Pike County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Pike County, seat of Pittsfield: 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 Pike County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Pike County Treasurer, serving as Ex-Officio County Collector (Scott Syrcle, Treasurer/Ex-Officio Collector)
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Pike County does not publish an annual tax sale date on its Treasurer and Ex-Officio Collector page, so the annual tax sale date has to be confirmed with the office. The Pike County trustee sale of county tax deed property and assignable tax certificates runs on a September cycle: the county auction page lists the next sale as "09/11/2026", after prior sales dated "09/05/2025", "09/13/2024" and "10/13/2023".
Registration and deposit
Two bidding routes are published for the Pike County trustee sale, and the sale notice states "This real estate sale is a “Sealed Bid” Auction" with "no Verbal Bidding at this auction". Online: "Create an account or log into an exisiting account at www.iltaxsalebids.com to place a bid." A winning online bidder is emailed payment instructions and has seven days to pay in full or the bid is rejected and the next highest bid is taken. By mail or in person: obtain a catalog and the "Binding Purchase Contract / Sealed Bid" form from the Treasurer's office, include full payment (no cash) made payable to COUNTY TRUSTEE by personal check, cashier's check, money order or bank draft, seal it in an envelope marked "SEALED BID" with the item number, and deliver it to the Treasurer by the last day to bid. Postmark does not count. Registration and deposit terms for the separate annual tax sale are not published online and must be confirmed with the County Collector at (217) 285-4218.
The Pike County website carries no tax sale page. The Treasurer and Ex-Officio Collector page covers staff, hours and payment methods only, and the Clerk page notes only that "The Clerk collects delinquent tax payments." No annual tax sale date, bidder registration form, or delinquent list is posted, so call the Collector for the annual sale. What is verifiable online is the separate trustee channel: Joseph E. Meyer & Associates describes itself as "Delinquent Tax Agent for 94 of 102 counties in Illinois" and manages properties through a trustee program following county tax sales, and its Pike County page offers "Tax Deed Foreclosed Property & Assignable Tax Certificates" plus a "List of Assignable Certificates - $25". The sealed bid contract names "PIKE County, as Trustee" as the seller, and checks are payable to COUNTY TRUSTEE, so this is the county trustee sale rather than the annual tax sale. The catalog warns that some parcels may be hazardous or condemned, that demolition may have occurred or be imminent, and that the county does not guarantee permits or freedom from municipal liens, so inspect before bidding. County officers, county employees and their relatives are barred by Illinois statute from buying at the sale. The listed contact for the county tax agent is 618-656-5744.
Register on Online auctionTax 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 Pike County
- Pike County posts no tax sale page. The Treasurer and Ex-Officio Collector page (Scott Syrcle, Treasurer/Ex-Officio Collector) lists hours of 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday, phone (217) 285-4218, fax (217) 285-5451, and property tax payment methods, but no annual tax sale date, bidder registration, or delinquent list.
- Redemption and delinquent payment questions go to the County Clerk, whose page states "The Clerk collects delinquent tax payments" and "calculates and extends the tax rates on all real estate in the county". The Clerk is at 121 E. Washington Street, Pittsfield, IL 62363, phone (217) 285-6812.
- Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, the Delinquent Tax Agent for 94 of 102 Illinois counties, runs the Pike County trustee sale of tax deed foreclosed property and assignable tax certificates. That sale is separate from the Collector's annual tax sale and takes place after it.
- Pike trustee sales are sealed bid only, with no verbal bidding. Bid online at ILTaxSaleBids.com, or deliver a completed Binding Purchase Contract / Sealed Bid with full payment to the Treasurer's office by the last day to bid.
- Results are mailed roughly seven days after the last day to bid. Unsuccessful bidders get their payment back marked void along with a letter stating the winning bid amount.
- Pike County reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to withdraw any parcel from the sale without prior notice, and the catalog information is described as deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
- Recent Pike County trustee sale dates were 10/13/2023, 09/13/2024 and 09/05/2025, with 09/11/2026 listed next, so a September window is the pattern to watch for this channel.
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 Pike County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Pike County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Pike County tax certificate sale?
- Pike County does not publish an annual tax sale date on its Treasurer and Ex-Officio Collector page, so the annual tax sale date has to be confirmed with the office. The Pike County trustee sale of county tax deed property and assignable tax certificates runs on a September cycle: the county auction page lists the next sale as "09/11/2026", after prior sales dated "09/05/2025", "09/13/2024" and "10/13/2023".. 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 Pike 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.