Piatt County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Piatt County, seat of Monticello: 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 Piatt County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Piatt County Treasurer, serving as County Collector. The Treasurer's page states: "The County Treasurer serves as both Treasurer and Collector for the County." The current Treasurer is Debbie Marshall.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Piatt County does not post an annual tax sale date on its website. The Treasurer's real estate tax page states that "Piatt County Real Estate tax bills are scheduled to be released May 15, 2026," with the first installment due June 15, 2026 and the second installment due September 1, 2026, and that "No online payments will be accepted after September 1, 2026." The annual tax sale follows delinquency on the second installment, so confirm the current sale date directly with the Treasurer's office at 217-762-4866.
Registration and deposit
No bidder registration packet, deposit amount, or registration deadline for the annual tax sale is published on the Piatt County website. Contact the Treasurer's office at 217-762-4866 for the registration form and deadline. For the separate post-sale trustee offerings marketed through ILTaxSale.com, the FAQ says bidders "pull a bid form/purchase contract from the catalog; pick up the form at the Treasurer's Office, or download it," and that on a sealed bid sale "Your bid must be equal to or greater than the minimum bid. You only have one chance to bid so we suggest you bid the maximum amount you wish to invest in the property."
No online bidding platform is confirmed for the Piatt County annual tax sale, and the county website has no tax sale page at all, so verify the format and date with the Treasurer's office before planning a trip. Redemption is handled by a different office: the County Clerk's page states "Delinquent taxes sold in Piatt County tax sales must be redeemed in the Office of the County Clerk," payable in cash, certified check, or money order, and advises calling for the exact amount. Separately, Joseph E. Meyer and Associates operates ILTaxSale.com and describes itself as delinquent tax agent for 94 of Illinois' 102 counties, enrolling parcels unsold at county tax sales into a trustee program and later obtaining tax deeds and selling the properties at public auction "conducted verbally or by sealed bid." The Piatt County page there lists Real Estate / Mobile Home sealed bid auctions, most recently dated 07/24/2026, with no auction scheduled as of late July 2026, plus a paid list of assignable tax lien certificates at $25. Treat that as the trustee channel, not the County Collector's annual sale. The official county domain is piatt.gov; the DEVNET tax search at piattil.devnetwedge.com links back to a piattcounty.org address that did not respond, and piattcounty.com is a parked domain for sale, not a county site.
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)
Piatt County Treasurer (ex officio County Collector)
Piatt County Courthouse, Room 101, 101 W Washington St, Monticello, IL 61856. Mailing address: Piatt County Treasurer, PO Box 116, Monticello, IL 61856.
Official websiteNotes for Piatt County
- The Piatt County Treasurer is the County Collector; there is no separate collector office or collector web page.
- Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
- Property tax records are searchable at piattil.devnetwedge.com (DEVNET), and current taxes are payable online through GovTech Tax Pro; neither surface shows tax sale or delinquent list data.
- Piatt County's website publishes no annual tax sale notice, delinquent list, bidder registration form, or sale date, so statewide rules under 35 ILCS 200 govern until the office confirms specifics.
- The County Clerk and Recorder (Jennifer Harper) collects delinquent tax payments and processes redemptions of certificates sold at the county tax sale.
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 Piatt County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Piatt County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Piatt County tax certificate sale?
- Piatt County does not post an annual tax sale date on its website. The Treasurer's real estate tax page states that "Piatt County Real Estate tax bills are scheduled to be released May 15, 2026," with the first installment due June 15, 2026 and the second installment due September 1, 2026, and that "No online payments will be accepted after September 1, 2026." The annual tax sale follows delinquency on the second installment, so confirm the current sale date directly with the Treasurer's office at 217-762-4866.. 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 Piatt 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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