Effingham County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Effingham County, seat of Effingham: 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 Effingham County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Effingham County Treasurer and Collector (the County Treasurer serving as ex officio County Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- December. The Treasurer's page states: "The annual tax sale for the 2024 due and payable in 2025 delinquent taxes will be on December 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM (CDT) in the North room on the 1st floor in the Effingham County Office Building, 101 N Fourth St., Effingham, IL." Registration closed at 4:00 PM on Thursday, December 4, 2025 for that sale.
Registration and deposit
Registration is $250.00 per bidder. The county requires the tax buyer to complete a written registration form 10 business days before the sale, and registered buyers must sign in at the Treasurer's office before bidding starts. The county states the $250.00 fee is forfeited if a registrant does not attend. The form is the "Certificate of Registration" executed under 35 ILCS 200/21-220, filed with the Effingham County Treasurer and Collector. The delinquent list for tax buyers costs $100.00.
This is a lien sale, not a property sale. The Treasurer's FAQ states "your taxes will be sold to a tax buyer who will pay the taxes for you. It is important to note, the property itself will not be sold." Bidding is conducted in person in the county office building; the registration form says "We will be using laptops through Joseph Meyer & Associates," so the software is vendor supplied but the auction is attended, and no remote online bidding site is confirmed for the annual sale. Verify the room with the office: the Treasurer's notice says the North room on the 1st floor while the registration form says the 1st floor Honorable Benwood Classroom. The interest rate is set by bidding on sale day; the FAQ says post-sale amounts carry "interest at a rate to be determined the day of the sale." Redemption is handled by the County Clerk, not the Treasurer: the FAQ directs payers to the County Clerk's office at 217-342-6535. Delinquency costs before the sale run 1.5% per month plus a $10.00 per parcel fee for certified mail and publication. For the 2025 sale the county mailed certified notices on November 7, 2025 and cut off online payment on December 9, 2025. Caution: ILTaxSale.com (Joseph E. Meyer and Associates) lists separate Effingham County "Real Estate - Sealed Bid" auctions on different dates (10/03/2025 and 10/02/2026) with catalogs and bids handled at iltaxsalebids.com. Those October sealed-bid events are not the December annual tax sale; confirm which sale you are entering with the Treasurer before registering. In person at the Effingham County Office Building, with bids entered on laptops running Joseph E. Meyer and Associates software
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 Effingham County
- The annual tax sale is held in person at the Effingham County Office Building, 101 N Fourth St., Effingham, and is typically scheduled for December.
- Registration costs $250.00 per bidder and must be filed in writing 10 business days before the sale, with sign-in at the Treasurer's office on sale day.
- The county sells the delinquent tax list to tax buyers for $100.00 rather than posting a free list online.
- Redemption is processed by the Effingham County Clerk at 217-342-6535, while the Treasurer runs the sale.
- ILTaxSale.com lists separate Effingham sealed-bid real estate auctions in October that are distinct from the December annual tax 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 Effingham County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Effingham County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Effingham County tax certificate sale?
- December. The Treasurer's page states: "The annual tax sale for the 2024 due and payable in 2025 delinquent taxes will be on December 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM (CDT) in the North room on the 1st floor in the Effingham County Office Building, 101 N Fourth St., Effingham, IL." Registration closed at 4:00 PM on Thursday, December 4, 2025 for that 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 Effingham 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.
Explore all 102 Illinois counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.