Menard County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Menard County, seat of Petersburg: 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 Menard County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Menard County Treasurer and Collector (the County Treasurer serving as ex officio County Collector), assisted by the Menard County Clerk
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Once a year in late fall, on a date the Collector posts on its own page. For the current cycle the county states: "The annual sale of delinquent taxes is Friday, December 4, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. in the Treasurer's Office." The payment cutoff that closes the list is the day before: "The last date you can pay taxes is by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2026."
Registration and deposit
Register in advance with the County Collector using the county's "Registration for Annual Sale of Delinquent Taxes" form (Certificate of Registration, Annual Sale of Delinquent Real Estate Tax). The form is executed under 35 ILCS 200/21-220 and, for mobile homes, 35 ILCS 516/155, and asks for name and address, Social Security or FEIN number, phone, fax and email. It states that registration and fee "must be received at least 10 business days prior to date of sale." The registration fee is $150.00. A tax sale list printout with one update is a separate $75.00.
Menard County runs a live, in person certificate sale in the Treasurer's Office at the Menard County Courthouse, 102 South Seventh Street, Petersburg. No online auction platform is confirmed for this county, so plan to attend or send an authorized agent, and verify the format with the office before the sale. The county describes the mechanics as follows: "Property is not sold at the annual sale of delinquent taxes, only the delinquent tax and all penalties. Registered tax purchasers bid by rate, starting at 9% with the tax going to the lowest bidder." Real estate and mobile home taxes are both sold. Redemption runs through a different office: "Redemption calculation of the sold taxes is made through the County Clerk's office. At redemption, additional interest and fees are due," and the Clerk asks redeemers to call for the exact amount and to pay in cash, certified check or money order. There is no free online sale list, the county sells the list for $75.00 with one update. Caution on third party sites: ILTaxSale.com, run by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, lists Menard County but is the county trustee channel for tax deed foreclosed property and assignable tax lien certificates from earlier sales, not the Collector's annual sale. At the time of research its Menard page showed "No auctions scheduled at this time" for upcoming tax deed auctions and offered a paid "List of Assignable Certificates" for $25. Treat it as a secondary market and get sale dates and lists from the Collector. In person at the Menard County Courthouse (Treasurer's Office, 1st floor)
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)
Menard County Treasurer and Collector
102 South Seventh Street, 1st Floor, Menard County Courthouse, Petersburg, IL 62675
Official websiteNotes for Menard County
- Sale format: live and in person in the Treasurer's Office at the Menard County Courthouse. The county page names no online bidding platform, and research found no county specific online auction site.
- Bidding: "Registered tax purchasers bid by rate, starting at 9% with the tax going to the lowest bidder." Only the delinquent tax and penalties are sold, not the property.
- Registration deadline: the county's tax buyer registration form states the registration and fee must be received at least 10 business days before the sale date. The fee is $150.00, and the tax sale list with one update costs $75.00.
- Redemption is handled by the Menard County Clerk and Recorder, 102 South Seventh Street, 1st Floor, Petersburg, IL 62675, phone (217) 632-3201. The Clerk asks redeemers to call for the exact amount and accepts cash, certified check or money order.
- Staff listed on the Collector's page at the time of research: Treasurer and Collector Molly Bettis, with deputies Anita Wankel, Tami Burg and Marlo Willett. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Mobile home privilege taxes are sold at the same annual sale, and the registration form cites 35 ILCS 516/155 for the mobile home side.
- ILTaxSale.com (Joseph E. Meyer & Associates) covers Menard County for tax deed foreclosed property and assignable certificates from prior sales. It is not the Collector's annual sale platform, and its upcoming auction list for Menard was empty when checked.
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 Menard County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Menard County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Menard County tax certificate sale?
- Once a year in late fall, on a date the Collector posts on its own page. For the current cycle the county states: "The annual sale of delinquent taxes is Friday, December 4, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. in the Treasurer's Office." The payment cutoff that closes the list is the day before: "The last date you can pay taxes is by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 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 Menard 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.
Explore all 102 Illinois counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.