Pope County, IL tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Pope County, IL tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. Illinois sells tax lien certificates paying up to 9%. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from state rules plus what the county publishes on Oct 6, 2026.
How tax lien and tax deed sales work in Pope County, seat of Golconda: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Illinois tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next tax deed sale
- The next auction is listed for November 13, 2026, following sales on October 27, 2023, November 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025.Friday · 2026
- Format
- In person
- Registration
- The listed minimum bid for the November 13, 2026 auction is $828.
- County office
- (618) 683-5501
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Oct 6, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Pope County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Pope County Treasurer, serving as ex officio County Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county publishes no annual tax sale calendar.
- Registration
- No online bidder registration is published for the annual tax sale.
When it runs
The county publishes no annual tax sale calendar. Illinois collectors hold the annual sale after the circuit court enters judgment and an order of sale following the second installment due date, so the date moves each year. Call the Treasurer at (618) 683-5501 for the current date.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Pope County has no county-run website. The Treasurer's online presence is the Property Tax Inquiry portal at popeil.devnetwedge.com, which searches parcels and mobile homes and links to online tax payment, but carries no sale notices or delinquent list. Commercial sites that post Pope County sale dates and lists are not official; confirm any figure with the Treasurer before bidding. The county's delinquent tax agent, Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, sells a list of assignable tax lien certificates for Pope County for $25.
Source: Pope County Treasurer listing, Illinois County Treasurers' Association· Verified Oct 6, 2026
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, Delinquent Tax Agent for the Pope County taxing districts
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The next auction is listed for November 13, 2026, following sales on October 27, 2023, November 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025.
- Registration
- The listed minimum bid for the November 13, 2026 auction is $828.
When it runs
Annual sealed bid auction in late October or November. The next auction is listed for November 13, 2026, following sales on October 27, 2023, November 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
These are trustee sales of property that went unsold at prior annual tax sales. After the redemption period expires, the agent takes tax deeds on behalf of the taxing districts and resells the property by verbal or sealed bid. This is a separate track from buying certificates at the Collector's annual sale. A free digital catalog for the 2026 auction and prior sale results are posted on the agent's Pope County page. In person sealed bid at the Pope County Courthouse, 310 E. Main Street, Golconda, IL 62938.
Source: Pope County Auctions, Joseph E. Meyer & Associates (Delinquent Tax Agent)· Verified Oct 6, 2026
Pope County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Pope County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid. If the parcels on this list are vacant land rather than houses, what buying land at a tax sale hands you is the place to start.
Confirm the advertised parcel list
Use Pope County auction catalog and past results, Joseph E. Meyer & Associates as a starting reference. Check which sale or list it covers; a Lands Available or office information page is separate from an auction parcel list. Ask the sale office for the advertised parcels for the auction you plan to attend.Register to bid
Sale day
The next auction is listed for November 13, 2026, following sales on October 27, 2023, November 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the Joseph E before you go.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use the Joseph E as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Pope County
4 checks
Confirm the parcel list before pricing
Open Pope County auction catalog and past results, Joseph E. Meyer & Associates. Confirm whether this reference contains the auction parcels or covers a different list. Get the advertised parcel list from the county before you price a bid, and recheck it before the sale.Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Illinois due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth. Which liens survive is state law, so read what survives a tax deed in Illinois before you price the title work.Set a walk-away number
Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
unsold liens and deeds
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. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Illinois calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
County notes
- The Treasurer, Shelley Friend, doubles as County Collector and is the office to call for the annual tax sale date, terms and registration, since the county posts no sale page online. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays, closed noon to 1:00 p.m.
- The November sealed bid auctions run by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates sell tax deed property the taxing districts took after prior unsold tax sales, a separate track from buying certificates at the Collector's annual sale.
- Pope County tax records are searchable through the Treasurer's Property Tax Inquiry portal, useful for checking a parcel's tax status before a sale.
- The Treasurer's fax and phone share one number, (618) 683-5501, so call to confirm receipt of anything faxed. Treasurer email: popecotreas@shawneelink.net.
- The Circuit Clerk, Jennifer White, is at the Pope County Courthouse, 310 East Main, Golconda, phone 618.683.8100.
Illinois 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. Once 30 days have passed 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 Pope County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
Pope County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Pope County tax certificate sale?
The county publishes no annual tax sale calendar. Illinois collectors hold the annual sale after the circuit court enters judgment and an order of sale following the second installment due date, so the date moves each year. Call the Treasurer at (618) 683-5501 for the current date. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.
How often does Pope County hold tax deed sales?
Pope County holds tax deed sales once a year. The next auction is listed for November 13, 2026, following sales on October 27, 2023, November 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Illinois's redemption rule: 3 years from the date of sale, or 1 year for vacant non-farm, commercial, industrial, and 7-or-more-unit residential property. Call the Joseph E as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.
Where can I find the Pope County tax sale list?
The recorded official list reference is at iltaxsale.com. Check whether it covers auction parcels, office information or Lands Available, then obtain the advertised parcel list for the sale you plan to bid on. Confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement.
Verified Oct 6, 2026 against official county and state sources.
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 office that runs the sale before you bid.
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