Livingston County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Livingston County, seat of Pontiac: 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 Livingston County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Livingston County Treasurer, serving as ex officio County Collector (M. Nikki Meier, Treasurer)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The annual tax sale is held in November at the county courthouse in Pontiac. The Treasurer's 2026 tax calendar lists "November 9, 2026" for the "Tax Sale", with the sale time not yet posted, the "Judgment Hearing @ 9 a.m." on November 6, 2026, and the note "*Dates are subject to change*". The Treasurer's registration packet describes the prior year the same way: "The annual tax sale will be held at the Livingston County Historical Courthouse, 112 W. Madison Street, Pontiac, Illinois on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. The sale of delinquent real estate taxes will begin at 12:00 p.m. and delinquent mobile home taxes will begin immediately after."
Registration and deposit
Register by mail with the County Collector. The Treasurer's packet states a completed bidder registration form "must be received in the office of the Collector at least ten (10) business days prior to the date of the sale", and "All tax buyers MUST include a registration deposit in the amount of $250.00 with their registration form to be eligible to bid at the sale" by check drawn on a U.S. bank (35 ILCS 200/21-220). The 2026 tax calendar sets October 26, 2026 as the "Last Day to Register for Tax Sale - Registration Forms and $250.00 Due." Buyers must also leave a signed blank check at the Treasurer's office before 1:00 p.m. on sale day (35 ILCS 200/20-25), and new tax buyers must provide a letter of credit that day. Livingston County adopted the single bidder rule by Ordinance 2022-04-22 on April 14, 2022 under 35 ILCS 200/21-205(b-5), and every buyer signs a single bidder affidavit. Mail forms to Livingston County Treasurer, P.O. Box 50, Pontiac, IL 61764.
This is an in person sale. The Treasurer's packet is explicit: "We will once again be using the R.A.M.S. automated tax sale conducted by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates" and "Buyers MUST bid in person in order to participate in the sale." R.A.M.S. describes itself as "a proprietary software system running on a mobile network of computers" where "purchasers attend the sale in person and bid via our networked computers, using only a simple mouse click", so there is no remote or online bidding for this sale. There is no free online delinquent list: the packet states the delinquent tax list is available to purchase for $50.00 about a week before the sale, with an updated list issued a few days later and emailed by Joseph E. Meyer and Associates, Inc. The 2026 calendar also shows delinquent names published in the Daily Leader newspaper the week of October 19, 2026. Any taxes not purchased by a registered buyer are automatically awarded to the Livingston County Trustee at 9%. Tax certificates are mailed to successful buyers by the Livingston County Clerk's office, and the Clerk's office "collects all delinquent and forfeited taxes and is responsible for reimbursing the tax buyers", so redemption runs through the County Clerk rather than the Treasurer. Do not confuse the November certificate sale with the county's separate Sealed Bid Auction of Surplus Real Property, a quit claim deed sale of parcels the County Tax Agent already took to tax deed; the tax agent's site iltaxsale.com lists a Livingston sealed bid auction dated August 7, 2026 with a digital catalog for $5.00, which is that deed sale and not the annual certificate sale. As of late July 2026 the registration packet posted on the Treasurer's page is the prior year's edition, so confirm the 2026 sale time, list price, and forms with the office before registering. R.A.M.S. (Real-Time Auction Management System) operated by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, used for bidding in person at the courthouse
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)
Livingston County Treasurer (County Collector)
Historic Courthouse, 112 W. Madison Street, P.O. Box 50, Pontiac, IL 61764
Official websiteNotes for Livingston County
- Sale venue is the Livingston County Historical Courthouse at 112 W. Madison Street, Pontiac. Real estate parcels sell first, mobile homes immediately after.
- Registration deposit is $250 by check on a U.S. bank, applied to purchases, refunded to unsuccessful bidders, and retained by the county if a registrant fails to attend (35 ILCS 200/21-220).
- Single bidder rule in force since April 14, 2022 under county Ordinance 2022-04-22; related bidding entities may not register separately.
- Unsold taxes go to the Livingston County Trustee at 9%.
- Redemption and reimbursement of tax buyers is handled by the Livingston County Clerk and Recorder, 112 W. Madison Street, P.O. Box 618, Pontiac, IL 61764, phone 815-844-2006.
- County Tax Agent is Joseph E. Meyer & Associates; its Auction Sale Department is reachable at 800-248-2850 or 618-656-5744 for the surplus deed auction and unsold parcel lists.
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 Livingston County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Livingston County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Livingston County tax certificate sale?
- The annual tax sale is held in November at the county courthouse in Pontiac. The Treasurer's 2026 tax calendar lists "November 9, 2026" for the "Tax Sale", with the sale time not yet posted, the "Judgment Hearing @ 9 a.m." on November 6, 2026, and the note "*Dates are subject to change*". The Treasurer's registration packet describes the prior year the same way: "The annual tax sale will be held at the Livingston County Historical Courthouse, 112 W. Madison Street, Pontiac, Illinois on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. The sale of delinquent real estate taxes will begin at 12:00 p.m. and delinquent mobile home taxes will begin immediately after.". 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 Livingston 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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