Coles County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Coles County, seat of Charleston: 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 Coles County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Coles County Treasurer, who serves as both Treasurer and Collector for the county
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Late October each year. The Treasurer's key-dates calendar for the 2025/2026 cycle lists "Oct. 23, 2026 Tax Sale 11:30 a.m. Location Coles County Mental Health Center," preceded by "Oct. 9, 2026 Last Day to Register for Tax Sale" and "Oct. 9, 2026 Publish Delinquent List in the Newspaper," with "Oct. 22, 2026 Apply for Judgement." The Treasurer's buyer registration form for the prior cycle gave the sale as "October 23, 2025, 1:00 p.m.," so confirm the start time with the office before the sale.
Registration and deposit
Register with the Coles County Treasurer before the posted deadline (Oct. 9, 2026 for the 2026 sale). The county requires a letter of intent with your name, address, telephone number and your statement of intent to attend the tax sale; a $250.00 registration fee that is applied to your purchase and is nonrefundable if no attempt to purchase is made; and, for buyers new to Coles County, a letter of credit from your financial institution stating the amount approved for purchase. The Treasurer posts a Tax Buyer Registration Form and a Form W-9 for download. The registration form adds that an unsuccessful bidder's deposit is returned, that the deposit is forfeited if you register and do not attend, and that a parcel listing mailed 10 days before the sale plus an updated list the day prior costs $70.00. Tax judgment books are available online or for purchase at $50.00.
Coles County runs its annual tax lien certificate sale in person, not through an online auction platform. The Treasurer's calendar places the sale at the Coles County Mental Health Center, and the buyer registration form gives that address as 825 18th Street, Charleston, IL 61920. No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county, so verify the location and start time with the Treasurer's office before traveling. The delinquent list is published in a local newspaper on the date shown in the calendar rather than posted online; registered buyers can obtain the tax judgment books for $50.00 or a mailed parcel listing for $70.00. Separately, ILTaxSale.com (Joseph E. Meyer & Associates) handles the county trustee track: sealed-bid auctions of previously forfeited real estate and mobile homes plus a list of assignable tax lien certificates. Its Coles County page showed no upcoming auction when checked and listed a 07/24/2026 sealed-bid sale among past results, which lines up with the Treasurer's separate surplus sealed-bid window (catalog available June 24, 2026, bidding closes July 24, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.). That trustee track is not the annual tax sale, so do not confuse the two. Several calendar entries after the sale date are shown by the county as not yet set. In person at the Coles County Mental Health Center in Charleston
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 Coles County
- The Coles County Treasurer serves as both Treasurer and Collector. The Collector bills roughly 25,000 real estate tax bills a year and distributes collections to more than 60 taxing districts.
- The sale covers real estate and mobile home tax liens, per the title of the Treasurer's buyer registration form.
- Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Coles County Courthouse. Use the South (Jackson Street) entrance, which also has handicapped access.
- Real estate taxes are billed in two equal installments. The 2025/2026 calendar mails bills May 14, 2026, with the first installment due July 1, 2026 and the second due Sept. 1, 2026, and escalating penalties on Aug. 2, Sept. 2 and Oct. 2, 2026.
- Payment cutoffs before the sale: Oct. 7, 2026 is the last day to accept a personal check and the last day to pay by e-check or credit card, and is also the target date to mail certified letters.
- Parcel level assessment and tax data is searchable on the Coles County Property Tax Inquiry portal at colesil.devnetwedge.com.
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 Coles County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Coles County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Coles County tax certificate sale?
- Late October each year. The Treasurer's key-dates calendar for the 2025/2026 cycle lists "Oct. 23, 2026 Tax Sale 11:30 a.m. Location Coles County Mental Health Center," preceded by "Oct. 9, 2026 Last Day to Register for Tax Sale" and "Oct. 9, 2026 Publish Delinquent List in the Newspaper," with "Oct. 22, 2026 Apply for Judgement." The Treasurer's buyer registration form for the prior cycle gave the sale as "October 23, 2025, 1:00 p.m.," so confirm the start time with the office 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 Coles 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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