McHenry County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in McHenry County, seat of Woodstock: 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 McHenry County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- McHenry County Treasurer, acting as ex officio McHenry County Collector (the County Clerk directs all tax-sale questions to the McHenry County Collector's Office, and sale checks are payable to McHenry County Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The Treasurer's Tax Sale page lists "Tax Sale Date: November 16, 2026 @ 9AM *We suggest you arrive no later than 8:45am*", held at the McHenry County Administration Building, Conference Rooms B & C, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock IL 60098. The County Clerk adds that "Tax Sale occurs typically every year in November." General publication of the delinquent list is set for October 22, 2026 in the Northwest Herald.
Registration and deposit
All buyers must follow the single bidder rule required by law and be registered by the close of business on October 28, 2026. Postmarks are not accepted, and one buyer per registration may bid. Mail a completed Tax Sale Registration Form, a completed and signed W-9, and the $500 registration fee to McHenry County Treasurer, 2200 N Seminary Ave., Woodstock IL 60098. The Treasurer returns the $500 check on the day of the sale in exchange for a check covering purchases. The $200 tax sale list fee is optional. Use separate checks for each fee, payable to McHenry County Collector. Forms are posted on the Tax Sale page or available from the office at 815-334-4260.
Bidding is in declining order down from 9%, and the County Clerk explains that the percentage taxes sell at is the interest applied every six months from the date of sale. Bidder numbers are assigned to registered buyers on the day of the sale, and certificates are issued only in the registered name of the successful bidder. The Treasurer states the sale uses the RAMS computerized tax lien auction and that registered buyers must be present the day of the sale, so this is a live in-person sale at the county Administration Building with no online bidding portal. RAMS 2 is bid-collection software used at in-person Illinois sales, where buyers submit a bid file rather than bidding on a website. The delinquent list is not posted free online: the Treasurer charges $200, emails a preliminary list on October 28, 2026, and emails the final list on the evening of November 13, 2026 to the address on the registration form. If no tax buyer bids on a parcel, the McHenry County Trustee becomes the default buyer at 9%. In person (RAMS computerized tax lien auction)
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)
McHenry County Treasurer (ex officio County Collector)
Office of Treasurer, 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098 (mailing). Public office location: 2100 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098, open 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.
Official websiteNotes for McHenry County
- Redemption runs through the McHenry County Clerk, not the Treasurer. The Clerk's office handles payment on taxes sold at the annual sale, at 815-334-4242 or [email protected], and lists a physical address of 667 Ware Rd, Room 107, Woodstock, IL 60098 with mail sent to 2200 N Seminary Ave, Woodstock, IL 60098.
- The Clerk states the redemption period is a minimum of two years and a maximum of three, with the third year determined by the tax buyer. Only one additional year can be granted beyond the two years set by state law, and once an extension is given it cannot be taken back.
- Redemption money must reach the Clerk by cashier's check, official check, money order, or exact cash. Personal, mortgage company, and business checks are refused, and title company checks hold the official receipt for 14 days. Partial payments and payment plans are not allowed.
- Post-sale buyer duties per the Clerk: prepare and file the initial Take Notice within four and a half months after the official tax sale, following the Property Tax Code. Subsequent-year delinquent taxes are added at the Treasurer's office, then the payment receipt is brought to the Clerk to be posted.
- Caution on third-party listings: iltaxsale.com, operated by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, shows a separate McHenry County sale typed "Real Estate - Sealed Bid" dated September 4, 2026 behind a paid digital catalog. That is not the Treasurer's annual November certificate sale, and the page does not state who administers it, so confirm any sealed-bid sale directly with the Treasurer or County Clerk before acting on it.
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 McHenry County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- McHenry County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the McHenry County tax certificate sale?
- The Treasurer's Tax Sale page lists "Tax Sale Date: November 16, 2026 @ 9AM *We suggest you arrive no later than 8:45am*", held at the McHenry County Administration Building, Conference Rooms B & C, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock IL 60098. The County Clerk adds that "Tax Sale occurs typically every year in November." General publication of the delinquent list is set for October 22, 2026 in the Northwest Herald.. 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 McHenry 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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