Stark County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Stark County, seat of Toulon: 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 Stark County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Stark County Treasurer & Collector (the County Treasurer serving as ex officio County Collector). The office states that "The Office of the County Treasurer serves dual functions as treasurer and as collector of County funds." Treasurer: Paula K Leezer. Chief Deputy Treasurer: Amanda S King.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Late October. The Treasurer's calendar lists "October 28, 2026: 2025 Delinquent Real Estate Tax Sale at 1:00 pm" with a registration deadline of "October 14, 2026: 2025 Delinquent Real Estate Tax Sale Registration Deadline". The office also states that "The annual sale for delinquent tax bills occurs in late October or early November." The prior cycle ran "October 29, 2025 at 1:00pm - Stark County Courthouse" for tax year 2024. The county labels its dates "subject to change without notice", so confirm with the Treasurer before making plans.
Registration and deposit
Register with the Treasurer's office using the Real Estate Tax Sale Registration Form, which doubles as a substitute W-9. It asks for bidder name, SSN or FEIN, bidding company, address, phone, email, and full ownership detail for corporations, partnerships, or other entities. The 2024 tax-year form states that "a completed registration form and a deposit check for $50.00 payable to the Stark County Treasurer must be received by the Stark County Treasurer's office by 4:30 pm" on the registration deadline, and that "The $50.00 check will be refunded to me if I attend the tax sale and bid." Late delivery is not excused: "delays caused by the United States Postal Service or other delivery method will not excuse me from that requirement." Registered bidders agree to pay all balances due at the end of the sale using a signed blank check, not to bid on parcels in which they or anyone they represent hold an interest, not to collude or bid rig, that only one bidder at a time may bid per registration, and that "Tax Certificates will be titled using the above listed registration information." Anyone registering for a Stark County tax sale for the first time must also sign the First Time Tax Buyer Disclosure, which acknowledges that tax lien certificates carry significant risk, that specific actions are required within specific timeframes to keep a certificate valid and enforceable, that "The tax sale is final and no refunds are offered", and that county staff cannot give legal advice.
Stark County runs its annual delinquent real estate tax sale as a live, in-person sale at the Stark County Courthouse, 130 West Main Street, Toulon. No online bidding platform is confirmed for the annual certificate sale, so plan to attend in person and verify the format with the Treasurer's office first. The delinquent parcel list is not posted free online: the registration form sells a "tax buyer list of delinquent parcels for Real Estate Taxes" for $20.00 emailed or $25.00 mailed, paid by a separate check to the Stark County Treasurer, and the Treasurer also publishes delinquent accounts in local newspapers. Before the sale the county applies to the County Circuit Court for judgment and order of sale. One nearby transaction is easy to confuse with the certificate sale: Stark County as Trustee resells real estate it already took through completed tax deed proceedings, via a sealed-bid surplus auction handled by the Stark County Tax Agent (141 St. Andrews Avenue, Edwardsville, IL 62025, 800-248-2850 or 618-656-5744). The 2026 press release offers 2 items at a $836.00 minimum bid per item, with written bids due at the Treasurer's office and online bids due at iltaxsalebids.com by the close of business on August 7, 2026, and catalogs available at iltaxsale.com. That surplus sale conveys deeded property rather than tax certificates and is not the annual tax sale. In-person live sale at the Stark County Courthouse
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)
Stark County Treasurer & Collector
Stark County Courthouse, 130 W Main St, PO Box 309, Toulon, IL 61483-0309
Official websiteNotes for Stark County
- Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. Email: [email protected].
- The Treasurer cites 35 ILCS 200/21-15: all taxes not paid by the due date have interest added at 1.5% per month or part of a month until paid.
- Advertising costs of $10.00 per parcel are added after publication of delinquent taxes.
- Real estate tax installments are customarily due June 1 and September 1. For the 2025 tax year the county lists June 1, 2026 and September 1, 2026, with September 18, 2026 the last day personal checks are accepted.
- Small jurisdiction: the Treasurer sends about 6,000 property tax bills a year and collects over $15,000,000 for more than 40 taxing districts, so expect a short sale list.
- Tax payments are made payable to the Stark County Collector, while the sale registration deposit check is made payable to the Stark County Treasurer.
- The Stark County Clerk & Recorder handles tax extensions and delinquent taxes: 130 West Main Street, PO Box 97, Toulon, IL 61483, (309) 286-5911, [email protected]. Confirm redemption amounts with that office.
- The county tax agent site iltaxsale.com is operated by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates and lists "Tax Deed Foreclosed Property & Assignable Tax Certificates" auctions across many Illinois counties. Read any Stark listing there carefully: it serves the trustee surplus program, not the county's annual in-person certificate 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 Stark County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Stark County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Stark County tax certificate sale?
- Late October. The Treasurer's calendar lists "October 28, 2026: 2025 Delinquent Real Estate Tax Sale at 1:00 pm" with a registration deadline of "October 14, 2026: 2025 Delinquent Real Estate Tax Sale Registration Deadline". The office also states that "The annual sale for delinquent tax bills occurs in late October or early November." The prior cycle ran "October 29, 2025 at 1:00pm - Stark County Courthouse" for tax year 2024. The county labels its dates "subject to change without notice", so confirm with the Treasurer before making plans.. 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 Stark 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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