Kendall County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Kendall County, seat of Yorkville: 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 Kendall County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Kendall County Collector's Office (the Kendall County Treasurer, Jill Ferko, serving as ex officio County Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Collector's Annual Tax Sale sheet states: "The Tax Sale is held at the end of the tax cycle, usually in late October or early November." The Treasurer's Important Tax Due Dates chart for 2025 taxes payable in 2026 states: "TAX SALE is October 26th." The most recently posted buyer registration form lists the prior sale as October 27, 2025 at 1:00 pm.
Registration and deposit
Register in writing with the Kendall County Collector's Office at least 10 working days before the sale, using the Tax Sale Buyer Registration Form on the Treasurer's forms page. The Annual Tax Sale sheet states there is a $500.00 fee to register; the registration form describes it as a deposit of $500 that is applied to your purchases at the sale and is forfeited if you register and do not attend. First time buyers must submit certified funds. A single bidder affidavit is required under 35 ILCS 200/21-205(b-5) and Kendall County Ordinance 22-13: one registered buyer per tax buying entity, and no related bidding entity may register or bid. The 2025 form set a registration deadline of October 17, 2025 for the October 27, 2025 sale, so confirm the current year's deadline with the Collector.
Kendall County holds a live, in person annual tax sale, not an online auction. The Collector's Annual Tax Sale sheet states: "You or your registered representative must be physically present at the sale to bid. Bidding starts at 18% however, the lowest bid is accepted. This is the 6 month rate." No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county, so verify the format with the office before planning to bid remotely. The most recently posted registration form gives the sale location as the Kendall County Historic Court House, 110 W Madison St, Yorkville, IL 60560. Taxes must be paid immediately after the close of the sale; certified funds are required from first time buyers for both the deposit and the taxes won, while returning buyers may use personal, business, or cashier's checks. The delinquent list is not published on the county site: it is sold by the Collector's Office for a $75 non-refundable fee (the registration form offers it by email about 10 days before the sale) and delinquent listings are also published in the Kendall County Record Countywide. Certificates are issued and released by the Kendall County Clerk and Recorder at 630-553-4104; buyers either provide a FedEx label for mailing or pick them up. Redemption amounts come from the County Clerk's Office at 502 S. Main, Yorkville, IL 60560, and the county sheet states that after 2 1/2 years an unredeemed certificate holder can file for a tax deed. Third party tax sale listing sites republish Kendall County sale details, but the Collector's own page, information sheet, and registration form are the authoritative sources.
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
Notes for Kendall County
- The annual tax sale is conducted live and in person. Bidders or their registered representatives must attend to bid.
- Bidding opens at 18 percent and the lowest bid wins. The county sheet describes 18 percent as the 6 month rate.
- A single bidder rule applies under 35 ILCS 200/21-205(b-5) and Kendall County Ordinance 22-13. One registered buyer per tax buying entity, and related bidding entities may not register or participate.
- Payment is due immediately after the sale closes. First time buyers must use certified funds for the deposit and for the taxes won.
- Certificates are issued by the Kendall County Clerk and Recorder, phone 630-553-4104. Buyers provide a FedEx label for mailing or collect certificates in person.
- Redemption amounts are quoted by the County Clerk's Office at 502 S. Main, Yorkville, IL 60560, phone 630-553-4104. The county sheet states a tax buyer can file for a tax deed after 2 1/2 years if the taxes are not redeemed.
- Subsequent taxes may be paid at the Kendall County Collector's Office two weeks after the second installment due date.
- The delinquent tax sale list is not posted online. The Collector charges a $75 non-refundable fee, and the county restricts use of the list to the delinquent tax sale itself.
- Address discrepancy to watch: the 2025 registration form letterhead shows 807 W John Street, Yorkville, while the current Paying Taxes page and site footer give 504 S Main Street, Yorkville, for the Collector's Office. The Paying Taxes page is the more recent source.
- The county website is behind an Akamai bot filter that returns HTTP 403 to plain HTTP clients. A real browser session is needed to read these pages.
- The 2026 sale date shown on the Treasurer's due dates chart is October 26. A 2026 buyer registration form was not yet posted as of this research, so the registration deadline for 2026 should be confirmed with the Collector.
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 Kendall County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Kendall County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Kendall County tax certificate sale?
- The Collector's Annual Tax Sale sheet states: "The Tax Sale is held at the end of the tax cycle, usually in late October or early November." The Treasurer's Important Tax Due Dates chart for 2025 taxes payable in 2026 states: "TAX SALE is October 26th." The most recently posted buyer registration form lists the prior sale as October 27, 2025 at 1:00 pm.. 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 Kendall 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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