Fulton County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Fulton County, seat of Lewistown: 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 Fulton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Fulton County Treasurer, serving as ex officio Fulton County Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Every October. The Treasurer's delinquent-tax page states: "The annual Tax Sale is held every October at the county courthouse at 9:00 A.M." For the 2025 taxes payable in 2026 cycle, the county property tax portal states: "Last day to pay taxes is Thursday, October 29th and the Delinquent Real Estate and Mobile Home Tax Sale is Friday, October 30th."
Registration and deposit
Register with the County Collector at least 10 days before the sale, then attend in person to bid. The Treasurer states: "At least 10 days prior to Tax Sale all buyers must register with the Collector" and "All tax buyers must be pre-registered 10 days prior and must attend to bid." A $250 registration fee applies. Failure to attend forfeits that fee, and it is refunded if a registered buyer attends but buys nothing. Successful buyers submit checks for all purchases on the day of the sale. Certificates and parcel lists of purchases are mailed after the sale is balanced.
This is a live courthouse auction. The sale opens at 9:00 A.M. at the Fulton County Courthouse in Lewistown and registered buyers must attend in person to bid. No online auction platform is confirmed for this county on any official page, so verify current-year details with the Collector's office before planning a bid. Bidding is bid-down interest: the Treasurer's page states bidding "starts at a rate of interest not to exceed 9% for real estate & 18% for mobile home" and that "Bidding rates decrease to the lowest percentage that is bid," with interest calculated on six-month intervals from the sale date. There is no free online delinquent list. Delinquent parcels are published in local newspapers at least 15 days before the sale at $10 per parcel, and the Treasurer sells the delinquent parcel list for $100. Redemption of sold taxes is handled by the Fulton County Clerk, not the Treasurer. In person at the Fulton County Courthouse, Lewistown
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)
Fulton County Treasurer and ex officio County Collector
Fulton County Courthouse, 100 N. Main Street, P.O. Box 111, Lewistown, IL 61542
Official websiteNotes for Fulton County
- The Treasurer's office describes the officeholder as serving as "both Treasurer and Collector." The current Treasurer is Staci Mayall; the office fax is (309) 547-0399.
- Parcels that draw no bid are sold to the County Trustee at 9%. The Trustee holds the lien until it takes the deed, and an annual Trustee auction is then held. Any individual other than county employees and their immediate relatives may bid on those parcels and a successful bidder receives a clear deed.
- Property not available for sale is treated as forfeited and is assessed a 12% per annum penalty until redeemed with the County Collector.
- Redemption is made with the Fulton County Clerk, whose office lists 100 N. Main, P.O. Box 226, Lewistown IL 61542 and (309) 547-3041 Ext. 118, and which describes handling "collecting of delinquent taxes, after a tax sale."
- Pre-sale calendar published by the Treasurer: certified delinquent notices go out in mid-September at least 20 days before the sale; the delinquent list is published at least 15 days before; buyer registration closes 10 days before; and the Collector takes judgment with the court at least 5 days before the sale.
- For 2025 taxes payable in 2026 the county portal lists installment due dates of Friday, June 12 and Friday, September 4, with Thursday, October 29 as the final day to pay before the sale.
- The Treasurer publishes the text of 35 ILCS 200 Division 4 (sections 21-190 through 21-255) on a Tax Sale Statutes page as the governing annual-sale procedure, including the requirement that bidders in counties under 3,000,000 inhabitants register with the county collector at least 10 business days before the first day of sale.
- The county website at fultoncountyil.gov was intermittently unreachable during research and needed retries. Content above was read from the live pages once they responded.
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 Fulton County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Fulton County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Fulton County tax certificate sale?
- Every October. The Treasurer's delinquent-tax page states: "The annual Tax Sale is held every October at the county courthouse at 9:00 A.M." For the 2025 taxes payable in 2026 cycle, the county property tax portal states: "Last day to pay taxes is Thursday, October 29th and the Delinquent Real Estate and Mobile Home Tax Sale is Friday, October 30th.". 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 Fulton 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.