Jefferson County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Jefferson County, seat of Mount Vernon: 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 Jefferson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Jefferson County Treasurer, serving as ex officio Jefferson County Collector. The office is listed on the county site as Treasurer/Collector and the current Treasurer is Bob Watt. Checks for the sale are made payable to the Jefferson County Collector.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer/Collector lists the next tax sale under the heading "November ... 2026 - For unpaid 2025 real estate taxes payable in 2026, and unpaid 2026 mobile home taxes", with the exact day still to be announced. The county's Delinquent Tax Sale FAQs state the sale "is held at the Jefferson County Courthouse in the Treasurer's Office - Room 100 - and will begin at 10:30 A.M." The county's Delinquent Tax Collection Process puts the sale about eight weeks after the second installment deadline, with the delinquent list published in a local newspaper about six weeks after that deadline.
Registration and deposit
Register in writing before the sale. The county requires the completed Delinquent Tax Sale Buyer Registration Form, the signed single bidder affidavit on page 2, a newly completed W-9, a $250 registration check ($50 for a single parcel buyer), and a separate $100 check for the buyer's list, all payable to the Jefferson County Collector and delivered to the Treasurer's office by the registration deadline printed on that year's notice. Incomplete registrations are returned. Each company is allowed one registration per EIN or SSN, each bidder present may represent only one tax buyer, and all bidders must personally attend the sale under 35 ILCS 200/21-205. The registration check is returned when you attend; failing to attend forfeits it. On sale day buyers drop off a signed blank check for the parcels purchased and submit a USB drive with their bids, and the trustee emails results afterward. Effective January 2026 the county adopted a single bidder rule under 35 ILCS 200/21-205(b-5) and Jefferson County Ordinance 2025-11-01, barring related bidding entities from registering or bidding together.
Jefferson County runs its annual tax sale in person at the courthouse, so plan to attend or send a representative. Bidding is automated through R.A.M.S. 2 with bids loaded from a USB drive, and the FAQ states bidding by mail is not allowed. A free parcel list is not posted online: the FAQs price copies of the judgment book at $100 prepaid, and the statutory notice runs in county newspapers at least 10 days before the application for judgment, which is the day before the sale. Payment for winning bids is due immediately after the close of the sale by personal check, business check, cashier's check, or cash. A separate sealed bid auction of county trustee property is handled by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates through ILTaxSale.com and does accept online bids, but that sale disposes of trustee held property rather than selling fresh certificates, so do not confuse it with the annual tax sale. In person at the Jefferson County Courthouse, Treasurer's Office, Room 100. The county uses the R.A.M.S. 2 automated bidding system and bids are submitted on a USB drive on the day of the sale. There is no online bidding platform for the annual tax sale.
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)
Jefferson County Treasurer/Collector
Jefferson County Treasurer, 100 South 10th Street, Room 100, Mt. Vernon, IL 62864
Official websiteNotes for Jefferson County
- Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday except holidays. The Treasurer/Collector fax is 618-244-8110 and the office email listed on the sale notice is [email protected].
- Redemptions go to the Jefferson County Clerk, not the Treasurer. The county's Delinquent Tax Sale FAQs direct redemption questions to the County Clerk at 618-244-8000 extension 3, and the collection process notice says the Clerk requires certified funds and cannot accept installment plans.
- The county's collection timeline: 1.5 percent per month penalty accrues on delinquent installments, a certified delinquency notice with a $10 fee goes out about two weeks after the deadline, the newspaper list publishes about six weeks after, and the sale follows about eight weeks after. Buyers pay roughly $75 in additional fees per parcel at the sale, a $10 automation fee applies to sub-tax payments, and the take notice from the County Clerk follows within about four and a half months.
- Tax deed timing per the county: the buyer can petition the circuit court for a tax deed at roughly two and a half years after the sale, with about $600 in additional notice and service costs added at about the two year mark.
- The Delinquent Tax Publications page currently shows only category headings for Real Estate 2025 and Mobile Home 2026 and carries no downloadable list, so request the paid buyer's list or watch the newspaper publication.
- ILTaxSale.com, operated by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, lists a Jefferson County "Real Estate / Mobile Home - Sealed Bid" event dated 10/30/2026 with a minimum bid of $836 at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 100 S. 10th Street, Room 100, Mt. Vernon, IL 62864, and says the catalog is available roughly 30 days before the auction. That is the trustee sealed bid auction, a separate event from the annual tax 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 Jefferson County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Jefferson County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Jefferson County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer/Collector lists the next tax sale under the heading "November ... 2026 - For unpaid 2025 real estate taxes payable in 2026, and unpaid 2026 mobile home taxes", with the exact day still to be announced. The county's Delinquent Tax Sale FAQs state the sale "is held at the Jefferson County Courthouse in the Treasurer's Office - Room 100 - and will begin at 10:30 A.M." The county's Delinquent Tax Collection Process puts the sale about eight weeks after the second installment deadline, with the delinquent list published in a local newspaper about six weeks after that deadline.. 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 Jefferson 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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