Shelby County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Shelby County, seat of Shelbyville: 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 Shelby County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Shelby County Treasurer, serving as Ex-Officio County Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Mid November. The Collector's official 2025 payable 2026 property tax calendar lists "Tuesday, Nov. 10th Judgement filed" and "Thursday, Nov. 12th Tax Sale". The same calendar sets "Tuesday, Oct. 13th Last day to pay to avoid publication, certified letters and costs" and applies a $10 publication fee that day, and lists "Wednesday, Sept. 23rd Tax Buyers can pay subs".
Registration and deposit
The Collector publishes no online tax buyer registration form or portal. Contact the Treasurer and Ex-Officio County Collector at 217-774-3841 or [email protected] to confirm registration paperwork, deposit, and the cutoff date before the November sale.
Shelby County has no dedicated tax sale page. The Treasurer's page states the office "bills, collects and distributes property and mobile home privilege taxes as well as conducting the annual tax sale on delinquent parcels", and the county-specific sale date comes from the Collector's own tax calendar document. No online auction platform is confirmed for this county, so treat the sale as conducted directly by the Collector and verify the format with the office before planning a bid. The delinquent list is not posted online; the calendar points to newspaper publication after the October 13 cutoff. Separately, ILTaxSale.com, operated by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, lists Shelby County items including a courthouse auction dated 08/14/2026, a paid catalog, and assignable tax certificates. Those are trustee held properties and certificates from earlier sales, not the Collector's annual tax sale, so do not use that calendar for the November sale.
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)
Shelby County Treasurer and Ex-Officio County Collector
P.O. Box 326, Shelbyville, IL 62565. Office located at the Shelby County Courthouse, 301 E Main Street, Shelbyville, IL 62565.
Official websiteNotes for Shelby County
- The Treasurer serves as Ex-Officio County Collector and runs the annual tax sale on delinquent parcels.
- The Collector's 2025 payable 2026 calendar sets judgment on November 10, 2026 and the tax sale on November 12, 2026.
- Installments for 2025 taxes payable 2026 were due July 21, 2026 and September 15, 2026, with bills mailed June 16, 2026.
- Existing certificate holders could pay subsequent taxes starting September 23, 2026 per the county calendar.
- No online bidding platform is confirmed for this county. Registration terms are not published online, so call the Collector at 217-774-3841.
- The county collects roughly $33 million on more than 20,500 parcels and over 640 mobile home bills for 114 taxing districts, per the Treasurer's page.
- Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at the Shelby County Courthouse in Shelbyville.
- Fax is 217-774-5291 and email is [email protected].
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 Shelby County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Shelby County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Shelby County tax certificate sale?
- Mid November. The Collector's official 2025 payable 2026 property tax calendar lists "Tuesday, Nov. 10th Judgement filed" and "Thursday, Nov. 12th Tax Sale". The same calendar sets "Tuesday, Oct. 13th Last day to pay to avoid publication, certified letters and costs" and applies a $10 publication fee that day, and lists "Wednesday, Sept. 23rd Tax Buyers can pay subs".. 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 Shelby 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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