Jackson County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Jackson County, seat of Murphysboro: 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 Jackson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Jackson County Treasurer's Office
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Late January. The Treasurer's 2025 payable 2026 tax calendar lists "January 22, 2027 - Tax Sale", preceded by "January 21, 2027 - Last day to pay prior to tax sale. Pay before 4pm." The same calendar shows the delinquent list produced for the newspaper on December 29, 2026 and "published in the newspaper regardless of extension of late penalty" on January 5, 2027.
Registration and deposit
The county posts no online registration form or bidder portal for the annual tax sale. Its delinquent tax page tells prospective bidders: "To inquire about becoming a tax buyer, contact Edmond Robinson in the Treasurer's Office at 618-687-7350."
Jackson County holds one annual tax sale of delinquent taxes. The county describes it as "the annual auction of delinquent taxes to tax buyers" at which "tax buyers bid on an interest rate (between 0-9%) and unpaid property taxes." No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county, so verify the bidding format, start time, and courthouse location with the Treasurer's Office before the sale date. The delinquent list is published in a local newspaper rather than posted as a downloadable county list. Separately, the Jackson County Trustee holds a sealed bid auction once a year in the fall for parcels whose taxes did not sell at the annual tax sale; those catalogs are posted on iltaxsale.com by Joseph E. Meyer and Associates and are a deed sale, not a certificate sale, so do not confuse that fall sealed bid catalog with the January certificate sale. Third party auction listing sites republish notices for Illinois county tax sales; treat any such listing as unverified until the Treasurer's Office confirms 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)
Notes for Jackson County
- Redemption runs through the County Clerk, not the Treasurer. The county states: "If eligible, back taxes can be redeemed in the County Clerk's Office. Please call 618-687-7360 for amounts due and how to pay back taxes."
- The county states that if the owner redeems, "the tax buyer will be paid back the amount of the taxes paid plus the interest bid," and that "After 30 months without the back taxes being redeemed by the property owner, the tax buyer can ask the court for a tax deed to the property, at which point the tax buyer becomes the legal owner."
- Parcels whose taxes went unsold at the annual tax sale pass to the Jackson County Trustee and are offered later in a fall sealed bid auction held at the Jackson County Courthouse, 1001 Walnut Street, Murphysboro. Catalogs appear roughly 30 days before that auction, cost $10 at the Treasurer's Office, and are also viewable on iltaxsale.com, the site operated by Joseph E. Meyer and Associates.
- Treasurer's Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, at the courthouse in Murphysboro. Fax is 618-684-5235.
- The county tax bill and parcel lookup is hosted at jacksonil.devnetwedge.com, linked from the county's Taxes and Property page. It is a bill lookup, not a tax sale 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 Jackson County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jackson County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Jackson County tax certificate sale?
- Late January. The Treasurer's 2025 payable 2026 tax calendar lists "January 22, 2027 - Tax Sale", preceded by "January 21, 2027 - Last day to pay prior to tax sale. Pay before 4pm." The same calendar shows the delinquent list produced for the newspaper on December 29, 2026 and "published in the newspaper regardless of extension of late penalty" on January 5, 2027.. 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 Jackson 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.