Christian County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Christian County, seat of Taylorville: 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 Christian County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Christian County Collector (the Christian County Treasurer serving as ex officio County Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Late October, annually. The Treasurer's tax-year date table lists "Tuesday, October 27, 2026 Tax Sale", with "Monday, October 26, 2026 Judgment" the day before. The county's own bidder registration form for the prior cycle states "Sale Commences October 28, 2025 at 10:00 A.M."
Registration and deposit
Tax buyers must register in advance with the County Collector using the county's Bidder Registration Form, posted on the Treasurer's Resources & Forms page. The Treasurer's calendar sets Tuesday, October 13, 2026 as the "Last Day for Tax Buyers To Register, For Tax Sale"; the prior-cycle form required the completed form in the Treasurer's office by 4:00 P.M. on the deadline date and warned that mail delays do not excuse a late filing. A $100 deposit accompanies each company registered and is applied toward the first purchase. It is refunded in full if the registrant attends and tries but fails to buy any parcel, and forfeited if the registrant neither attends nor names a substitute bidder at least 5 days before the sale. An additional $80 fee buys the delinquent tax sale list, which Joseph E. Meyer & Associates then delivers by email in the format the buyer requests. Anyone registering for a Christian County tax sale for the first time must also sign the county's First Time Tax Buyer Disclosure. Forms and checks go to Christian County Collector, Tax Sale Registration, P.O. Box 199, Taylorville, IL 62568-0199.
Christian County holds its annual tax lien sale in person. The county's bidder registration form places the sale in the 2nd Floor Board Room of the courthouse at 101 South Main Street in Taylorville, starting at 10:00 A.M. No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county, so confirm the format and start time with the Treasurer's office before the sale. The sale covers delinquent real estate taxes and delinquent mobile home taxes plus all prior years, and buyers receive tax lien certificates. The delinquent tax sale list is not published free on the county website; buyers obtain it by paying the $80 list fee with the registration application. Separately, Joseph E. Meyer & Associates acts as delinquent tax agent and trustee for most Illinois counties and runs a distinct sealed bid tax deed auction for Christian County plus a paid list of assignable tax lien certificates at iltaxsale.com. That trustee auction is a different sale from the County Collector's annual tax lien sale and should not be confused with it. In person at the Christian County Courthouse, 2nd Floor Board Room
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 Christian County
- The Treasurer's office lists among its duties "Preparation of delinquency tax lists", "Obtaining tax-sale judgment orders in court", and "Conducting annual sale of tax liens to seek payment of delinquent taxes", which confirms the Collector runs the sale rather than the County Clerk.
- The 2026 pre-sale calendar published by the Treasurer runs: 1st installment due Friday, July 10, 2026; 2nd installment due Thursday, September 10, 2026; tax buyers can pay subsequent taxes starting Friday, September 18, 2026; last day to pay to avoid publication and certified letters Friday, September 18, 2026; last day for personal checks Friday, October 9, 2026; buyer registration closes Tuesday, October 13, 2026; judgment Monday, October 26, 2026; sale Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
- The current Treasurer is Betty Asmussen. The First Time Tax Buyer Disclosure letterhead lists a fax of (217) 287-7407 and the mailing address P.O. Box 199, Taylorville, Illinois 62568-0199.
- The county states that neither the Treasurer nor her staff provides legal advice to tax buyers, and the disclosure stresses that sales are final with no refunds and that Illinois Property Tax Code deadlines govern certificate validity.
- Christian County does not appear on the published RAMS Auctions client schedule, and no county page names an electronic bidding vendor for the annual sale, so treat the sale as a live in-person auction until the office confirms otherwise.
- The county website is served from both christiancountyil.gov and christiancountyil.com; the .com hostname redirects to the .gov canonical.
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 Christian County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Christian County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Christian County tax certificate sale?
- Late October, annually. The Treasurer's tax-year date table lists "Tuesday, October 27, 2026 Tax Sale", with "Monday, October 26, 2026 Judgment" the day before. The county's own bidder registration form for the prior cycle states "Sale Commences October 28, 2025 at 10:00 A.M.". 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 Christian 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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