Stephenson County, IL tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Stephenson County, seat of Freeport: 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 Stephenson County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Stephenson County Treasurer-Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- One sale per year, held in the fall. The county's Tax Sales page states: "The next delinquent tax sale will be held in the fall of 2026. More details will be available in June 2026." A separate answer on the same page refers to "the November tax sale." The page also states the sale "is typically held in the 7th floor conference room of the Stewart Centre, located at 50 W. Douglas St., Freeport, IL 61032," and that "The tax sale only occurs once per year." The 2026 second installment was due September 4 and the last day to pay real estate taxes is November 9.
Registration and deposit
Paper registration with the Treasurer-Collector. The county states: "You are required to have your tax buyer registration form on file in our office 10 business days prior to the tax sale." The county says that 2026 deadline date has not yet been determined, and that the Stephenson County Tax Buyer Registration form "will be available on this page in October of 2026." A $300 deposit is required with the form and must be paid at registration. The County Collector keeps the deposit if a registered buyer does not attend, refunds it if the buyer attends but buys nothing, and applies it to the purchase if the buyer buys taxes. The county-wide delinquent list costs $100 by separate check, includes an updated list closer to the sale, and must be paid before the list is issued. Lists go out by email or paper roughly 15 days before the sale. First-time buyers must pay with certified funds; returning buyers may use personal, business, or cashier's checks, and taxes must be paid immediately after the sale closes. Bidding is in person only: "You or your registered representative must be physically present at the sale to bid in the November tax sale. You may not bid via mail or e-mail."
The Treasurer-Collector runs a single annual tax sale in person, normally in the 7th floor conference room of the Stewart Centre at 50 W. Douglas St., Freeport. There is no online or remote bidding. Bidding is computerized with R.A.M.S. 2 (Real-time Auction Management System): registered buyers submit a bid percentage on a bidder-provided USB drive, the format works like a reverse auction, the rate is capped at 9 percent, and the lowest percentage bid wins that parcel's taxes. The county asks buyers to review the R.A.M.S. 2 tutorial before the sale. Only delinquent taxes are sold, no property, and the sale does not clear other liens. The county states all liens are sold at the sale; for over-the-counter or assignment purchases it directs buyers to Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, the Stephenson County Trustee agent, at 618-656-5744. Redemption runs through the Stephenson County Clerk at 815-235-8289, with a 3 year redemption period, and acquiring a deed is the buyer's own responsibility. A separate annual surplus property sealed-bid auction runs in the summer, with 2026 booklets due in August and electronic booklets sold through iltaxsale.com.
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)
Notes for Stephenson County
- The sale is in person. R.A.M.S. 2 collects bids digitally from bidder-supplied USB drives, but the R.A.M.S. site confirms Illinois law requires all bidders to personally attend the sale, so it is not a remote online auction platform.
- The Tax Sales page carries a link labeled DELINQUENT TAX LIST, but that document returned a not-found error when checked on 2026-07-30. Buy the county-wide delinquent list from the office for $100 instead.
- The Treasurer-Collector navigation includes an item labeled Scavenger Tax Sales that points to iltaxsale.com, run by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates as Stephenson County Trustee agent. That site lists sealed-bid tax deed auctions, past results, and assignable tax lien certificates. It is not where the annual tax sale is bid.
- The county advertises the sale in a local newspaper and on its website 10 days before the sale date, so the exact date and parcel list surface late.
- Redemption information comes from the Stephenson County Clerk at 815-235-8289, not the Treasurer-Collector. Property tax records are on the county portal at stephensonil.devnetwedge.com.
- Treasurer and Collector is Stephanie Helms; office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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 Stephenson County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Stephenson County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.
When is the Stephenson County tax certificate sale?
- One sale per year, held in the fall. The county's Tax Sales page states: "The next delinquent tax sale will be held in the fall of 2026. More details will be available in June 2026." A separate answer on the same page refers to "the November tax sale." The page also states the sale "is typically held in the 7th floor conference room of the Stewart Centre, located at 50 W. Douglas St., Freeport, IL 61032," and that "The tax sale only occurs once per year." The 2026 second installment was due September 4 and the last day to pay real estate taxes is November 9.. 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 Stephenson 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.