Henry County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Henry County, seat of Cambridge: 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 Henry County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Henry County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annually in the fall. The county page is titled "Annual Tax Sale - 2026 Tax Sale is November 6th at 10:00 am", so the 2026 sale opens November 6, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer before registering.
Registration and deposit
Register with the Treasurer's office within 10 days of the scheduled tax sale and pay a $250 registration fee. That fee is credited toward your first $250 in taxes purchased and is not refunded if you register and then skip the sale. Fill out the bidder registration form and mail it to the Henry County Treasurer, 307 W Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238. Every registered buyer must sign a single bidder affidavit under the county's single bidder ordinance adopted May 19, 2022, which follows 35 ILCS 200/21-205(b-5). The delinquent tax list is a separate $100 purchase, emailed and updated frequently up to the day of the sale.
Henry County runs the annual certificate sale IN PERSON. The county states "You must be present to bid", so there is no online bidding platform for this sale and no remote proxy option. The county uses either R.A.M.S. or R.A.M.S. 2: R.A.M.S. bidding is done electronically on a keypad that represents the interest rate you are willing to accept, while R.A.M.S. 2 bids are presented on a flash drive and uploaded. Both award the certificate to the lowest interest rate bid, and R.A.M.S. 2 breaks a tie at the lowest rate by random selection. Buyers must pay for all taxes and fees purchased before leaving the building on sale day. After the sale the County Clerk's office handles the delinquent taxes and mails tax certificates to the buyers. Interest is set on the day of the sale and holds for 6 months, then is recalculated after 6 months and 1 day. A buyer holding a prior year gets first opportunity on the following year's subsequent taxes once the second installment is due and the Treasurer has posted payments, and subsequent taxes carry 12%. Separately, Henry County holds an annual sealed bid auction each September through October for properties the county acquired for delinquent taxes; that trustee sale is administered by Joseph E. Meyer and Associates at 800-248-2850 and listed on ILTaxSale.com, which also sells a list of assignable tax lien certificates. Do not confuse that trustee sealed bid auction with the November annual tax sale. In person at the sale, with bids submitted through the R.A.M.S. or R.A.M.S. 2 system
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 Henry County
- Kelly Vincent is the Henry County Treasurer. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Henry County Courthouse in Cambridge.
- The Treasurer's office email is [email protected]. The courthouse main switchboard is 309-937-3578; the Treasurer's direct line is 309-937-3576.
- The tax sale is only one part of the timeline. For the 2025 tax year payable in 2026, first installment was due June 10, 2026 and second installment September 10, 2026, with the sale following in November.
- Parcel level tax data is published on the Henry County Property Tax Inquiry site at henryil.devnetwedge.com, but the delinquent sale list itself is not posted there; the Treasurer sells it by email for $100.
- ILTaxSale.com lists Henry County trustee sealed bid auctions, most recently dated October 23, 2026, with a catalog released roughly 30 days ahead. That is the County Trustee surplus sale, not the 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 Henry County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Henry County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Henry County tax certificate sale?
- Annually in the fall. The county page is titled "Annual Tax Sale - 2026 Tax Sale is November 6th at 10:00 am", so the 2026 sale opens November 6, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Confirm the current year's date with the Treasurer before registering.. 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 Henry 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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