Madison County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Madison County, seat of Edwardsville: 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 Madison County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Madison County Treasurer, acting as county collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Mid to late February, in the morning. The Treasurer's tax buyer page states: "Madison County will conduct its Annual Real Estate Tax Sale at 10 a.m. on Feb. 17, 2026 in the Madison County Board Room (Ste. 203) 157 N. Main St., Edwardsville." Registration closed at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2026 for that sale.
Registration and deposit
Register with the Treasurer's Office ahead of the sale. For the Feb. 17, 2026 sale the deadline was 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2026. Buyers complete the Madison County Tax Buyer Registration Form plus a W-9 and submit a $500 deposit payable to the "Madison County Treasurer." The county states the deposit "will be applied to your purchase at the Tax Sale or refunded if you attend and do not make a purchase" and is forfeited if you do not attend. All registered tax buyers and their appointed representatives must be at least 18 years old at registration, and the name of a substitute bidder must reach the Treasurer's Office by mail, fax, or email no later than Feb. 6, 2026. The registration form and W-9 are not posted as downloads on the page, so request them from the Treasurer's Office.
This is a live, in person sale held in the county board room, not an online auction. Joseph E. Meyer & Associates conducts it using R.A.M.S. 2, which the county page describes as the "Randomize Auction Management System," and the county directs R.A.M.S. 2 questions to that firm. No online bidding site is confirmed for this county, so verify the mechanics with the Treasurer's Office before registering. Tax buyer lists were posted starting Jan. 26, 2026 and refreshed weekly (Jan. 23, Jan. 30, Feb. 6 and Feb. 13, 2026 editions) as parcels were paid off, so pull the newest file before the sale. The county emphasizes that the sale conveys the unpaid taxes only: "We only sell unpaid taxes not the house." After the sale, owners redeem through the Madison County Clerk's Tax and Real Estate division, which issues an Estimate of Redemption; that office quotes a redemption window of two to three years and notes deed proceedings can begin six months before expiration. Several commercial tax sale listing sites republish Madison County dates and figures; treat those as unofficial and confirm against the Treasurer's pages. In person at the Madison County Board Room, with bidding run on R.A.M.S. 2 software by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates
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)
Notes for Madison County
- The Treasurer's tax sale page cites the Illinois Property Tax Code (35 ILCS 200) as the authority requiring the county collector to sell taxes unpaid for the current year.
- Registration, deposit handling and the bidder list run through the Treasurer's Office in Edwardsville; the sale itself is held in the Madison County Board Room, Suite 203, at the same 157 N. Main St. address.
- Redemption is a separate office: Madison County Clerk, Tax and Real Estate, P.O. Box 218, Edwardsville, IL 62025, phone 618-692-6290, email [email protected]. It charges $25 for a delinquent tax file for institutions.
- The main county switchboard number in the site footer is 618-296-6200; the direct Treasurer line is 618-692-6260.
- Office hours for both the Treasurer and the Clerk's tax division are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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 Madison County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Madison County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Madison County tax certificate sale?
- Mid to late February, in the morning. The Treasurer's tax buyer page states: "Madison County will conduct its Annual Real Estate Tax Sale at 10 a.m. on Feb. 17, 2026 in the Madison County Board Room (Ste. 203) 157 N. Main St., Edwardsville." Registration closed at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2026 for that sale.. 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 Madison 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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