Greene County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Greene County, seat of Carrollton: 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 Greene County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Greene County Treasurer's Office, the County Treasurer acting as ex officio County Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's Office describes the sale only as "Held annually at the Treasurer's Office." The county does not publish the month or date of the annual tax sale on its website, so confirm the current year's date directly with the Treasurer's Office at 217-942-5124.
Registration and deposit
The county publishes no bidder registration instructions, forms, or deadlines online. Contact the Greene County Treasurer's Office at 217-942-5124 for registration requirements and the deposit rules that apply to the current sale.
Greene County runs its annual tax sale in person at the Treasurer's Office in the county courthouse at 519 N Main St, Carrollton. No online auction platform is confirmed for this county, so verify with the office before planning to bid remotely. The Treasurer's Office states that "Only the delinquent taxes are sold at the sale, not the property" and that "If the taxes remain delinquent for 3 years, the tax buyer can go to the courts and petition for a tax deed." Redemption is handled elsewhere: "Once taxes are sold at the tax sale, they must be redeemed in the Greene County Clerk's Office," and the Clerk's Office lists "Receiving delinquent tax payments" among its duties. Late taxes can be paid to the Treasurer "up until the annual tax sale"; after the sale they must be paid at the County Clerk's Office. The county publishes no delinquent list or sale list online. Greene County's property tax inquiry and payment portal is run by Fike and Fike Inc. at propertytaxonline.org; that portal is for lookups and payments only and does not conduct the tax sale, though it does flag parcels with the message "Taxes were sold at tax sale. To recover or redeem, call your county clerk for amounts due." In person at the Greene County Treasurer's Office
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 Greene County
- The Greene County Treasurer is Phil Warren, with Brenda Albrecht as Chief Deputy Treasurer. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm.
- Redemption of sold taxes goes through the Greene County Clerk and Recorder's Office, Melissa Carter, at 519 N Main St, Carrollton, IL 62016, phone 217-942-5443, email [email protected]. The Clerk's Office is on the first floor of the courthouse and its posted hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- The Treasurer's Office notes that real estate and mobile home tax due dates change from year to year and that real estate taxes are billed a year in arrears, so the sale date shifts with the billing calendar.
- Real estate taxes can be paid at Carrollton Bank, Farmer's State Bank, United Community Bank, Heartland Bank and Trust, and People's Bank through the due date. Mobile home taxes can only be paid at or mailed to the Treasurer's Office.
- No county page, board minutes file, or auction platform page was found that names a sale date, a registration packet, or a published delinquent list for Greene County. Investors should call the Treasurer's Office for the sale notice and the published list.
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 Greene County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Greene County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Greene County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's Office describes the sale only as "Held annually at the Treasurer's Office." The county does not publish the month or date of the annual tax sale on its website, so confirm the current year's date directly with the Treasurer's Office at 217-942-5124.. 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 Greene 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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