Lawrence County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Lawrence County, seat of Lawrenceville: 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 Lawrence County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Lawrence County Treasurer's Office (the Treasurer serves as ex officio County Collector for delinquent real estate taxes)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county does not publish an annual tax sale date. The Treasurer's page lists the duty only, as "Conducts annual sale of delinquent real estate taxes," with no date, notice, or bidder packet attached, so call (618) 943-2016 to confirm the current date. The county delinquent tax agent does publish Lawrence County's separate sealed bid auction dates, showing 01/22/2027 upcoming after sales dated 02/13/2026, 02/21/2025 and 02/16/2024, which puts that auction in a January to February window.
Registration and deposit
For the tax agent's sealed bid auction, get the catalog or bid packet first. The Lawrence County listing states "Catalog will be available approximately 30 days prior to the auction," and the Treasurer's page states "THE SEALED BID AUCTION CATALOGS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE TREASURER'S OFFICE FOR PURCHASE. $5.00". Bids go in two ways: a sealed written bid delivered to the Treasurer's Office at 1106 Jefferson Street, Lawrenceville, or an online bid after creating an account at ILTaxSaleBids.com, which offers a "Register as a new user" link. Bidder registration rules and deadlines for the county's own annual tax sale are not posted online; request them from the Treasurer's Office.
Lawrence County publishes very little about its annual tax sale. The Treasurer's page confirms the office conducts the annual sale of delinquent real estate taxes and sells sealed bid auction catalogs for $5.00, but posts no sale date, no published notice, no bidder registration form, and no delinquent tax list. Two different sales get confused here. The annual tax sale, where investors buy certificates on currently delinquent parcels, is run by the Treasurer as County Collector, and no online bidding platform is confirmed for it; verify the venue and format with the office. The Lawrence County auction listed on ILTaxSale.com is the county delinquent tax agent's sealed bid sale of trustee-held tax deed property and assignable tax certificates left over from earlier tax sales, priced from a $822.00 minimum bid on real estate, with bids taken on paper at the Treasurer's Office or online at ILTaxSaleBids.com. Joseph E. Meyer & Associates is not a passive listing service: the firm states it acts as delinquent tax agent for 94 of 102 Illinois counties, enrolls unsold parcels in the trustee program, obtains tax deeds for the taxing districts, and sells at public auction.
Register on Online auctionTax 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 Lawrence County
- The Lawrence County Treasurer is Barbie Morey, assisted by Deputy Treasurers Allyson Fahr and Harlie McDermid. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Email is [email protected].
- The Treasurer's office sits in the Lawrence County Courthouse Annex at 1106 Jefferson Street. The county's main address is 1100 State Street, Lawrenceville, and the county switchboard is (618) 943-2815.
- The County Clerk, Will Gibson, is at 1100 State Street, Lawrenceville, IL 62439, phone (618) 943-2346. The county describes the Clerk's office as acting "as the collector for delinquent property taxes," so investors holding a certificate will deal with both the Treasurer and the Clerk.
- Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, County Tax Agent, 141 Saint Andrews Ave, PO Box 96, Edwardsville, IL 62025, phone (618) 656-5744, is the firm behind ILTaxSale.com and ILTaxSaleBids.com. It describes its offering as "Tax Deed Foreclosed Property & Assignable Tax Certificates."
- The Lawrence County listing on ILTaxSale.com also sells a "List of Assignable Certificates" for $25. That is the route to trustee-held certificates between annual sales.
- Past Lawrence County sealed bid results are downloadable free from the county's page on ILTaxSale.com, which is the most useful public record of what actually clears in this county.
- Third-party tax-sale aggregators publish Lawrence County sale schedules and interest figures that appear nowhere on the county site. Treat those as unverified and confirm timing directly with the Treasurer's Office.
- The county homepage carries no tax sale notice, no payment portal link, and no delinquent list, so there is no self-serve path to this county's sale data. Phone contact is the practical first step.
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 Lawrence County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Lawrence County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Lawrence County tax certificate sale?
- The county does not publish an annual tax sale date. The Treasurer's page lists the duty only, as "Conducts annual sale of delinquent real estate taxes," with no date, notice, or bidder packet attached, so call (618) 943-2016 to confirm the current date. The county delinquent tax agent does publish Lawrence County's separate sealed bid auction dates, showing 01/22/2027 upcoming after sales dated 02/13/2026, 02/21/2025 and 02/16/2024, which puts that auction in a January to February window.. 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 Lawrence 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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