are due June 26, 2026 and September 4, 2026, with mobile home tax due September 4, 2026. Those deadlines feed the November delinquent sale.
- Registration closes well ahead of the sale: the form and the $250.00 deposit must reach the Collector at least 10 business days before, so budget time for mailing.
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 Cass County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Cass County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Cass County tax certificate sale?
- Held annually in the fall. The Treasurer/Collector page states: "Annual tax sale is November 2, 2026 at 9:30 am. Any delinquent tax must be offered for sale." The same page sets the delinquent list publication for October 16, 2026 and states: "To avoid publication full payment must be in office by close of business October 9, 2026." Confirm each year's date with the Collector before making plans.. 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 Cass 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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