Clinton County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Clinton County, seat of Carlyle: 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 Clinton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Clinton County Treasurer (Denise Trame), who also serves as County Collector; the office staff roster lists the position as Treasurer/Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual, in December. The County Clerk's delinquent tax page states: "The tax sale in Clinton County is held annually in December (month may vary slightly)." The most recent sale posted by the Treasurer reads: "Clinton County Delinquent Tax Sale - Land, Lots, & Buildings, will be held on December 15, 2025, 10:00 am in the Clinton County Boardroom, 810 Franklin St, Carlyle IL." Confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer before planning a trip.
Registration and deposit
Pre-registration is mandatory. The Treasurer states: "Bidders must be pre-registered, and only pre-registered bidders will be admitted." For the December 15, 2025 sale the posted pre-registration deadline was December 5, 2025, about ten days ahead of the sale. A Delinquent Tax Sale Pre-registration Form is downloadable from the Treasurer page. Fees are a $250.00 tax sale registration fee and a $150.00 tax sale book fee. The Treasurer also notes that "Bidders may only bid for the company they registered with."
Clinton County runs its annual delinquent tax sale live and in person, in the Clinton County Boardroom at 810 Franklin Street in Carlyle, with only pre-registered bidders admitted. No online bidding platform is used for the certificate sale, so verify current-year details directly with the Treasurer's office. Bidding is the standard Illinois bid-down-the-rate format: the County Clerk's page explains the "tax buyer" who bids the lowest rate of interest (from 9% down to 0%) pays the County Collector the delinquent taxes plus sale costs and fees. The delinquent parcel list is not posted as a free download; the Treasurer sells a printed catalog at the office in the County Courthouse, 850 Fairfax Street, Carlyle, and the $150.00 book fee covers it. Redemption runs through the County Clerk after the sale: a minimum of 2.5 years for residential properties of one to six units and 2 years for other property, extendable by the certificate holder to a maximum of 3 years, with subsequent-year taxes posted to the redemption at a 12% per year penalty. Caution on a separate event: ILTaxSale.com, operated by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, lists a Clinton County sealed-bid real estate auction each October. That is the county's surplus/trustee real estate sealed-bid sale, which the Treasurer page also advertises, and it is a different transaction from the December certificate sale. Do not confuse the two.
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)
Clinton County Treasurer and County Collector
Clinton County Courthouse, 850 Fairfax Street, Carlyle, IL 62231 (mailing: Clinton County Treasurer, PO Box 174, Carlyle, IL 62231)
Official websiteNotes for Clinton County
- The Treasurer's office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, with a fax line at (618) 594-0123.
- Property tax bills carry two installment due dates, usually in July and September. Taxes unpaid after the second installment become delinquent, accrue 1.5% per month, and are subject to publication and the December tax sale.
- The Treasurer sends a final certified-mail notice to the record owner before taxes are offered at the tax sale.
- After the sale, records move to the Clinton County Clerk and Recorder, (618) 594-6620, which handles redemption estimates and payoffs. Redemption must be made in one full payment by certified funds, payable to the Clinton County Clerk.
- Certificate holders must mail a Take Notice within 4.5 months of the sale, then petition the Clinton County Circuit Court for a tax deed after the redemption period expires.
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 Clinton County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Clinton County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Clinton County tax certificate sale?
- Annual, in December. The County Clerk's delinquent tax page states: "The tax sale in Clinton County is held annually in December (month may vary slightly)." The most recent sale posted by the Treasurer reads: "Clinton County Delinquent Tax Sale - Land, Lots, & Buildings, will be held on December 15, 2025, 10:00 am in the Clinton County Boardroom, 810 Franklin St, Carlyle IL." Confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer before planning a trip.. 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 Clinton 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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