Hamilton County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Hamilton County, seat of McLeansboro: 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 Hamilton County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Hamilton County Treasurer, serving as ex officio County Collector (Sarah Kelly, Treasurer). Redemption after the sale is handled by the Hamilton County Clerk and Recorder.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Late fall, usually early November through early December. The Treasurer's page lists the sale place and time as "9:00am Upstairs in Courtroom" at the Hamilton County Courthouse and currently shows the next sale date as not yet set. The same page carried November 4, 2025, then "Friday, November 15, 2024", and before that December 1, 2023.
Registration and deposit
The county does not publish tax sale registration instructions online. Contact the Treasurer's office at 618-643-3313 or [email protected] well before the sale to confirm registration, deposit, and bidder requirements. The Treasurer's page warns that "No Personal checks will be accepted 30 days prior to the Tax Sale".
Hamilton County holds its annual delinquent tax sale in person. The Treasurer's page states the sale runs at "9:00am Upstairs in Courtroom" at the Hamilton County Courthouse, 100 S. Jackson Street, McLeansboro. No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county, so confirm with the office before assuming you can bid remotely. The date for the next sale is not posted at the moment; recent sales fell on November 4, 2025, Friday, November 15, 2024, and December 1, 2023, all posted on that same page, so plan on the November to early December window. The Treasurer's office collects the taxes and conducts the sale, then the County Clerk takes over: the Treasurer's page says "Tax Payments made after the tax sale should be paid in the County Clerk's Office with certified funds. (Cash, Cashier's Check or Money Order)", and the county's property tax guide directs owners to the County Clerk's Tax Redemption Department, quoting a redemption window of two and one-half years for an owner-occupied principal dwelling and two years for other property. Parcels no buyer takes at the county sale pass to the county's delinquent tax agent, Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, which lists Hamilton County assignable tax lien certificates and holds sealed-bid tax deed auctions at the courthouse (an auction is posted for November 6, 2026 with a minimum bid of $831.00). That trustee program is a separate path from the annual tax sale. The county's ITAS web portal carries parcel-level tax data but does not publish a delinquent or sale list. In person at the Hamilton County Courthouse, 9:00 am in the upstairs courtroom
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 Hamilton County
- The annual tax sale is conducted in person at the Hamilton County Courthouse, upstairs in the courtroom, starting at 9:00 am. No online auction platform is confirmed for this county.
- Recent sale dates published by the Treasurer: November 4, 2025, Friday, November 15, 2024, and December 1, 2023. The next date is not posted yet, so call 618-643-3313 to confirm.
- Personal checks are refused in the 30 days before the tax sale, per the Treasurer's page.
- After taxes are sold, redemption is paid to the Hamilton County Clerk and Recorder (Heather Bowman, 100 S. Jackson Street, Room 2, McLeansboro, IL 62859, 618-643-2721) in certified funds only: cash, cashier's check, or money order.
- Treasurer's office hours are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday, and courthouse entry is only through the East doors.
- Joseph E. Meyer & Associates serves as delinquent tax agent for 94 of the 102 Illinois counties and lists Hamilton County trustee inventory, including assignable tax lien certificates and sealed-bid tax deed auctions held at the courthouse. Treat that as the post-sale trustee path, not the county's annual certificate sale.
- Real estate tax due dates for the 2026 cycle are August 14, 2026 for the first installment and September 14, 2026 for the second, which sets up the delinquency feeding the fall 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 Hamilton County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Hamilton County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Hamilton County tax certificate sale?
- Late fall, usually early November through early December. The Treasurer's page lists the sale place and time as "9:00am Upstairs in Courtroom" at the Hamilton County Courthouse and currently shows the next sale date as not yet set. The same page carried November 4, 2025, then "Friday, November 15, 2024", and before that December 1, 2023.. 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 Hamilton 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.