Scott County, IL tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Scott 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 Scott County, seat of Winchester: 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 certificate sale
- The county publishes no tax sale date.
- Format
- Online
- County office
- (217) 742-3368
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Oct 6, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
How Scott County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Scott County Treasurer's Office (the County Treasurer serving as ex officio County Collector), assisted by the Scott County Clerk
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- The county publishes no tax sale date.
When it runs
The county publishes no tax sale date. Its Treasurer page states that the Treasurer, assisted by the County Clerk, conducts an annual sale of delinquent real estate taxes, delinquent mobile home taxes and unpaid special assessments. For 2026, bills were mailed June 8, the first installment was due July 17 and the second installment on September 18, so the annual sale follows the second installment delinquency. Call the Treasurer's office at (217) 742-3368 to confirm the current year's sale date and time.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Scott County has no dedicated tax sale page. Its Treasurer page confirms the office runs the annual sale of delinquent real estate taxes, delinquent mobile home taxes and unpaid special assessments, and the Clerk & Recorder page confirms that office collects delinquent taxes and reimburses tax buyers, which is the redemption side. Neither page lists a sale date, registration process, deposit, bidding method or delinquent list. No online platform is named for the annual certificate sale, so expect a county-run sale at the courthouse in Winchester and confirm the format with the Treasurer before committing funds. Separately, the county as trustee sells property that was not bought at the annual sale and later went to deed, through Joseph E. Meyer & Associates. Those trustee auctions have been sealed-bid real estate sales held each September (September 13, 2024; September 5, 2025; September 11, 2026), and no further trustee auction is scheduled at this time. Bids go in online at iltaxsalebids.com or as a sealed written Binding Purchase Contract with full payment (no cash) payable to County Trustee, delivered to the Treasurer by the last day to bid. There is no verbal bidding, the highest bid wins, and online winners have seven days to pay in full. This trustee deed sale is not the Collector's annual certificate sale. The same trustee page sells a list of assignable tax lien certificates for $25.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Scott County as Trustee, through its delinquent tax agent Joseph E. Meyer & Associates
- Frequency
- annual
When it runs
Held each September as a sealed-bid real estate auction (September 13, 2024; September 5, 2025; September 11, 2026). No further trustee auction is scheduled at this time.
Registration and deposit
Sale format and venue
Only online or sealed written bids are accepted, with no verbal bidding. Properties sell to the highest bidder, online winners have seven days to pay in full, and results are mailed about seven days after the last day to bid. The September 2026 catalog listed a $863.00 minimum bid. Property is sold as is, and county officers, employees and their relatives may not bid.
Scott County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Scott 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 Scott County trustee auctions, results and assignable certificate list (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
Ask the Scott County as Trustee how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
The county publishes no tax sale date. Bidding runs on Online; check posted sale dates, registration status, and bidding windows there.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use the Scott County as Trustee as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Scott County
4 checks
Confirm the parcel list before pricing
Open Scott County trustee auctions, results and assignable certificate list (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
- County Treasurer: Mark J. Ford. Tax Deputy: Shelley Whewell. Office email treasurer@scottcoil.gov, fax (217) 742-5853.
- Courthouse hours on the county site are Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, closed holidays. The Illinois Treasurers Association listing gives property tax hours as Monday to Friday 8:00 to 4:00, so call ahead over the midday break.
- Redemption runs through the County Clerk, which collects delinquent taxes and reimburses tax buyers. Clerk phone (217) 742-3178, email countyclerk@scottcoil.gov.
- The county's tax records run on Fike & Fike software, reachable through the Access Your Property Tax Information link on the Treasurer page. Select Scott from the county dropdown.
- The county publishes no sale notice, bidder registration packet or delinquent list for the annual certificate sale, so timing and format are unconfirmed. Confirm both by phone before the sale.
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 Scott County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
Scott County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Scott County tax certificate sale?
The county publishes no tax sale date. Its Treasurer page states that the Treasurer, assisted by the County Clerk, conducts an annual sale of delinquent real estate taxes, delinquent mobile home taxes and unpaid special assessments. For 2026, bills were mailed June 8, the first installment was due July 17 and the second installment on September 18, so the annual sale follows the second installment delinquency. Call the Treasurer's office at (217) 742-3368 to confirm the current year's sale date and time. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.
How often does Scott County hold tax deed sales?
Scott County holds tax deed sales once a year. 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 Scott County as Trustee 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 Scott 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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