LaSalle County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in LaSalle County, seat of Ottawa: 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 LaSalle County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- LaSalle County Treasurer, serving as ex officio County Collector (James L. Spelich, Treasurer; Chief Deputy Julie Harris)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Mid November each year. The Treasurer's "Pay Back Taxes" page describes prior year taxes as "taxes that were not paid during the levy year (by November) and subsequently sold at the Annual Tax Sale (mid November)." The Treasurer's published calendar for 2025 taxes payable 2026 lists "Annual Tax Sale - TUESDAY" on November 10, 2026, with "Last Day to Pay Before Tax Sale - MONDAY" on November 9, 2026 and "Last Day to Pay Before Publication - FRIDAY" on October 16, 2026.
Registration and deposit
Bidders file the Collector's paper Bidder Registration Form, posted on the Treasurer's forms page. The form states: "All bidders at the Collector's annual sale of real estate tax delinquent lands, lots and parcels must complete and sign this registration, providing all of the information required below. This registration must be received in the office of the Collector at least ten (10) business days prior to the date of sale." It collects the bidder attending, the party bid on behalf of, mailing address, corporate registered agent details, phone, SS number or FEIN, email, and bank routing and account numbers. Payment options on the form are a $500 deposit, which must accompany the registration, and an optional $150 package for the delinquent parcel list and sale results by email. Return it to the Collector at 707 E. Etna Road, P.O. Box 1560, Ottawa, IL 61350, phone 815-434-8219, email [email protected].
No online bidding platform is published for LaSalle County's annual tax sale, so verify the format with the Treasurer's office before registering. The Collector's Bidder Registration Form is a paper document with a line for the time the sale commences and requires the registration to reach the office ten business days ahead, which points to a live sale run by the Collector at the county complex in Ottawa rather than an internet auction. The Treasurer's website has no dedicated tax sale page: the sale date appears only on the Schedule and News and Events calendars, and the only sale document posted is the Bidder Registration Form. That posted form is the version for an earlier tax year and leaves the sale date and time unfilled, so request the current year's form and the sale notice from the office. The annual delinquent parcel list is not posted online. It reaches bidders through the newspaper publication that follows the October publication cutoff and through the $150 list and results package on the registration form. After the sale, the LaSalle County Clerk, not the Treasurer, collects back taxes and redemption money: the Treasurer's back tax line is 815-434-8202 and the Clerk's main number is 815-434-8201. A separate secondary channel exists for parcels that went unsold and passed to the county trustee, Joseph E. Meyer and Associates. Its LaSalle County page on iltaxsale.com lists a "Real Estate / Mobile Home - Sealed Bid" trustee sale dated September 4, 2026 at the La Salle County Governmental Complex, 707 E. Etna Road, Ottawa, hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a $850.00 minimum bid, a digital catalog for $8.00, an online sealed bid submission link, results from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 trustee sales, and a list of assignable tax lien certificates for $25. That trustee sale is not the Collector's annual tax sale and follows its own sealed bid terms.
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)
LaSalle County Treasurer and County Collector
707 East Etna Road, Room 153, P.O. Box 1560, Ottawa, IL 61350
Official websiteNotes for LaSalle County
- The Treasurer's office describes its role plainly: "By holding an orderly annual tax sale, they ensure funds are available for our community's priorities." Jim Spelich is the sitting Treasurer.
- Redemption is handled by the LaSalle County Clerk, Jennifer Ebner, whose duties include keeping "records of all delinquent taxes and penalties; and accepts payments for the redemption of the same." Clerk's office: 707 Etna Road, Ottawa, IL 61350, mailing address PO Box 430, Ottawa, IL 61350, phone 815-434-8201. The Treasurer directs back tax callers to 815-434-8202.
- Treasurer's calendar for 2025 taxes payable in 2026: first installment July 15, 2026; second installment September 9, 2026; certified letters mailed September 25, 2026 with a $10.00 fee starting that day; no personal checks after October 1, 2026; last day to pay before publication October 16, 2026; last day for credit cards and drop box closing at 3:00 p.m. on November 9, 2026; annual tax sale November 10, 2026.
- The Collector's registration form requires bank routing and account numbers up front, so out of state bidders should plan for ACH settlement of purchases.
- The county trustee page on iltaxsale.com sells trustee held tax deed property by sealed bid and also offers a paid list of assignable tax lien certificates. Treat it as a secondary over the counter channel, not as the platform for the annual 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 LaSalle County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- LaSalle County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the LaSalle County tax certificate sale?
- Mid November each year. The Treasurer's "Pay Back Taxes" page describes prior year taxes as "taxes that were not paid during the levy year (by November) and subsequently sold at the Annual Tax Sale (mid November)." The Treasurer's published calendar for 2025 taxes payable 2026 lists "Annual Tax Sale - TUESDAY" on November 10, 2026, with "Last Day to Pay Before Tax Sale - MONDAY" on November 9, 2026 and "Last Day to Pay Before Publication - FRIDAY" on October 16, 2026.. 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 LaSalle 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.