Ford County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Ford County, seat of Paxton: 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 Ford County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Ford County Treasurer and Ex-Officio County Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's office page states: "The Collector holds a tax sale at the end of each year to sell the taxes on every parcel that remains unpaid." The county's own bidder registration forms give the actual dates: the sale for the 2023 payable 2024 cycle was "Tax Sale Date: December 4th, 2024" and "Sale Commences at 1:00 P.M.", the prior cycle was January 19, 2024, and the cycle before that was January 25, 2023. Expect a late December or January sale and confirm the current date with the Collector.
Registration and deposit
Registration is a paper form filed with the County Collector, not an online bidder account. The Ford County Bidder Registration Form states that "All bidders at the Collector's annual sale of real estate tax delinquent lands, lot and parcels must complete and sign this registration" and that "There is a $250 fee to register with that being applied to your purchases. If nothing is purchased, that amount is forfeited to the County Collector." The form must be received in the Collector's office at least ten business days before the sale; for the December 4, 2024 sale that deadline was November 15, 2024. All registration fees and purchases must be in US funds from checks drawn on US banks, per 35 ILCS 200/20-25. Registration details are kept on file by both the County Clerk and the County Collector.
Ford County runs its annual tax lien certificate sale in person. The county's registration form asks for the name of the "Bidder Attending Sale" and names no auction website, and nothing on the county site points to an online bidding portal, so no platform is confirmed for this county and the format should be verified with the Collector's office before you register. Ford County keeps no dedicated tax sale page: the Treasurer page carries a single sentence about the sale, and the most recent sale document the county has published is the scanned bidder registration form for the December 4, 2024 sale. The county also posts no delinquent or sale list online, so ask the Collector for the published list. One caution for investors: Joseph E. Meyer and Associates lists Ford County on ILTaxSale.com with an October 9, 2026 date and an $833.00 minimum bid, but that listing is the county trustee's sealed bid auction of tax deed foreclosed property plus a paid list of assignable tax lien certificates. It is a separate channel from the County Collector's annual certificate sale and should not be mistaken for it.
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)
Ford County Treasurer and Ex-Officio County Collector
Ford County Treasurer, P.O. Box 92, 200 W. State Street, Paxton, IL 60957
Official websiteNotes for Ford County
- The county website lists Taylor Burnett as interim Treasurer and Ex-Officio County Collector, and a county resolution posted in April 2026 covers that appointment. The Illinois County Treasurers Association directory still shows Krisha Whitcomb, so confirm the current officeholder when you call.
- Office hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The office email is [email protected] and the treasurers association directory lists a fax of (217) 379-9469.
- Ford County has no standalone tax sale page. Sale facts have to be pulled from the Treasurer page plus the scanned bidder registration form the county reposts each cycle, so investors should call ahead rather than rely on the website.
- Sale dates published on the county's own registration forms have moved around: January 25, 2023, then January 19, 2024, then December 4, 2024. Two versions of the 2023 form exist, one listing a 9:00 A.M. start and one listing 1:00 P.M., another reason to confirm the time directly.
- The county's Property Tax Cycle Overview assigns the tax lien sale and the preparation and publication of delinquent notices to the Treasurer's Office, which matches the Collector running the sale.
- Parcel and tax bill lookup runs on fordil.devnetwedge.com and online payments run through GovTech Tax Pro. Neither hosts the tax sale or a delinquent list.
- ILTaxSale.com is operated by Joseph E. Meyer and Associates and covers tax deed foreclosed property and assignable tax certificates statewide. Its Ford County page is useful for trustee held inventory but it is not the platform for the Collector's annual certificate 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 Ford County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Ford County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Ford County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's office page states: "The Collector holds a tax sale at the end of each year to sell the taxes on every parcel that remains unpaid." The county's own bidder registration forms give the actual dates: the sale for the 2023 payable 2024 cycle was "Tax Sale Date: December 4th, 2024" and "Sale Commences at 1:00 P.M.", the prior cycle was January 19, 2024, and the cycle before that was January 25, 2023. Expect a late December or January sale and confirm the current date with the Collector.. 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 Ford 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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