Marion County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Marion County, seat of Salem: 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 Marion County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Marion County Treasurer's Office (the Treasurer serves as ex officio County Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Annual tax sale in December. The Treasurer's 2025 payable 2026 tax calendar lists "Tax Sale: Friday, December 11, 2026-11:00 AM" at the "Marion County Courthouse Room 103," with delinquent lists published in newspapers on "Wednesday, November 18, 2026."
- Sale list
- Treasurer tax sale documents
Registration and deposit
Registration runs through the Treasurer's office. The tax calendar shows "Mail Tax Sale Registration Forms: Mid-October 2026" and sets the "Last day to register for Tax Sale: Monday, November 27, 2026." Request a registration packet from the Treasurer at (618) 548-3858 or [email protected].
Marion County runs its annual delinquent tax sale as a live courthouse sale, not on an online bidding platform, so no online platform is confirmed for this county's certificate sale; verify the format with the Treasurer's office before you travel. The Treasurer's own tax calendar is the most specific published source: sale on Friday, December 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM in Room 103 of the courthouse, registration closing Monday, November 27, 2026, and the delinquent lists published in local newspapers on Wednesday, November 18, 2026. Subsequent taxes can first be paid Tuesday, October 5, 2026. A separate sealed-bid event, the county's Surplus Property Auction on October 2, 2026 through iltaxsalebids.com, is administered by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates as county tax agent and covers tax deed foreclosed property and assignable tax certificates; that is the trustee channel, not the December certificate sale. The Treasurer's Tax Sale Information page serves documents through a dynamic cloud file viewer, so packets and lists may not render on every visit; call the office if the folder appears empty. In person at the Marion County Courthouse, Room 103
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 Marion County
- The annual tax sale is held in person in Room 103 of the Marion County Courthouse, 100 E Main St, Salem. The Treasurer publishes no online bidding platform for it.
- Bid method and redemption terms come from the statewide Property Tax Code (35 ILCS 200, Articles 21 and 22). The county's own pages do not restate them, so the state rules govern.
- The Treasurer's calendar lists a judgment entry reading "December 4-10, 2025-9:00 AM" while the surrounding entries are 2026 dates, so confirm the judgment date directly with the office.
- The Treasurer notes on its FAQ page that "Personal checks are acceptable until 30 days before the tax sale," which sets the practical cutoff for redemption-style payments by check.
- ILTaxSale.com lists Marion County for a sealed-bid sale of "Tax Deed Foreclosed Property & Assignable Tax Certificates" with a minimum bid of $832.00 and a catalog about 30 days before the auction. Bids go through iltaxsalebids.com. Investors often mistake this for the annual certificate sale; it is the county trustee surplus channel.
- The county's general website is marioncountyil.gov and the Treasurer runs a separate site at ilmarion.com. Tax sale material lives only on ilmarion.com.
- Property tax records are searchable through the county's DevNet Wedge portal at marionil.devnetwedge.com, which is useful for pre-bid parcel research but is not a delinquent sale list.
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 Marion County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Marion County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Marion County tax certificate sale?
- Annual tax sale in December. The Treasurer's 2025 payable 2026 tax calendar lists "Tax Sale: Friday, December 11, 2026-11:00 AM" at the "Marion County Courthouse Room 103," with delinquent lists published in newspapers on "Wednesday, November 18, 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 Marion 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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